The Source



"So, I have to just open the wall of code?" questioned Neo

"No" sighed Brown "If it was that simple I would have left myself. You have to concentrate on opening the first layer of code, then keep it open whilst you open the next, and the next.."

"How many layers are there?" said Neo looking slightly alarmed.

"Around 100"

"Ah." Neo had thought that this was going to be easy. He had had no trouble with manipulating the Matrix before, but then technically this wasn't quite the Matrix. Brown had agreed to remove layers of protective coding, but was unable to force apart the actual fabric of the program that kept them in the Source. That was up to Neo.

Neo took a deep breath and focused on the darkness. Slowly it turned into layers of speeding green figures, concentrating, the first layer slowed down and eventually stopped. Now he had to somehow pry them apart. Neo gritted his teeth and poured all his energy into moving the numbers apart, he had to do it. The numbers started to separate painfully slowly, just a little further Neo thought, just a little.... Suddenly he lost his concentration, and the numbers came back together and continued to speed as they faded back into the darkness.

"Dam it!" Neo yelled in frustration. He couldn't even get past the first layer; he just wasn't strong enough to keep the numbers apart.

Brown raised his eyebrows, "I told you it would not be easy Mr Anderson, but if it *encourages* you, it was written to be unbreakable."

Neo sighed, this was his one shot, he had to do it. "I knew it would be hard" he said staring at the ground, "But I *will* do it, I need to. I have to get back to..."

"Your *friends* Mister Anderson?" drawled a voice from the darkness

Both Neo and Agent Brown looked in the direction of the voice, with a surprisingly similar angry look on their faces.

"Smith" Spat Neo, glaring at Agent Smith venomously

"Yes" Said Smith smirking. "There seems to be a lot of me around nowadays."

***

"What do you want Smith?" growled Neo

"Not a lot, Mister Anderson, I seem to already have anything I could want from *you*. I just thought you might like to know how your...*Friends* were." He said smugly.

"If you have done *anything* to them I'll...." Neo began dangerously.

"Well, Mister Anderson, that's just it. I haven't *had* to do anything to them at all. Quite frankly they haven't got the slightest clue that you are missing."

"What?" Said Neo taken aback

"Yes" Said Smith, thoughtfully, "Even, *I* thought they would have noticed something...odd was going on by now. But no, not even your friend Trinity. Now *there* is an interesting relationship you have.."

"If you have so much a touched her.." Neo said warningly

"Ah, Mister Anderson, I believe that you misunderstand my motives here."

Neo looked slightly confused.

"I am not at all interested in harming your *friends*, although I don't admit I wouldn't find it enjoyable. No. You see Mister Anderson; I am interested in harming you. In hurting you. And eventually erasing you.

You may not have noticed Mister Anderson, but you have been the main source of all my problems. Losing the passwords to Zion, losing my place in the Matrix, losing my connection to the source, losing my purpose as an Agent."

Brown shot Smith a look of disgust, he blamed Smith's unprecedented methods as much as the Anomalies interference, Smith had always been more emotionally involved than the other Agents, it was his main flaw.

"So now, Mister Anderson, I believe it would be only fair for you to suffer, for you to lose something too." Smith finished, the manic gleam in his eyes not quite hidden by his dark glasses.

Neo suddenly felt very uneasy. What did Smith mean, he wanted him to lose something too? What was he planning, wasn't overwriting him enough?

Smith smiled and pulled something out of his pocket, Neo raised his arms ready to fight, but it wasn't a gun. Smith pressed a button on the small remote-like object and a large screen appeared, suspended in the darkness.

"I though you might like to know what is going on, and, of course to see your *friends* die." Sneered Smith.

Neo ran at him, but as he punched Smith, his hands went straight through his body. Neo stared at his body in shock. "What."

Smith laughed brutally "*you* can't hurt me in here. I thought you would have known *that* at least Mister Anderson" He said, and turned to walk away. "Oh, and don't try to escape. Even if you do manage to get out of here, which I severely doubt, I'm not sure that you will want to go back to your so called *friends"

Before Neo could reply Smith had vanished. Neo stared hopelessly into the darkness.

"Mr Anderson" Brown called, motioning towards the screen. It showed Smith in *his* body getting up out of the loading chair, while Bane handed him a box from next to the computer. 'Neo' rummaged around in the box, pulled out a small black handgun and started to walk out of the computer room, to where Neo knew his and Trinity's cabin was.

Neo's eyes widened in comprehension. He was going to kill Trinity. "NO!" he yelled franticly at the screen, startling Agent Brown in the process.

He had to get out, but even if he did, would he get to Trinity in time? Would Trinity even realise that it wasn't *him* who killed her? No. She is not going to die, she can't. But she would, unless he could get out.

Her last thoughts would be that he was a traitor, that he had never loved her. Either that or that he had snapped. She would realise that he could never kill her, wouldn't she? Surely she didn't think he would be capable of that? Didn't she know that he lover her more than anything in this world, or any other? That he would die a thousand times just to save her?

"No, Please" Neo whispered weakly, he couldn't let her die, not Trinity. He loved her too damn much.