The next day brought the crew in slightly more comfortable moods, save for Morpheus whom Neo had not seen for a day and a half now. Neo decided to seek the captain out, finding him in the cockpit with Trinity. Inside, Morpheus sat hunched over in a chair, a distant expression marring his features. Trinity perked as Neo entered the room, standing from her chair. "Neo." She said. Her greeting brought Morpheus out of his dazed state.

            "Morning." He said. "I was wondering where you went." He raised his head to look at Morpheus.

            Morpheus continued to carry a hard face. "Is there something you wanted?" he seemed agitated at the moment.

            "I'm not sure…" Neo raised an eyebrow.

            "I'll…leave you guys alone, I guess." Trinity said, sensing either the current tension or an impending argument and exiting the room. Perhaps she already knew what was troubling Morpheus.

            "Something up?" Neo asked, taking a seat.

            "You tell me." Morpheus took a breath and exhaled.

            "Where have you been lately? Aren't you curious about this new guy?"

            "Very much so…" he admitted.

            "So…" Neo waited for an answer impatiently.

            "I've just been thinking." Was all he chose to say.

            "I guess it would be pointless to ask what about." Neo sat back and stared at his friend. "Why so quiet?"

            "What do you think of him, Neo?" Morpheus met his gaze.

            Neo had been only slightly prepared for that question. "I think he's fine." He replied lamely.

            "Really…" Morpheus pried. "And he seems completely human to you?"

            "Well…no." he stated as honestly as he could. "Not completely. But then again…he's not completely human."

            "No, he's not." Morpheus agreed, looking away.

            "Are we playing twenty questions here or are you going to tell me what you're thinking?"        

            "You know me, Neo. I like the complicated way." He smirked.

            "That's great." Neo sighed. "What are you, afraid of him?"

            "Not exactly, no." Morpheus rubbed his chin. "But you already know that's not the case. You know that it isn't fear because you feel it too."

            "So I guess Trinity told you…" Neo grimaced.

            "No." Morpheus shrugged. "You did…by your reaction."

            "Then it's the anxiety? You can feel that weird angst vibe from him, too."

            "Yes, that's part of it." Morpheus revealed, looking towards the door.

            "And what's the other part?" Neo kept his eyes locked on Morpheus, sure that he was hiding something. "Are you worried about how he'll do in Zion?"

            "…We're not going to Zion, Neo." Morpheus said, standing.

            Neo took a moment to run that statement through his head again. Once he had processed the meaning, he looked up. "…What do you mean…?"

            "I mean that we are not taking Lith to Zion." Morpheus rephrased.

            "Yeah, I got that, but what do you mean we're not taking him? Why?" Neo furrowed his brow, demanding a straight answer.

            "Come with me. I want to show you something." Morpheus strode to the front of the ship.

            Neo stood as well, quick to follow. "I know he's sort of mysterious, but I don't think he would hurt anyone."

            "That may be so, but that isn't what I'm talking about." Morpheus thrust a finger to a screen. "Robotic signals. Sentinels." He shook his head, battling his inner thoughts. "They've been closing in on the Nebuchadnezzar slowly but surely, ever since he came aboard." 

            "…You don't think…"

            "Yes. I do." Morpheus took a few steps away, hands behind his back.

            Neo closed his eyes, sitting down in another chair and sighing. "Shit…" he had been half expecting this, but only fleetingly in the back of his mind.

            "If we bring him to Zion," Morpheus added darkly. "We bring them to Zion."

            Neo was silent now, a depressed glare in his eyes. "It's the device attached to his brain, isn't it?" it was really more of a statement that marked his realization.

            "I would assume so." Morpheus validated, looking to the door again.

            Neo rubbed his hands together, thinking. "Couldn't we remove it?"

            "Not without killing him." He replied.

            "And you're sure…you're absolutely sure they're tracking him?"

            "Can you think of any other reason?"

            "I don't know." Neo muttered. "But what does this mean? That we have to keep him from Zion forever?"

            "Until we can find an alternative." Said Morpheus.

            "Did you say anything to Trinity?"

            "No. I told her as much that we would not be going to Zion. I thought it best not to alarm her."

            "…But…" Neo started. "The sentinels are getting closer."

            "Yes, I'm aware of that. But until I decide what to do…"

            "They have a right to know." Neo said.

            "I suppose you're right." Morpheus looked down, still lost in some internal affair.

            Neo sat back, crushed. What was their option now? Fly around aimlessly, trying to think of a solution? What would happen when they needed to restock supplies? "I'll uh…I guess I'll go." He shook his head, standing. "Maybe you should come out and eat something. Get to know Lith, since he's…gonna be here a while." Neo walked to the door.

            Morpheus closed his eyes with a pained sigh. "Neo…" he cleared his throat. "I'm not sure he can stay here, either."

            Neo stopped, staring ahead a moment before slowly turning back. "…What?"

            "I think you heard me." Morpheus did not turn to face him.

            "No, I couldn't have heard you right." Neo suspiciously walked in front of him. "What do you mean by that, Morpheus?"

            Morpheus kept his gaze straight. "He is a threat to Zion, Neo, and he is a threat to this crew. My responsibility is to Zion, my responsibility is this crew."

            "What are you saying?" Neo gaped. "What are we supposed to do with him?"

            "I don't know, Neo. But the fact remains that while he is here, he is risking our lives."

            "You don't know? What exactly are you suggesting, Morpheus?" Neo incredulously dropped his arms to his side. "That we pawn him off on some other crew? Leave them to deal with the androids?"

            "Neo-" Morpheus held up a hand.

            "Or what? Or what, that we just leave him somewhere?"

            "Neo, I know it seems unreasonable-"

            "Well you're damn right!" Neo threw up his hands, plopping down in the closest seat.

            "I don't like the idea any more than you do, Neo." He stated sharply. "But weigh our options."

            "Our options." Neo sputtered. "He needs our help, Morpheus. He needs our protection if those things are after him. Weigh his options! How can you even suggest-"

            "How do we even know that he isn't an imposter, Neo? How do we know he is not leading them here of his own volition?" Morpheus pointed out.

            "He's harmless, Morpheus, talk to him five minutes and you can see that! He's confused and freaked out and you want to abandon him?" Neo barked. "We're in this thing to help people, Morpheus. How can we help people if we give in to suspicion?"

            "No, Neo. We're 'in this thing' to end the war. To win the war. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

            "No." Neo protested. "We can't leave him behind. Those droids will find him and rip him apart!"

            "Perhaps not. Perhaps they are merely tying to find their lost creation and will return him into his stasis mode."

            "And that's any better?" Neo shouted in disbelief. "A life trapped in some program with machines gnawing and altering your body? Great, fine, but why don't you go and tell him the news! Why don't you go and explain to him why he's being booted out!"

"And what would you have us do, Neo?" Morpheus asked. "Keep him here? Let him stay? Let the sentinels get closer to us?" he said calmly. "Could you put this crew in that kind of danger, Neo? Could you put your friends in that kind of danger?" he paused, looking at him numbly. "Could you put Trinity in that kind of danger?"

            Neo stood, tightening his jaw and clenching a fist. "Damn it, Morpheus, that's a cheap shot and you know it!"

            "I'm only telling you the truth." Morpheus' expression did not falter.

            "That's bullshit." Neo growled. "You're truth is bullshit! You know you can't leave a man behind in good conscience!"

            "Suppose I take that risk, Neo, and he betrays us." Morpheus raised his voice slightly.

            "Risk!" Neo yelled. "Don't think for a second I'll believe you give a damn about risk!" he pointed a finger accusingly at Morpheus. "You took a risk when you found me, didn't you? You took the risk that I may or may not be 'the one', you took a risk that I would tell you to shove your prophecy up your ass! Don't stand there and tell me you're not willing to risk finding out who this guy, is or why he is, or if there's any way to help him or prevent others from ending up like him, because it's a god damn lie!"

            Morpheus calmed, stepping past Neo and back to the screen. "I only listed it as an option, Neo…A dismal, but possible, option. Honest to God, Neo, I do not know what to do with this man." He touched the screen gently with two fingers. "I'm going to go to great lengths to find out where he came from, and why, and any other question you're thinking right now…but I need time. And I do not know how much of it these droids will give me."

            "…where the hell do we even start?" Neo's shoulders dropped, exhausted from any further quarrel.

            "From him. He hasn't told us much, from what I've heard. Has he said anything of particular relevance to you?" he glanced over.

            "No, I guess not." Neo shook his head.

            "For now, Neo, I'm placing you in charge of monitoring him. If you truly believe he is innocent, prove yourself right."

            "I will." Neo narrowed his eyes, sighing as he turned again. "And I'll uh…I'll see what else he's got to say."