I would like to make a last chapter dedication. I have never done it
before, but it is truly deserved. Dreamingofani, or Ellie, as I've come to
know you, I dedicate this chapter to you. You saw me through all my head-
banging-against-wall nights on how to meld this into a prequel. For all who
think I did a good job making it into a prequel, thank not just me, but
also Ellie. I would.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Niobe, may I speak with you for a moment?" Morpheus asked, knocking on the door to their room.
"Morpheus, we share the same room, you hardly need to ask for that."
"Just being considerate." Morpheus replied, shutting the door.
Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Morpheus watched Niobe stretch her legs out along the bed from her place in the corner.
"So, what do you want to talk about?"
"Well, ever since the attack, you've been, more unemotional, more, detached and aloof."
"In a war, people die, you have to be able to accept that."
"I am Niobe. The question is, are you?" Morpheus looked hard at Niobe before her eyes flicked down to the mattress.
"Morpheus, I think I'd sleep better if we slept in separate cots." Niobe changed the topic, coolly and coldly.
Nodding curtly, Morpheus stood and began pulling the cots apart, causing Niobe to almost fall onto the floor. Masking a smile behind a cough, Morpheus finished pulling the cot until it was on the opposite side of the room. Standing up straight, he cast a glance at Niobe before turning to leave. Pausing at the door, Morpheus left a last comment before leaving,
"I would like you to know, that you are still a captain in a war where there are very few humans. People die, yes, but the ones who survive have to continue fighting or else the ones who die, die in vain."
~~*~~
"Morpheus, I think I've figured something out. I has to do with the deflector shields the sentinels have now." Neo began, sitting down across from his captain.
"Neo, for three months, you've been trying to figure something out, what makes you think you have now?" Morpheus tiredly asked.
"I think, if they can make a deflector shield, why can't we?"
Morpheus' head shot up, eyes wide open.
"What's you idea?"
~~*~~
The Next Day
"My, my. Neo, I have to ask, how can you, of all people, injure yourself so often in the real world?" Wish asked, a smile across her face as she finished putting a cleanser on his shoulder from a burn from an electrical wire.
"Well, the ship hates me."
"Maybe you wronged it in a past life and it's seeking revenge."
Neo laughed as he pulled his shirt over his head.
"Yeah, maybe. Thanks."
"Anytime. Well, not anytime, I have my business hours, you know. Go bother someone else for a change." Wish began pushing Neo out the door, laughing as she did.
~~*~~
"Link, stop fooling with the Construct. You'll only piss off Neo and Trinity more." Grace commented, taking a seat in her operator's chair.
"That's the point." Link replied, eyes never leaving the screen.
"In that case... What else can we do?" Grace smiled devilishly before typing rapidly.
"What'd you do? Oh God. Trinity is gonna kill you." Link laughed out loud at the sight before him.
"Do you think I overdid it with the slippers?"
"No, no. Trinity in pink pajamas with fuzzy slippers are great. She'll just kill you later."
"Ha. Watch her try."
"Hear we go. Women fighting over who's tougher." Link rolled his eyes before concentrating back on the rather ridiculous dojo fight.
~~*~~
As Neo lay on the now widened bed in his and Trinity's room, waiting for sleep to claim him, he allowed his thoughts to wander. The war may have a slight change with the force field, if it worked at all. That, he would find out in the morning.
"Neo?" Trinity asked softly.
"Yeah?"
"We've been through a lot in just three months."
"Yeah."
"But we're still here."
"Always will be." Neo replied, tightening his hold around her waist.
"We're gonna make it through this war. I know it. Know why?" Trinity paused to feel Neo shake his head against her neck. "Because we aren't alone."
After her comment, Neo found sleep much easier that night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All right. This is THE END. If it doesn't feel like I really wrapped it up, it's because I didn't. You want the rest of this story? Go read Changing the Tides. The sequel to this story. I enjoyed writing this story, and had many hard nights trying to make everything blend together to turn into a prequel. I think I did a good job, considering I wrote Changing the Tides before this. I will tell you now: there will be a few things that don't mesh correctly, but that's because I wrote this AFTER Changing the Tides. Oh well, it's fun nevertheless. This is the end of my new fics for now. I'll be posting an older fic I wrote in April, but not writing new stuff. School and soccer will be too much. Thank you for everything.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Niobe, may I speak with you for a moment?" Morpheus asked, knocking on the door to their room.
"Morpheus, we share the same room, you hardly need to ask for that."
"Just being considerate." Morpheus replied, shutting the door.
Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Morpheus watched Niobe stretch her legs out along the bed from her place in the corner.
"So, what do you want to talk about?"
"Well, ever since the attack, you've been, more unemotional, more, detached and aloof."
"In a war, people die, you have to be able to accept that."
"I am Niobe. The question is, are you?" Morpheus looked hard at Niobe before her eyes flicked down to the mattress.
"Morpheus, I think I'd sleep better if we slept in separate cots." Niobe changed the topic, coolly and coldly.
Nodding curtly, Morpheus stood and began pulling the cots apart, causing Niobe to almost fall onto the floor. Masking a smile behind a cough, Morpheus finished pulling the cot until it was on the opposite side of the room. Standing up straight, he cast a glance at Niobe before turning to leave. Pausing at the door, Morpheus left a last comment before leaving,
"I would like you to know, that you are still a captain in a war where there are very few humans. People die, yes, but the ones who survive have to continue fighting or else the ones who die, die in vain."
~~*~~
"Morpheus, I think I've figured something out. I has to do with the deflector shields the sentinels have now." Neo began, sitting down across from his captain.
"Neo, for three months, you've been trying to figure something out, what makes you think you have now?" Morpheus tiredly asked.
"I think, if they can make a deflector shield, why can't we?"
Morpheus' head shot up, eyes wide open.
"What's you idea?"
~~*~~
The Next Day
"My, my. Neo, I have to ask, how can you, of all people, injure yourself so often in the real world?" Wish asked, a smile across her face as she finished putting a cleanser on his shoulder from a burn from an electrical wire.
"Well, the ship hates me."
"Maybe you wronged it in a past life and it's seeking revenge."
Neo laughed as he pulled his shirt over his head.
"Yeah, maybe. Thanks."
"Anytime. Well, not anytime, I have my business hours, you know. Go bother someone else for a change." Wish began pushing Neo out the door, laughing as she did.
~~*~~
"Link, stop fooling with the Construct. You'll only piss off Neo and Trinity more." Grace commented, taking a seat in her operator's chair.
"That's the point." Link replied, eyes never leaving the screen.
"In that case... What else can we do?" Grace smiled devilishly before typing rapidly.
"What'd you do? Oh God. Trinity is gonna kill you." Link laughed out loud at the sight before him.
"Do you think I overdid it with the slippers?"
"No, no. Trinity in pink pajamas with fuzzy slippers are great. She'll just kill you later."
"Ha. Watch her try."
"Hear we go. Women fighting over who's tougher." Link rolled his eyes before concentrating back on the rather ridiculous dojo fight.
~~*~~
As Neo lay on the now widened bed in his and Trinity's room, waiting for sleep to claim him, he allowed his thoughts to wander. The war may have a slight change with the force field, if it worked at all. That, he would find out in the morning.
"Neo?" Trinity asked softly.
"Yeah?"
"We've been through a lot in just three months."
"Yeah."
"But we're still here."
"Always will be." Neo replied, tightening his hold around her waist.
"We're gonna make it through this war. I know it. Know why?" Trinity paused to feel Neo shake his head against her neck. "Because we aren't alone."
After her comment, Neo found sleep much easier that night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All right. This is THE END. If it doesn't feel like I really wrapped it up, it's because I didn't. You want the rest of this story? Go read Changing the Tides. The sequel to this story. I enjoyed writing this story, and had many hard nights trying to make everything blend together to turn into a prequel. I think I did a good job, considering I wrote Changing the Tides before this. I will tell you now: there will be a few things that don't mesh correctly, but that's because I wrote this AFTER Changing the Tides. Oh well, it's fun nevertheless. This is the end of my new fics for now. I'll be posting an older fic I wrote in April, but not writing new stuff. School and soccer will be too much. Thank you for everything.
