"There's no time!" Flash yelled, running towards the ladder.

"We have to try to fight!" Detrick shot back, following close behind. Link stayed in the Core, ready to turn the EMP on when ready.

Minutes later, Link heard everyone calling in from their battle stations as the Sentinels attacked.

"Flash and Detrick ready at Station 1."

"Trinity ready at Station 2."

"Neo and Sparks at Station 3."

"Morpheus and Ghost in the cockpit."

"Niobe right above you on the walkway." Niobe called down, gun in hand.

"Trinity, Flash, and Detrick, you've both got three coming in on your side. Neo and Sparks, you've got six. Morpheus, two." Link spoke rapidly into the headset.

~~*~~

"Eat shit metal head!" Flash yelled out, firing at will.

"Flash, Flash! We've got one cutting in! Fl-" Detrick's warning was silenced as a laser shot through his chest.

"Detrick? Detrick! Link, we've got a man down Detrick's down! I repeat- Oh my God." Flash's eyes bulged out of their sockets as a Sentinel climbing in and over Detrick's body, cornering him.

~~*~~

"Neo, watch out!" Sparks pushed Neo aside as a laser cut through the hull, hitting him.

Neo stretched out his arm to throw power into the Sentinel, only to fly backwards from a tentacle hitting him in the chest. The Sentinel kept coming, whipping at Neo's heels as he ran down the hall to Trinity's station. As he called out her name, he was hit in the back by another tentacle, and flew into her, knocking her over. The Sentinel hovered a moment before deciding they were dead and moved on.

Neo lifted his head, and grabbed the headset that had fallen off of Trinity's head. Picking it up, he yelled hoarsely into the mouthpiece:

"Link, I don't give a fuck if the ship's on! Throw the damn EMP! NOW!" Neo dropped the headset, not waiting for an answer.

Looking down into Trinity's blue eyes, he cradled her head as the EMP blast flew over them.

~~*~~

"Hold on Sparks, you're gonna make it!" Trinity called out, gingerly lifting pieces of metal off of his bloodied chest.

"Trinity-"

"Shhh, rest. Let us get you out of here. Neo! I need help!" Trinity called out.

Neo appeared around the corner, covered in blood.

"My God, what happened-"

"It's Flash's." Neo cut off her question.

Trinity's worry immediately shifted to sadness before telling him to help her move Sparks. Together, they gently lifted him onto a makeshift stretcher Trinity had brought up with her. Carrying him down the hall to a bare room save for assorted medical supplies, Trinity and Neo placed him carefully on a table. Immediately setting to work, Neo washed his hands as Trinity gave Sparks an anesthetic. Before they could do anymore, Morpheus walked in, helping a limping Niobe over to another table.

"Is anyone else alive?" Neo asked, looking up from cutting open Sparks' shirt.

"Link has a few bruises, Ghost and I were relatively unharmed, Flash, as you know was ripped apart, and Detrick was killed instantly from a laser."

Trinity swallowed hard at the news of Flash's death, but snapped back to the job at hand. They had work to do, people had died, but they had to save those who were still alive.

~~*~~ Neo sighed heavily in infirmary. Trinity and he had worked for an hour and a half, trying to stop the bleeding, but Sparks' life slipped away anyway. Niobe had a broken ankle, and seemed to have shut out everyone, including Morpheus. Neo had gently cleaned Trinity's back as she had a large, deep cut down the length of it from him knocking her over and onto a piece of metal. In turn, Trinity cleaned his own back and chest from the scrapes and abrasions the Sentinel's tentacles gave him. Morpheus had a few nicks and scrapes while Ghost had a cut on his arm. Compared to everyone else, Link was fine with only a bruise on his temple and forearm.

"You gonna be okay?" Link asked when he saw Neo leaned against the wall, a sick look on his face.

"Too much death, and carnage. Too much, for one day." Neo replied, glancing at Link.

"Where's Trinity?"

"Getting rest. She couldn't stay here once Sparks died. At least she never saw Flash." Neo turned his head to face the blank wall across from him, a welcoming view from all the blood he had seen.

"I know. Neo, you should get some sleep. Not stay in this empty room." Link commented. The three bodies had been burned and put in three metal jars before being shot out of the ship into the sewers.

"I know. I just wanted Trinity to have some time alone."

"Neo, this time, of all times, is NOT a time to be left with your thoughts. You need to have someone around. Go. I'm with Ghost tonight, so no one's alone." Link ushered Neo out before closing the door tightly behind him.

~~*~~

Neo carefully opened the door to his and Trinity's bedroom. Seeing her laying on her stomach, Neo slipped in and shut the door. Taking off his shoes and then kneeling down to take hers off, Neo smiled at her sleeping form. Neo lay down on the bed beside her and promptly feel asleep.

"No! Neo!" Trinity cried out in her sleep before jolting awake, only to feel his lips pressing against her forehead.

"It's okay, I'm here. I'm alive." Neo pulled away to look into her eyes.

"Oh God. We almost lost each other today."

"I know. But we're here now, together." Neo trailed his fingers down her side and back up, calming her down.

"I know. But they aren't anymore. What are we going to do?" Trinity asked softly.

"We'll unplug Grace, and two others I had my eyes on before all this shit happened, before my coma, before all of this." Neo responded. "Now, let's sleep, ask questions tomorrow." Neo silenced Trinity before watching her fall back asleep and following soon thereafter.