"Ah. That would explain it," Adrian said. "Yeah." Their whole remembering had taken less than a second, and now they were fully back in the apartment. "Oh well. Even if she can ghost, she's still coming with us!"
"I don't think so!" Morpheus yelled.
Once again silence fell. The girl was actually laughing at them. But, suddenly, she was no longer a girl. She now appeared about twenty years older, and she was in her Sari again. "None of you really know why you're here, do you?" They all shook their heads. "Not even he who should know best of all..." Her gaze fell on Neo.
"I am the other half of the equation, and the sides must be equal. Neo is the human half, the choice half, the intuitive half. I am the machine half, the reason half, the logic half. Or so it is intended to be. What is supposed to happen is this: The One is supposed to go to the source, choose 17 people, and then Zion goes bye-bye." Now she appeared about 25. "Or, he does what Neo did, and chooses the other door. That's why I'm here. I'm the last chance for the Machines to prevent the current Matrix's destruction. If the current One chooses the "wrong" option, I'm supposed to immediately go to the Agents, and allow them to pick my code apart in a rather - graphic - ritual. But this time it went wrong. I don't want to." Now she was 15 again, wearing her "Twin" clothes. "So, I told the Merovingian that it would be very much to his benefit to collect me, and I told him to send the Twins. But, my message was intercepted by someone else." She snarled, suddenly a lioness, resplendent in her goldenness. "She told the Zionese that I would be very much to their benefit, too!"
"The Oracle..." Neo muttered, half to himself.
"Exactly. That trifler! Well, what's done is done, and now you're all here - just for me!" She looked delighted, but there was still wisdom behind her eyes.
"She comes with us." The Twins said in unison.
"I don't think so!" snapped Niobe and Trinity.
"Look, I'm not going with anyone I don't want to. The choice is mine!" Antoine snapped.
"Like hell!" Everyone yelled.
Suddenly Antoine froze, listening. "Wait! Shut up, all of you!" The Twins turned and glared at her, but stopped talking.
"I don't think so!" Morpheus yelled.
Once again silence fell. The girl was actually laughing at them. But, suddenly, she was no longer a girl. She now appeared about twenty years older, and she was in her Sari again. "None of you really know why you're here, do you?" They all shook their heads. "Not even he who should know best of all..." Her gaze fell on Neo.
"I am the other half of the equation, and the sides must be equal. Neo is the human half, the choice half, the intuitive half. I am the machine half, the reason half, the logic half. Or so it is intended to be. What is supposed to happen is this: The One is supposed to go to the source, choose 17 people, and then Zion goes bye-bye." Now she appeared about 25. "Or, he does what Neo did, and chooses the other door. That's why I'm here. I'm the last chance for the Machines to prevent the current Matrix's destruction. If the current One chooses the "wrong" option, I'm supposed to immediately go to the Agents, and allow them to pick my code apart in a rather - graphic - ritual. But this time it went wrong. I don't want to." Now she was 15 again, wearing her "Twin" clothes. "So, I told the Merovingian that it would be very much to his benefit to collect me, and I told him to send the Twins. But, my message was intercepted by someone else." She snarled, suddenly a lioness, resplendent in her goldenness. "She told the Zionese that I would be very much to their benefit, too!"
"The Oracle..." Neo muttered, half to himself.
"Exactly. That trifler! Well, what's done is done, and now you're all here - just for me!" She looked delighted, but there was still wisdom behind her eyes.
"She comes with us." The Twins said in unison.
"I don't think so!" snapped Niobe and Trinity.
"Look, I'm not going with anyone I don't want to. The choice is mine!" Antoine snapped.
"Like hell!" Everyone yelled.
Suddenly Antoine froze, listening. "Wait! Shut up, all of you!" The Twins turned and glared at her, but stopped talking.
