Chapter 4.

As Neo walked out the doors the bright sunlight from outside momentarily blinded him. He raised his hand to shield his eyes and give them time to adjust to brighter surroundings.

"Neo!" - he heard Trinity's voice. Turning towards the sound, he saw her and Morpheus rush towards him.

"Are you all right," Trinity asked with concern in her voice.

"Yea, everything's fine," Neo replied as he usually would. But it felt like he was looking at them for the first time. He was amazed at how different they seemed to him now.

Morpheus - the rebel that couldn't even follow his own society's rules, much less the real people's. He was so set in his ways that nothing would be able to turn him from his path, not even the realisation that it's the wrong one. He believed in himself so blindly that it made him probably the most selfish and unyielding man Neo ever knew. He was willing to sacrifice Zion for a legend. It wouldn't have been so bad, Neo reflected, but it was definitely not what Morpheus wanted. He was just too blind to act differently.

Worst of all, he was used to making decisions for others. With smooth talk and flashy actions he was taking away their freedom of choice; he brainwashed them into believing what he believed in, and into following him. And how exactly was it better than living in the Matrix? Freedom of Choice was what Morpheus called it. But in reality there WAS no freedom! In the Matrix, people at least chose how they'd spend their day. They chose their own goals, and the means to achieve them. They chose what to like, and what not to.

But not here. Not in the so-called Real World. No, here everyone was expected to hate the machines. Everyone had to fight against them. Everyone had to despise the programs, fear the agents, and strive to free others. Where's the CHOICE in that? Where's the freedom??

Neo was ashamed that once he considered Morpheus a teacher and a friend. He was ashamed that he let himself be brainwashed in the same manner as everyone else.

And then there was Trinity - beautiful, smart, loyal. She was strong yet careful and gentle, so much so that at times she seemed almost divine. But maybe she was too loyal. She believed in Morpheus almost as much as he did himself. She would never accept the truth, she believed in her cause too strongly. It would be useless, even dangerous to tell her the truth. Almost like unplugging from the Matrix - never do it once a mind has reached a certain age. Neo couldn't imagine what her reaction would be. Of course, she would've agreed with him, had her mind not been clouded by Morpheus for so long. She would've realised the truth, and would've helped him. But as it was, he just had to keep this from her. It caused him some discomfort, but he knew there was no other way.

"Any luck," Neo asked, trying to act the way he normally would. He wanted to pull Trinity close to him, to hold her and tell her that it's going to be all right, that he'll make sure the right thing would be done. But he suppressed the urge. If they became suspicious his new mission could fail. "I didn't find anything in this building."

"What happened?" Trinity looked at him with eyes full of love and worry. "Render called us and said that you fought Smith and then disappeared off his screens!"

"I defeated him," Neo lied, "and then searched both the recreation center and this building. I have no idea why Render didn't see me."

"The agents must have blocked the signals Render received," he thought. "Smart move."

"We were afraid something happened to you," Trinity said, and it seemed evident on Morpheus's face how the whole thing happened; he was probably talking about caution and discretion, and she urged them to act. And most likely she won out. If Neo knew her, they already searched high and low for him.

Then Morpheus's cell phone rang, and when he picked it up Render's excited voice said, "I think I'm on to something! Try going back into the building. I want to check something out."

"All right," Morpheus replied, wondering what Render found. "Render wants us to go into the building," he announced to Neo and Trinity. "Don't ask me why."

"This is bad," Neo thought, following the others into the house. The minute they closed the door behind them Render's voice sounded again.

"I knew it! As soon as you come in, you disappear just like Neo did! And when he walked out, I saw him again. I bet when you walk out I'll see you, too. Try."

The group complied, and was rewarded by a thrilled shout from Render. "Ahha! I knew it! Apparently the signal from this place is overridden with a snapshot taken in the past. So when you move inside, your signal is being caught somewhere in the Third Junction, and is replaced before it even reaches my buffer!"

"Bottom line," Morpheus demanded, apparently annoyed by Render saying things he didn't understand. Neo added 'ignorant' to the mental list of Morpheus's flaws.

"Bottom line," said Render, apparently not taking offence, "whatever goes on in that building, I have only the image of it being empty. This must be the control room, otherwise who would mask this place?"

Neo clenched his fists. Why didn't he think of that, why didn't he prevent it?! Though it couldn't really be considered his fault - after all, he was only an artificial. The Oracle could have thought of this, but if even she didn't, there's nothing he could've done.

"Neo must've missed something there," said Trinity, somewhat unnecessarily. "We should search it again."

A thought came to Neo, an idea of how he could take advantage of the situation. A plan started forming in his mind. But he wanted to postpone the moment, at least for a minute. So, when Trinity took Neo's hand and led him out of Morpheus's earshot, he was glad for a momentary distraction, and a chance to talk to her.

"Is something wrong," Trinity asked quietly.

"No, of course not," Neo smiled.

"You're pale," she went on, "and nervous. Remember what happened the last time you were worried about something and didn't tell me?"

"I shudder to think about it," Neo intoned. Not holding back anymore, he hugged Trinity. "I love you. I always will, I hope you know that, whatever happens."

She hugged him back. "Is something going to happen?"

"I - I'm just worried that we won't succeed. What if we don't find the control room in time?"

It must've convinced her. "Don't worry," she said. "We'll make it. We have to."

"It will be hard to watch her die," thought Neo. "But I have no choice."