"We have to contact the other ships and tell them about this. Once the rest
of the ships have this, we can safely search for survivors and go into the
Matrix." Morpheus had a hopeful gleam in his eyes, one that neither
Trinity, nor Neo had seen since the night Neo went to meet the Architect.
"Morpheus, there are no survivors." Neo added quietly.
"There must be, the machines couldn't have been so thorough to get."
"Everything and everyone is gone. The Architect made sure of that when I made my choice." Neo cut him off.
"Surely not everyone." Niobe piped up.
"Well, save for two or three other ships, yes, everyone." Neo's eyes flicked to Niobe's.
"What was your choice, Neo?" Grace asked quietly.
A moment of silence passed between them as Neo glanced at Trinity and, upon gaining a nod, opened his mouth to speak.
"I was given two choices. One door led to the somewhat salvation of Zion. Meaning, Zion, along with the Matrix would be destroyed, save for 17 women and 6 men of my own choosing from the Matrix. Those men and women would then be freed to begin making a new Zion, and the process would start all over."
"What process?" Morpheus asked.
"The Architect told me that I was the sixth 'One'. An anomaly in the Matrix creates me because of a flaw; the human flaw is something that the machines can never hope to perfect. The five others always choose the first door because they, like myself, are part of humanity and love it, but are disconnected in their love. My love was much more specific. The other door led to the immediate destruction of Zion and Trinity. He already knew which door I would choose, since that's what it all comes down to- choices.
"As I turned towards the door to which I could get to Trinity, he told me that I wouldn't be able to save her. And he was right, but he was more wrong than he ever thought. He commented several times on how I was different from the others. And I am. I, unlike the other Ones, have more than just the fight against the machines as a drive to win the war. I'm more human than any of them due to my emotions, the ones the Architect scoffed at since they blind me to all rational thought."
"You chose the door that Trinity was behind even though you knew you were indeed choosing the destruction of Zion?" Ghost asked, and upon seeing Neo nod, "Isn't that a bit selfish?" Before anyone could react Neo stepped toward him, but his eyes showed no anger, merely anguish,
"Ghost, sometimes the choices that look wrong in the first place, turn out to be the right ones. Besides, would you rather be here now, still fighting, than be dead, while the machines press the 'restart' button? It's just one big loop, over and over again. Nothing changes! They all chose the same fucking door. I didn't. It was a choice the machines had yet to experience, even though they knew the effects of my choice. I know it seems selfish, and in most parts it is, I will admit to that, but you know something? I'd regret what I was giving up more than what I have now if I chose the other door."
"Is that because Trinity wouldn't be with you?" Link asked quietly.
Trinity's eyes flicked to Neo's.
"Less than you'd think, actually. If I chose that other door, what we have fought so hard for will just be swept out from under us, and we'd have to start all over again. Would you really want to do that? Yes, it would probably kill me, if I consciously chose to start over versus having Trinity. Selfish? Yes, but that's what makes us better, what makes us human, what makes us flawed. We make choices in the heat of the moment, driven not by our minds, but by our hearts. A computer doesn't understand that though. To it, everything is black and white, to us; there are many shades of gray. Which leads to the conclusion that our hearts tell the truth when the mind is trying to find something wrong with a choice we make."
Morpheus nodded, understanding. However, Ghost would not take it so lightly.
"You fucking chose what your dick wants over Zion not being destroyed? You fucking bastard!" Ghost moved towards Neo, but was flattened to the floor by Trinity's right hook.
"You're the bastard. You'd be dead right now if it wasn't for him. So would I, so would everyone here. Because of his 'selfish' choice, we're still here, and that is better than ever starting over again." Trinity glared down into Ghosts eyes. Seething, Trinity was about to kick him, when Neo's hand touched her shoulder. She whipped around, only to soften and back away from Ghost.
Wish, the ship's medic, rushed forward. Upon helping him up, Niobe faced Ghost.
"Go to your quarters when Wish has finished cleaning you up. Do not leave them until I have given you orders to." Ghost nodded, regretting his outrage at the sight of Trinity's look of hatred and the blood spilling out of his nose. He loved her, she knew it, but it was an unrequited love. He just hated the fact that Trinity would love a man who chose for his own reasons, not the worlds.
Ghost and Wish left, leaving the core in an uncomfortable silence.
"Well, that went well." Link piped up.
"Morpheus, there are no survivors." Neo added quietly.
"There must be, the machines couldn't have been so thorough to get."
"Everything and everyone is gone. The Architect made sure of that when I made my choice." Neo cut him off.
"Surely not everyone." Niobe piped up.
"Well, save for two or three other ships, yes, everyone." Neo's eyes flicked to Niobe's.
"What was your choice, Neo?" Grace asked quietly.
A moment of silence passed between them as Neo glanced at Trinity and, upon gaining a nod, opened his mouth to speak.
"I was given two choices. One door led to the somewhat salvation of Zion. Meaning, Zion, along with the Matrix would be destroyed, save for 17 women and 6 men of my own choosing from the Matrix. Those men and women would then be freed to begin making a new Zion, and the process would start all over."
"What process?" Morpheus asked.
"The Architect told me that I was the sixth 'One'. An anomaly in the Matrix creates me because of a flaw; the human flaw is something that the machines can never hope to perfect. The five others always choose the first door because they, like myself, are part of humanity and love it, but are disconnected in their love. My love was much more specific. The other door led to the immediate destruction of Zion and Trinity. He already knew which door I would choose, since that's what it all comes down to- choices.
"As I turned towards the door to which I could get to Trinity, he told me that I wouldn't be able to save her. And he was right, but he was more wrong than he ever thought. He commented several times on how I was different from the others. And I am. I, unlike the other Ones, have more than just the fight against the machines as a drive to win the war. I'm more human than any of them due to my emotions, the ones the Architect scoffed at since they blind me to all rational thought."
"You chose the door that Trinity was behind even though you knew you were indeed choosing the destruction of Zion?" Ghost asked, and upon seeing Neo nod, "Isn't that a bit selfish?" Before anyone could react Neo stepped toward him, but his eyes showed no anger, merely anguish,
"Ghost, sometimes the choices that look wrong in the first place, turn out to be the right ones. Besides, would you rather be here now, still fighting, than be dead, while the machines press the 'restart' button? It's just one big loop, over and over again. Nothing changes! They all chose the same fucking door. I didn't. It was a choice the machines had yet to experience, even though they knew the effects of my choice. I know it seems selfish, and in most parts it is, I will admit to that, but you know something? I'd regret what I was giving up more than what I have now if I chose the other door."
"Is that because Trinity wouldn't be with you?" Link asked quietly.
Trinity's eyes flicked to Neo's.
"Less than you'd think, actually. If I chose that other door, what we have fought so hard for will just be swept out from under us, and we'd have to start all over again. Would you really want to do that? Yes, it would probably kill me, if I consciously chose to start over versus having Trinity. Selfish? Yes, but that's what makes us better, what makes us human, what makes us flawed. We make choices in the heat of the moment, driven not by our minds, but by our hearts. A computer doesn't understand that though. To it, everything is black and white, to us; there are many shades of gray. Which leads to the conclusion that our hearts tell the truth when the mind is trying to find something wrong with a choice we make."
Morpheus nodded, understanding. However, Ghost would not take it so lightly.
"You fucking chose what your dick wants over Zion not being destroyed? You fucking bastard!" Ghost moved towards Neo, but was flattened to the floor by Trinity's right hook.
"You're the bastard. You'd be dead right now if it wasn't for him. So would I, so would everyone here. Because of his 'selfish' choice, we're still here, and that is better than ever starting over again." Trinity glared down into Ghosts eyes. Seething, Trinity was about to kick him, when Neo's hand touched her shoulder. She whipped around, only to soften and back away from Ghost.
Wish, the ship's medic, rushed forward. Upon helping him up, Niobe faced Ghost.
"Go to your quarters when Wish has finished cleaning you up. Do not leave them until I have given you orders to." Ghost nodded, regretting his outrage at the sight of Trinity's look of hatred and the blood spilling out of his nose. He loved her, she knew it, but it was an unrequited love. He just hated the fact that Trinity would love a man who chose for his own reasons, not the worlds.
Ghost and Wish left, leaving the core in an uncomfortable silence.
"Well, that went well." Link piped up.