Part Five: Déjà Vu
***
Neo had no idea where he was going. But he knew where he had been. And he knew he wasn't going back there. Every part of him, despite all logic, wanted to do something that he should have known was impossible.
He wanted to find Trinity.
He wanted to get her back. If you had asked him then why he had chosen the door on the right, he couldn't have told you. It was more of a blur in his mind then a conscious decision that he remembered making. It was like he had forgotten something that he had never really known in the first place.
It was freezing. Neo usually didn't leave his house after dark, and the cold night air came as quite a shock to him. He felt like the wind was a huge person, trying with all its might to push him backwards. But he wasn't budging.
Neo wondered why he hadn't done this sooner. How many nights had he lain awake wanting to run, walk, fly, skip- hell it didn't matter- to wherever she was? Too many. And when the dreams started he was powerless to stop them. They weren't like his thoughts, which he could maintain some measure of control over.
They came whenever they pleased. Just like before. Only this time, he saw the bullet take its effects. He saw her die. Saw her gasping for air and taking her last breath. But the dreams weren't all bad. Sometimes they were holding each other tightly.
Neo couldn't decide which type of dream was worse to wake up to. Seeing Trinity dying and waking up shuddering thinking about the truth of the dream, or waking up from a dream and realizing that his precious time with Trinity had been just that-
A dream.
The cold was becoming too much for Neo. Not that he could feel most of his body at this point. He sat down in the middle of nowhere. He didn't think that he'd ever see anything but dust, dark sky and dirty ground for the rest of his life. He tried to get back up, but he couldn't make his feet work.
"Fuck," Neo muttered to himself. He couldn't stop here. Couldn't quit here. He knew that if he didn't force himself to get up that instant, he probably never would. He struggled to his feet, and seconds later, found himself lying facedown in the dirt. Fucking rocks.
Neo raised his head and looked up at the sky. Strange. Almost total blackness. And then it seemed like it was coming down on him enveloping him. And then he was lost in the blackness.
***
White. The same blinding light he had seen before. This was the door made of light from his dreams. Again? Why?
"You're here to understand why you made the choice."
The Oracle. "Why did you bring me back here?"
"Good luck, kiddo." Neo sighed and walked into the light.
It was happening all over again. The Architect's speech. Neo couldn't tell if The Architect knew that he was saying all this for the second time or not. But Neo was tired of hearing it. He was tired of everything except Trinity.
Without speaking to The Architect, or even looking at him, Neo walked through the door on his right. A single thought, a single person invaded his mind completely.
Trinity.
The second Neo walked through the door he was faced with fire. Some sort of explosion. It didn't affect him that much. He was ready to fly. Using every ounce of strength he had, he propelled himself through the flames. Gritting his teeth, he flew with a speed that he hadn't known was possible.
Neo flew out of the building's window and through the city. He knew where to go. He had seen this all before in this nightmares. As long ago as that was, they were still so vivid. He consciously stopped the flow of everything around him. It all seemed to be going in slow motion.
Neo flew through the swirl of cars and debris. Trinity. He could see her falling. He swooped down and grabbed her with more focus and more purpose than he knew he had within him. A great sense of relief overtook him, even though he knew that she wasn't safe yet. He tried to hold her gently as he flew her to the nearby rooftop. He didn't want to hurt her further; she was already writhing in pain.
He laid her down gently on the rooftop. His heart broke. God, she was dying. After all he had been through, after all she had been through, here she was dying. He felt a tear trickle down his face.
"Trinity," he said desperately.
"I'm sorry." They both said it at the same time. Trinity looked up at him with pained, confused eyes.
"For what?"
He couldn't explain it to her now. The tears were still coming, and they would have embarrassed him in any other situation. God, she was so much stronger than he was. He could see the tears in her eyes, but she held them back. One of his tears landed on her chest. Right on the bullet wound.
It seemed like they both gasped simultaneously. They both looked at the spot where the tear had landed. It was healing. Slowly, through some inexplicable miracle, the bullet wound was disappearing.
As Trinity saw her fatal injury evaporate into thin air, she felt a tear start to trickle down her face as well. The pain was fading. Slowly fading. But she was alive, restored. Her concern for Neo was greater than her relief at her own safety. She had never seen him cry before.
Trinity did the only thing that would have felt right then. She sat up and kissed him passionately, fiercely. When they broke apart, Neo looked at her with wonder in his eyes. Neither one of them was silly enough to question what had just happened. They were simply grateful for it.
"I guess we're even now," Trinity said, smirking slightly. She had a sense of humor, or irony, at least, even now. Neo loved her for it.
Neo was struggling between the urge to kiss her and the urge to burst into tears. He did both, kissing her passionately and burying his face in her neck after they had parted. Trinity had no idea why he was sobbing, or what he could possibly be sorry for.
Whatever it was, it was okay now.
They held each other for a long time.
***
Neo had no idea where he was going. But he knew where he had been. And he knew he wasn't going back there. Every part of him, despite all logic, wanted to do something that he should have known was impossible.
He wanted to find Trinity.
He wanted to get her back. If you had asked him then why he had chosen the door on the right, he couldn't have told you. It was more of a blur in his mind then a conscious decision that he remembered making. It was like he had forgotten something that he had never really known in the first place.
It was freezing. Neo usually didn't leave his house after dark, and the cold night air came as quite a shock to him. He felt like the wind was a huge person, trying with all its might to push him backwards. But he wasn't budging.
Neo wondered why he hadn't done this sooner. How many nights had he lain awake wanting to run, walk, fly, skip- hell it didn't matter- to wherever she was? Too many. And when the dreams started he was powerless to stop them. They weren't like his thoughts, which he could maintain some measure of control over.
They came whenever they pleased. Just like before. Only this time, he saw the bullet take its effects. He saw her die. Saw her gasping for air and taking her last breath. But the dreams weren't all bad. Sometimes they were holding each other tightly.
Neo couldn't decide which type of dream was worse to wake up to. Seeing Trinity dying and waking up shuddering thinking about the truth of the dream, or waking up from a dream and realizing that his precious time with Trinity had been just that-
A dream.
The cold was becoming too much for Neo. Not that he could feel most of his body at this point. He sat down in the middle of nowhere. He didn't think that he'd ever see anything but dust, dark sky and dirty ground for the rest of his life. He tried to get back up, but he couldn't make his feet work.
"Fuck," Neo muttered to himself. He couldn't stop here. Couldn't quit here. He knew that if he didn't force himself to get up that instant, he probably never would. He struggled to his feet, and seconds later, found himself lying facedown in the dirt. Fucking rocks.
Neo raised his head and looked up at the sky. Strange. Almost total blackness. And then it seemed like it was coming down on him enveloping him. And then he was lost in the blackness.
***
White. The same blinding light he had seen before. This was the door made of light from his dreams. Again? Why?
"You're here to understand why you made the choice."
The Oracle. "Why did you bring me back here?"
"Good luck, kiddo." Neo sighed and walked into the light.
It was happening all over again. The Architect's speech. Neo couldn't tell if The Architect knew that he was saying all this for the second time or not. But Neo was tired of hearing it. He was tired of everything except Trinity.
Without speaking to The Architect, or even looking at him, Neo walked through the door on his right. A single thought, a single person invaded his mind completely.
Trinity.
The second Neo walked through the door he was faced with fire. Some sort of explosion. It didn't affect him that much. He was ready to fly. Using every ounce of strength he had, he propelled himself through the flames. Gritting his teeth, he flew with a speed that he hadn't known was possible.
Neo flew out of the building's window and through the city. He knew where to go. He had seen this all before in this nightmares. As long ago as that was, they were still so vivid. He consciously stopped the flow of everything around him. It all seemed to be going in slow motion.
Neo flew through the swirl of cars and debris. Trinity. He could see her falling. He swooped down and grabbed her with more focus and more purpose than he knew he had within him. A great sense of relief overtook him, even though he knew that she wasn't safe yet. He tried to hold her gently as he flew her to the nearby rooftop. He didn't want to hurt her further; she was already writhing in pain.
He laid her down gently on the rooftop. His heart broke. God, she was dying. After all he had been through, after all she had been through, here she was dying. He felt a tear trickle down his face.
"Trinity," he said desperately.
"I'm sorry." They both said it at the same time. Trinity looked up at him with pained, confused eyes.
"For what?"
He couldn't explain it to her now. The tears were still coming, and they would have embarrassed him in any other situation. God, she was so much stronger than he was. He could see the tears in her eyes, but she held them back. One of his tears landed on her chest. Right on the bullet wound.
It seemed like they both gasped simultaneously. They both looked at the spot where the tear had landed. It was healing. Slowly, through some inexplicable miracle, the bullet wound was disappearing.
As Trinity saw her fatal injury evaporate into thin air, she felt a tear start to trickle down her face as well. The pain was fading. Slowly fading. But she was alive, restored. Her concern for Neo was greater than her relief at her own safety. She had never seen him cry before.
Trinity did the only thing that would have felt right then. She sat up and kissed him passionately, fiercely. When they broke apart, Neo looked at her with wonder in his eyes. Neither one of them was silly enough to question what had just happened. They were simply grateful for it.
"I guess we're even now," Trinity said, smirking slightly. She had a sense of humor, or irony, at least, even now. Neo loved her for it.
Neo was struggling between the urge to kiss her and the urge to burst into tears. He did both, kissing her passionately and burying his face in her neck after they had parted. Trinity had no idea why he was sobbing, or what he could possibly be sorry for.
Whatever it was, it was okay now.
They held each other for a long time.
