A/N I had this one written inside my head for a week or so but I
misplaced my mental pen. So today, I sat down in front of my computer with
a bottle of water and a bag of brandy drops (God, I love them) and typed my
fingers to the bone for all of you. Here's the end result. If its total
crap, don't blame me; blame the current political situation. (That's what
you get for listening to R.A.T.M. all day).
Trinity awoke early the next day. She turned carefully and saw that Neo was still sleeping. He looked so angelic when he slept. It almost made you wonder how someone so powerful and invincible in the Matrix could look so childlike and vulnerable in sleep. She wouldn't wake him. He hadn't been sleeping at all recently. She made up her mind to talk to Morpheus about it in private once she got a chance. She quietly detangled herself from his embrace and dressed. She was halfway to the door when she turned around and looked at Neo. He had rolled onto the warm spot where she had been, oblivious to her absence. Trinity smiled at the sight of him sprawled across the bed and walked quietly out the door and shut it carefully behind her. She made her way down to the mess hall. When she arrived, she wasn't surprised to see Alpha there. Unplugged for two and a half months, he was the earliest riser on the ship since Cypher was gone.
"Good morning" he greeted her in his soft Irish accent. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah, I suppose" Trinity replied, getting her gloop and a tin of water.
As Trinity was sitting down to eat, Morpheus walked in.
"Trinity, when you're finished, I need you to go to come to the Core"
"Why?"
"The Osiris will be docking in about a half an hour. Our new operator is arriving today"
"Alright, I'll be down in a few minutes"
She had known that he - or she - was arriving today; she had just thought that it would have been later. Tank had left the ship when they had docked in Zion for repairs following the squiddie attack. He had said it was too difficult working on the Neb with all the memories. She understood how he felt, but she had no choice but to continue on. For the three months after Tank had left, they had shared the operating shifts as well as the everyday ones. Although, they had managed all right, they needed an operator. Their sister ship, the Osiris had docked in Zion a week ago and had agreed to transport their new operator. She finished her gloop and rose from the bench. On her way out the door, she bumped into Neo, still half-asleep and with pillow creases across his face. He pulled her close and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Hello, beautiful" he greeted her with a lopsided grin. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
"'Cause she couldn't be arsed, that's why" came Alpha's voice from the mess hall. Trinity laughed and made her way down to the Core. Morpheus was already in there, talking to the Osiris' operator. Trinity sat down on the operator's chair, which still bore the burns of Cypher's betrayal, and began typing in docking controls.
"We're ready," she said after a few minutes.
"Alright, Osiris, we are ready for docking, please proceed" Morpheus stated into the mouthpiece. "Trinity, get the rest of the crew up here"
"Already here" Trinity turned around in her chair. Sure enough, Alpha and Neo were both standing there.
"You didn't think we'd want to miss out on the craic, did you?" Alpha said.
"What's going on?" Neo asked through a yawn.
"The Osiris is docking." Trinity told him. "We told you a week ago. God, you have such an awful memory sometimes"
"Trinity, open the hatch" Morpheus' order cut the conversation short. Trinity quickly typed in some commands and a small door on the east wall opened. Through the hatch stepped three people: two tall, dark men and one Asian woman. Trinity and Morpheus walked forward to greet the visitors.
"Welcome Thaddeus and Jue" he said. "And you must be our new operator" he said to the third figure, who was still partially covered by the shadows.
"Yes, I am" he replied and stepped out into the light.
"Link!" Trinity cried and ran forward to embrace the newcomer.
"Hello, Trinity" he said when they broke apart.
"You know each other?" Alpha asked.
"Well, yes. Link is Tank's brother-in-law" Trinity replied. "Link, this is Alpha, he's our newest crew member. And Neo you already know."
"Yes, I remember him" he said. They had met when Tank had returned home.
"Yes, its great to see you again, Link" Neo said and moved forward to shake his hand. "But I don't believe I've met these two" he looked toward the other two people, who were standing silently by the hatch.
"Oh yes" Morpheus said. "Allow me. This is Thaddeus, the captain of the Osiris", he motioned toward the tall, dark man, who nodded in greeting. "And Jue, his second-in-command", he motioned towards the Asian woman, who gave a small smile.
"Well, we must be leaving now", she said.
"Oh, of course", Morpheus said. "Thank you for bringing Link"
"Hey, don't mention it. I just hope you'll return the favour someday," Thaddeus said.
"No problem" Morpheus said with a smile. "Trinity, will you start putting in the commands?"
"Let me" put in Link. "Its my job, after all"
"Sure, go ahead" Trinity replied. "Lets see what you can do"
Link sat down on the operating chair and began typing in the commands. Thaddeus and Jue, after quick goodbyes and promises to meet up in Zion, had already left through the hatch.
Following the Osiris' departure, Link began to talk to the rest of the crew.
"I didn't know you had operating skills," Trinity said. "I can't imaging Zee was too happy letting you come on board the Neb"
"Well, she wasn't" Link replied. "But I had promised Tank and Dozer".
Trinity nodded softly. "So, how is Tank, anyway?"
Link bowed his head. "Tank died, Trinity" he said quietly.
"When?" Trinity asked, her face neutral but her eyes showing the shock and sorrow that she felt.
"A week after you left"
"Oh my God" The crew stayed silent for a few minutes, remembering Tank and all their former crewmates.
"Well" Morpheus broke the silence. "We'd better get going."
"I suppose so." Trinity replied. The crew started moving around, preparing to go about their daily tasks.
"Before I forget, Thaddeus gave me a training program for you to try out."
"Really?" Alpha asked. "I'll give it a go"
"Great, but I need some one else as well," Link stated.
"I'll do it" Trinity said. "I haven't done a training simulation for ages"
"Fantastic" Alpha said. "You're going down," he added, to Trinity.
"I seriously doubt that" Morpheus said. "Trinity's the second best fighter in the Resistance, after Neo."
"That's fine" Alpha said. "Once I've beaten Trinity, I'll fight Neo"
"You'll have a long wait, buddy" Neo said. "Trinity's way to fast and strong for you"
Trinity blushed and made her way to the chair she normally used for going into the Matrix. The last thing she heard before the spike was slid into her plug was Link.
"This program is a bit different..."
**
When Trinity opened her eyes, all she could see was darkness. Moving her hands up to her eyes, she realised she was blindfolded. This should be fun, she thought. She only hoped Alpha was also blindfolded although she knew she could beat him even if he wasn't. She stood very still and listened for any sound that would give away Alpha's position. She strained her ears, then she heard it: the soft sound of Alpha's feet when he was trying to be silent. She heard as he came closer, moving faster all the time. She waited until he was right in front of her, and then raised her left hand to block a blow that she knew was coming. She ducked down and, using her leg, knocked Alpha down, taking the feet from under him. She heard him fall on to the ground. Moving backwards, she heard him get up and move towards her. He obviously wasn't blindfolded. She blocked every move of Alpha's and then delivered a sharp blow to his chest that, she knew, sent him flying. She knew that he had landed several metres away from her. She waited until he had stood up and then she ran towards him. She got a few strong kicks in, jumped over him and landed directly behind him. She hit him right between the shoulders and knocked him to the ground. She heard him land heavily, and knew she had beaten him. A shame really, she thought. She had even gone easily on him to give him a chance.
"You win," he said, while still trying to breathe. She removed her blindfold and smiled at him.
"OK, Link, you can take us out now. I think Alpha's had enough"
She felt the familiar pull on the back of her mind and everything went white. When she opened her eyes, Neo was standing beside her and putting the spike back in its place. She looked across at Alpha and knew that tomorrow he would have one hell of a black eye.
"You can't even beat her when she's got a blindfold on" Neo laughed.
"Shut up" Alpha replied. Obviously his pride was damaged as well as his body.
"Hey man, sorry," Trinity said. "We can have a rematch whenever you're up for it" she added with a small smile.
A/N OK, tell me what you think. I know it doesn't have much action it but hey. If you don't like Alpha, I can make him disappear. ;0 Sorry I took so long updating. Writers block. I'll try and get the next chapter out sooner.
Trinity awoke early the next day. She turned carefully and saw that Neo was still sleeping. He looked so angelic when he slept. It almost made you wonder how someone so powerful and invincible in the Matrix could look so childlike and vulnerable in sleep. She wouldn't wake him. He hadn't been sleeping at all recently. She made up her mind to talk to Morpheus about it in private once she got a chance. She quietly detangled herself from his embrace and dressed. She was halfway to the door when she turned around and looked at Neo. He had rolled onto the warm spot where she had been, oblivious to her absence. Trinity smiled at the sight of him sprawled across the bed and walked quietly out the door and shut it carefully behind her. She made her way down to the mess hall. When she arrived, she wasn't surprised to see Alpha there. Unplugged for two and a half months, he was the earliest riser on the ship since Cypher was gone.
"Good morning" he greeted her in his soft Irish accent. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah, I suppose" Trinity replied, getting her gloop and a tin of water.
As Trinity was sitting down to eat, Morpheus walked in.
"Trinity, when you're finished, I need you to go to come to the Core"
"Why?"
"The Osiris will be docking in about a half an hour. Our new operator is arriving today"
"Alright, I'll be down in a few minutes"
She had known that he - or she - was arriving today; she had just thought that it would have been later. Tank had left the ship when they had docked in Zion for repairs following the squiddie attack. He had said it was too difficult working on the Neb with all the memories. She understood how he felt, but she had no choice but to continue on. For the three months after Tank had left, they had shared the operating shifts as well as the everyday ones. Although, they had managed all right, they needed an operator. Their sister ship, the Osiris had docked in Zion a week ago and had agreed to transport their new operator. She finished her gloop and rose from the bench. On her way out the door, she bumped into Neo, still half-asleep and with pillow creases across his face. He pulled her close and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Hello, beautiful" he greeted her with a lopsided grin. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
"'Cause she couldn't be arsed, that's why" came Alpha's voice from the mess hall. Trinity laughed and made her way down to the Core. Morpheus was already in there, talking to the Osiris' operator. Trinity sat down on the operator's chair, which still bore the burns of Cypher's betrayal, and began typing in docking controls.
"We're ready," she said after a few minutes.
"Alright, Osiris, we are ready for docking, please proceed" Morpheus stated into the mouthpiece. "Trinity, get the rest of the crew up here"
"Already here" Trinity turned around in her chair. Sure enough, Alpha and Neo were both standing there.
"You didn't think we'd want to miss out on the craic, did you?" Alpha said.
"What's going on?" Neo asked through a yawn.
"The Osiris is docking." Trinity told him. "We told you a week ago. God, you have such an awful memory sometimes"
"Trinity, open the hatch" Morpheus' order cut the conversation short. Trinity quickly typed in some commands and a small door on the east wall opened. Through the hatch stepped three people: two tall, dark men and one Asian woman. Trinity and Morpheus walked forward to greet the visitors.
"Welcome Thaddeus and Jue" he said. "And you must be our new operator" he said to the third figure, who was still partially covered by the shadows.
"Yes, I am" he replied and stepped out into the light.
"Link!" Trinity cried and ran forward to embrace the newcomer.
"Hello, Trinity" he said when they broke apart.
"You know each other?" Alpha asked.
"Well, yes. Link is Tank's brother-in-law" Trinity replied. "Link, this is Alpha, he's our newest crew member. And Neo you already know."
"Yes, I remember him" he said. They had met when Tank had returned home.
"Yes, its great to see you again, Link" Neo said and moved forward to shake his hand. "But I don't believe I've met these two" he looked toward the other two people, who were standing silently by the hatch.
"Oh yes" Morpheus said. "Allow me. This is Thaddeus, the captain of the Osiris", he motioned toward the tall, dark man, who nodded in greeting. "And Jue, his second-in-command", he motioned towards the Asian woman, who gave a small smile.
"Well, we must be leaving now", she said.
"Oh, of course", Morpheus said. "Thank you for bringing Link"
"Hey, don't mention it. I just hope you'll return the favour someday," Thaddeus said.
"No problem" Morpheus said with a smile. "Trinity, will you start putting in the commands?"
"Let me" put in Link. "Its my job, after all"
"Sure, go ahead" Trinity replied. "Lets see what you can do"
Link sat down on the operating chair and began typing in the commands. Thaddeus and Jue, after quick goodbyes and promises to meet up in Zion, had already left through the hatch.
Following the Osiris' departure, Link began to talk to the rest of the crew.
"I didn't know you had operating skills," Trinity said. "I can't imaging Zee was too happy letting you come on board the Neb"
"Well, she wasn't" Link replied. "But I had promised Tank and Dozer".
Trinity nodded softly. "So, how is Tank, anyway?"
Link bowed his head. "Tank died, Trinity" he said quietly.
"When?" Trinity asked, her face neutral but her eyes showing the shock and sorrow that she felt.
"A week after you left"
"Oh my God" The crew stayed silent for a few minutes, remembering Tank and all their former crewmates.
"Well" Morpheus broke the silence. "We'd better get going."
"I suppose so." Trinity replied. The crew started moving around, preparing to go about their daily tasks.
"Before I forget, Thaddeus gave me a training program for you to try out."
"Really?" Alpha asked. "I'll give it a go"
"Great, but I need some one else as well," Link stated.
"I'll do it" Trinity said. "I haven't done a training simulation for ages"
"Fantastic" Alpha said. "You're going down," he added, to Trinity.
"I seriously doubt that" Morpheus said. "Trinity's the second best fighter in the Resistance, after Neo."
"That's fine" Alpha said. "Once I've beaten Trinity, I'll fight Neo"
"You'll have a long wait, buddy" Neo said. "Trinity's way to fast and strong for you"
Trinity blushed and made her way to the chair she normally used for going into the Matrix. The last thing she heard before the spike was slid into her plug was Link.
"This program is a bit different..."
**
When Trinity opened her eyes, all she could see was darkness. Moving her hands up to her eyes, she realised she was blindfolded. This should be fun, she thought. She only hoped Alpha was also blindfolded although she knew she could beat him even if he wasn't. She stood very still and listened for any sound that would give away Alpha's position. She strained her ears, then she heard it: the soft sound of Alpha's feet when he was trying to be silent. She heard as he came closer, moving faster all the time. She waited until he was right in front of her, and then raised her left hand to block a blow that she knew was coming. She ducked down and, using her leg, knocked Alpha down, taking the feet from under him. She heard him fall on to the ground. Moving backwards, she heard him get up and move towards her. He obviously wasn't blindfolded. She blocked every move of Alpha's and then delivered a sharp blow to his chest that, she knew, sent him flying. She knew that he had landed several metres away from her. She waited until he had stood up and then she ran towards him. She got a few strong kicks in, jumped over him and landed directly behind him. She hit him right between the shoulders and knocked him to the ground. She heard him land heavily, and knew she had beaten him. A shame really, she thought. She had even gone easily on him to give him a chance.
"You win," he said, while still trying to breathe. She removed her blindfold and smiled at him.
"OK, Link, you can take us out now. I think Alpha's had enough"
She felt the familiar pull on the back of her mind and everything went white. When she opened her eyes, Neo was standing beside her and putting the spike back in its place. She looked across at Alpha and knew that tomorrow he would have one hell of a black eye.
"You can't even beat her when she's got a blindfold on" Neo laughed.
"Shut up" Alpha replied. Obviously his pride was damaged as well as his body.
"Hey man, sorry," Trinity said. "We can have a rematch whenever you're up for it" she added with a small smile.
A/N OK, tell me what you think. I know it doesn't have much action it but hey. If you don't like Alpha, I can make him disappear. ;0 Sorry I took so long updating. Writers block. I'll try and get the next chapter out sooner.