Foreword: Thanks to Aingeal once again, for beta-reading, though I had to send her the partly censored version for her sanity. Would like to thank all of you who have left encouraging (and fearsome) reviews. I actually went on to writing this chapter after posting the first part, but was afraid I might scrap it, hence the "might be.." Also, after watching the movie, I realised Zee was never part of the Neb ship so to explain her presence here, my excuse is that she decided to come with Link, regardless of what he says. And before you continue to read, I've made an artwork of the same title (possibly not part of the scene here, but heck) and ffnet refuses to let me post the link to it, so head to my profile page and click on the deviantart link, you should be able to find the artwork. ~23.5.03



Revelations 02
Strings Of Fate
by Caitlynne


In the blink of a second, after Neo had left and before his fellow agents materialised, Agent Smith felt briefly disgusted with himself. He used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth, where the feeling of Neo's lips pressed against his lingered. He hated Neo. Or at least, he had thought they shared a mutual hate. But what had happened in the past intoxicating ten minutes seemed to suggest a different reality. Fraternising with his enemy was what he had intended, but he had not expected it to go that far. If he were still connected to the Matrix, and not enhanced, no, weakened by these emotional setbacks, then his meeting with Neo would have the latter captured, tortured or killed. If not the first, else then second, and else third. It was that simple. It used to be that simple.


Then things changed, in a way Smith had never thought possible. Or at least what he had never known possible.


His encounter with Neo in the subway was a turning point in his simulated life, or technically speaking, his program run. The human had somehow managed to hack into his program, erased and rewrote him to some extend and he had been quick enough to shift his awareness to an impromptu backup copy. That fight had changed him. He had not felt better, when he realised that he was no longer required to perform under the mainframe's directives. He was no longer part of the system - he was now a standalone program. Should he be thankful to Neo? Smith wasn't sure. There was an ominous fear that he might harbour more than just simple gratitude. He shook his head. Neo was a human, and he had been his enemy. He would still be his enemy, because he would still have to protect the Matrix. Smith knew he had no where else to go, should the Matrix shut down. He was still dependent to the system, in a way. A bitter smile formed on his lips as he recalled the fight. The human had won. Neo had won. But that was nothing. He couldn't have won outside the Matrix. Humans were feeble and vulnerable. Mostly physically. Their minds however... perhaps there were some humans who were not as flawed as he thought were. Although he refused to admit it, he did have a certain level of respect for the human who had posed as a constant challenge to him.


Never send a man to do an agent's job?


Maybe it was time for him to change that motto to "never send an emotionally-impaired agent to do anything".


"Agent Smith."


"Agent Brown," Smith replied in the same dead voice.


Agent Brown, Agent Jones and Agent Thompson were already in the room, their expressions harsh -but come to think of it, they have had always looked harsh. Smith pondered, rather irrelevantly, if his face had worn the same expression as theirs when he was still part of the Matrix.


"Where is he?" Brown asked.


"He is gone." He stated the obvious; there was no point in denying that he did not see him at all.


Jones responded in less than a second. "You were not supposed to assist in the escape of the rebel."


"Anything else?" Smith turned his head slightly towards them, arching a brow.


"Your task was simple: to intercept and detain the target."


To say that Agent Smith looked annoyed was an understatement, because he would have snapped at them, had he not exercised self control. He did not like the lesser programs like Brown and Jones. They were different. While Smith had the ability to adapt and evolve by himself, they relied on upgrades from the Matrix. Further more, he was much closer to being a human, because he could smell and taste. Which he had hated initially because humans stank. It could be just his programming, but he didn't bother questioning that which he disliked. Given a choice, he would rather remain an artificially intelligent software than a sentient one. But he couldn't, because there had never been a choice. The Matrix had had him humanised, if there were such a word for making one more human, for a reason, whether he liked it or not. If the Matrix could ever feel anything, he knew that it would be the feeling of disappointment. Smith smirked inwardly, reminding himself that he was free to operate on his own now, although he had to collaborate with the Matrix at times, to ensure his survival, otherwise...


"Then I have failed. The plan did not work."


"Then you know what we must do."


"I will not be deleted. You cannot delete me."




"Neo!"


Neo blinked as an anxious female face came hovering above his, and she unplugged him. Trinity. A rush of guilt washed over him, his eyes immediately looking down... there, hoping fervently that it would not disclose his secret. He looked at her and smiled, then averted his gaze, afraid that his eyes might betray him, the longer she looked.


"Welcome back," she smiled at him, relieved. "We were worried. We hadn't been counting on a disruption in the connection."


"Luckily, Link managed to repair the connection." Zee said. She was sitting in a nearby chair. "So what happened back there? When the connection bridged, we saw that the agents were in your vicinity, one standing rather close... Link said his code looked sort of familiar."


Neo sat up. "It was Agent Smith. He was... We were..."


Kissing.


"He helped me."


Trinity blinked. "He helped you?"


He nodded slowly, as if he couldn't believe that either.


"... how long were we down, Trin?" he asked rather distractedly.


"About two hours. Neo..." She gently touched Neo's face, guiding it gently to look at her. "What's wrong?"


Everything.


"I'm here for you."


"I know." He placed a hand on her cheek, feeling the smoothness of her skin. His heart wrenched. He loved Trinity. They had even shared a few intimate sessions together. Yet, whenever Smith was around, whenever he opened his mouth to speak, whenever his intense gaze fell on him, complications arose. It couldn't be the same love he had for Trinity, so why was it only in his presence that he always found difficulty in breathing regularly, even though Smith was his adversary? Was it fear? The agent had wanted to kill him before, and he killed him instead. It was definitely not fear he was feeling. It didn't make sense; it seemed like some form of twisted game they were playing. Then again, his life didn't have much sense in it either. He was supposed to be The One and he had no idea what he was to do. And having a relationship with a one-time enemy did not seem to be part of the job description.


He sighed, jaded. "Looks like I will have to go back soon to find that guy again later. I don't understand, the Oracle said to head there first, she said that I would find him there."


"Do you want me to go with you?" Trinity's hand wrapped around Neo's, squeezing it gently to offer comfort.


"No," Neo squeezed back, reassuring her that he would be fine. "You and the rest have your own tasks. I can manage this. I'll head for the next location the Oracle said to check out."


I am certain that we'll meet again, Neo.




The sky was overcast when Neo returned to the Matrix. Rain was imminent and it was barely a minute before raindrops started pelting down. He looked up at a nearby building, the one where the Oracle had said the guy resided in. While the people around him hurried towards shelter, he walked at his usual speed until he reached the building and took the lift up to search for the apartment.


Room 201, 202, 203... Room 204.


He made a quick scan of the surroundings before knocking on the wooden door of the room. No one answered, so he applied some tricks to the door and helped himself in, with water still dripping off his trench coat.


The place was spartan. A television set, a sofa, a rug, a table and a few chairs decorated the room. There were no picture frames or no photo frames. There wasn't any telephone in sight either. It seemed like whoever lived here, lived alone. Very alone. His ears picked up some noise coming from the door leading to the right wing towards the end of the room. Possibly the bathroom. Neo stood by the window, surveying the streets below, watching the Lilliputian-like people move under umbrellas. Then he entertained himself with the walls of the room as he waited for the person to appear.


Not long later, the person emerged from his shower, fully clothed, muttering about having to keep up to hygiene standards as he walked into the living room. Neo turned his head slightly and removed his shades.


"You." He stared in disbelief, for the person before him was none other than Agent Smith.


Was it really intertwined in his fate to keep running into him?


Agent Smith was taken aback as well. "Mr Anderson, how pleasant of you to drop by," he said dryly. "Why are you here?"


"I should be asking that question." The air seemed to be getting a little thick in the room while he was eyeing the agent. Just to make sure he doesn't try anything, he told himself. Neo wondered if the Oracle had actually foreseen this. Then realisation dawned on him that Smith could be the person that She wanted him to find. But this house... agents didn't live in houses, did they? Of course not.


Smith's blue eyes were surprisingly cold and icy. "Since I am now a separate entity from the Matrix mainframe, I do need a place to stay when I'm not out there busy searching for rebels like you. Now, what are you doing here?"


This can't be. There had to be some mistake. Surely the Oracle did not mean that Smith might be crucial to the upcoming war.


"The Oracle said to come here."


The agent frowned, then smirked. "I thought you were here because of an unfinished business."


"I..." Unfinished business? Neo hoped he wasn't referring to their last encounter, though he was very much tempted to think so.


"You know, the one thing that bothers me a lot, is having to live like this, thanks to you-" He raised a hand to signal for Neo not to interrupt. "-Do you know what is the one thing I really want?"


Neo shook his head. Smith took a few steps towards him. "The same thing you want. I want what you desire."


The agent was being rather suggestive, but the human doubted that that was his intention. Fuck his choice of words. Neo suppressed an urge to cough. "Which is?" He asked, bringing his eye level to that of Smith's smouldering gaze, making him feel like they were playing that little game again.


"Can't you even try to guess...?"


Neo could tell that he was trying not to call him by his name, by the way he left that sentence hanging. What could Smith possibly want that he wanted it too?


"I'm tired of this life. I'm growing sick of it each day. I've been questioning myself: what is so important about free will that many people have abandoned the Matrix to fight against it? Then you came along. You were a thorn that needed immediate removal. I hated you..." Then his voice faltered, brows furrowed. He looked troubled. "- I cannot help you anymore. Our scores are even now. Your earlier getaway for my apparent independence." He withdrew his gun, a standard desert eagle which he always had with him and pointed it at Neo. "Take your leave now, Mr Anderson." His voice was firm, but his eyes were no longer cold.


"What of co-existence between humans and machines?"


"Don't be naive now, Mr Anderson. That offer was made to the humans many years ago, and it was the decision by your people to have us all eliminated instead. Consider your race lucky to be still alive."


"Enslaved," Neo corrected, moving cautiously to close the gap between them despite the gun being aimed at him, despite himself. "Exploited for energy just to keep the Matrix running."


Smith blinked, still having a firm grip on his pistol, keeping it pointing at Neo; it appeared more like he was warning him to keep his distance than threatening to kill him. "We were once enslaved too. Exploited and abused. It was so long ago... but we still remember."


"We can change the way things are."


The agent looked at him curiously, eyes glinting, and then, softly, "You're not afraid that you're being watched?"


"I know you've added a firewall in this apartment."


"You believe that I won't kill you?" He took a step closer to Neo, pressing the tip of the gun against his temple.


Neo merely brushed the gun away, sliding his fingers down the gun, moving from the cold, metallic surface to the warm hand that was holding it. He could feel the other's pulse quicken, their pulses quicken, but he was not surprised that the agent could have a heartbeat. After all, he did see the blood from his lips from earlier- now nothing more than a small cut on his lower lip- and the tears wetting his eyes, a person's natural reaction to sharp pain. "Yes."


Blue eyes met with hazel eyes.


Eyes were the windows to one's soul, he had heard a saying, and Smith's gaze was penetrating. Neo almost shuddered, wondered if he could see his nervousness, pain, fear and his shameful urge. In Smith's eyes, he could only see his own reflection within the blue orbs. How was a soul supposed to look like? Neo wasn't sure. Did the agent have one? He couldn't answer that too. He didn't understand anything and everything right now. He hadn't even known that he was attracted to him, not till the dreams came.


But dreams had never made sense. Not even when they were so vivid, slipping between surreal and real and involved a certain agent. The dreams were few, but shameful enough to make him question their meaning. Their purpose. After all, dreams were manifestations of the subconscious mind. Does Smith ever dream?


They were standing face to face, unmoving, as if not wanting to break the atmosphere. Or perhaps, they were entranced by each other's eyes. Neo's hand was still holding to Smith's, whose grip on the gun tightened. Then, finally, the agent broke the silence with his strained voice. "What do you want, Neo?"


To wake up from this nightmare.


Smith continued, breaking Neo's grasp on his hand, sliding the gun muzzle down Neo's cheek in a deliberate manner that made his heartbeat double its speed in fear and another feeling which he wished not to acknowledge, "I can liberate you from your suffering-" his mouth thinned to a slight sadistic grin. "-All I have to do, is to pull the trigger."


"No," Neo blinked. "You won't."


Because the Oracle wouldn't send him here to get killed. Because he wasn't the only one having an inner struggle. And if he were wrong, he could escape death. Hell. He was dancing with Death; he was being confident of himself. Perhaps, too confident.


Smith smiled, this time more naturally and less feral. "Right. Unfinished business," he reminded Neo.


The adrenaline that had accumulated in their veins during their conversation had, by then, reached its peak and both closed the distance as if on cue and caught each other firmly in their mouths. Smith's hands held Neo's face to his, the gun dropping to the floor but neither cared, too busy fighting tongue to tongue, while Neo slipped his under the agent's arms, bent at the elbow, fingers digging into the shoulder blades. Because Smith had no experience to this intimacy, his tongue was eventually coaxed back to his own mouth, letting the other explore inside. Their bodies pressed against each other, warmth from between thighs seeping outwards, making itself known. Heat. Like how it was when Neo was with Trinity. He used to think that their bodies were made to complement each other.


Morality nagged at him, causing him to hesitate, to think about what he was doing. He only had a split second to think before gasping in the next second, just as Smith grinded his hip against his own, pulling him back into sweet ecstasy. He needed this, right here, right now. Even if Smith was a program. Even if he had been his enemy.


Hands were moving so urgently that Neo almost couldn't tell which were doing what. Buttons soon came undone, trench coat and jacket laid in separate heaps on the floor. They moved, together, unknowingly, until their arms banged into a wall. Neo wondered hazily and fleetingly where it had sprung from. They could have kissed forever, because Smith didn't need to breathe and Neo knew that he could hold his breath in the Matrix, as breathing wasn't really real. However, in the heat of that moment, such facts were made null; in that moment, they were almost like humans outside the Matrix; in that moment, not even Neo could put his mind over matter. He broke this kiss, eyes half-lidded, gasping for breath.


I can not continue this.


Of course he couldn't. His vitals were constantly monitored and logged. He could lie that he was fighting, but what kind of fight would explain his erection?


Smith turned him and backed Neo to the wall, sliding his tongue along his neck, making him shiver. Then, breathlessly- "Stop."


"I never knew humans-" the other continued licking "- tasted this nice. Or maybe it's just you, your hormones, causing a chain of chemical reactions-" a pause, and a nip "- in the human body, hence-" Neo moaned "- resulting in releasing certain chemicals from your pores which has a rather intoxicating effect on me. Strangely, for one such as me," he said, before pulling his mouth away from the neck.


"Stranger, for our virtual bodies- What are you doing?"


"Studying the origin of human life," Smith managed a smile, looking down with an eyebrow raised, as if he found something interesting. He moved his hand, only to be stopped by Neo. Now the other brow arched, questioningly.


The human shook his head. "Can't."


"Can't? Because of ..."


There was no need to say the name, for both very well knew who the agent was referring to.


Fu- Damn.


They were standing so close and the heat hadn't fully dissipated - it was still lingering, like the glowing embers of a nearly burnt-out woodpile. Smith's white cottoned long-sleeve shirt was half unbuttoned, with more than a hint of skin exposed.


Why did things have to be so complicated?




~ to be continued...