Author's Notes: Yes!!!!! No more exams, sols, or school till the end of August. I'll know you'll be expecting more updates, but I'm going to be really busy this summer. I won't be able to update next week, but I'll up date sometime around the 24th of this month. I know that sounds like a long time away, but I won't even see a computer until the 21st.

Come Back to Me: Chapter 3

"The winter here's cold, and bitter Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming

it's chilled us to the bone Cannot cease for the fear
we haven't seen the sun for weeks Of silent nights
to long too far from home Oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming
I feel just like I'm sinking The goddess of imaginary light
and I claw for solid ground "Imagery"
I'm pulled down by the undertow
I never thought I could feel so low
oh darkness I feel like letting go" "Full of Grace"

"What've we got, Link," Morpheus asked as Link dropped his head unto the keyboard.

"Nothing, nadda. Not a single damn thing. I can't even put a trace to the source of this. It keeps coming back as if it originated within the ship," Link exclaimed as he banged his head on the keyboard in frustration.

"Don't beat yourself up over this, Link. There's nothing you could have done," Morpheus said as he placed his hand on Link's shoulder. "Zee would have been proud of all that you've accomplished here."

A pained expression flashed across Link's face. Zee, his once beloved fiancée, was gone. She vanished with the other occupants of Zion. She would now be forever from his grasp, and the nightmares plagued his mind every night. Images of her falling into oblivion invaded his vision, and her screams pierced his ears. They had been too late to save Zion, so how could not feel as if it was his own fault?

Link had unconsciously grabbed the charm she had given him for good luck. It had brought him the best of luck, and had given her the worst of it. He would never hear her sweet voice around him or hear her laughter cascading like the softest of waterfalls. Her soft lips would never touch his again in the barest of caresses. Link felt the tears prickling at the back of his eyelids, but he held the tears. She would want him to go on for her.

"She might've been, Morpheus. She might've been," Link whispered as he once again began to send tracers out the find the virus that had infected their main panel. It had crashed the whole system a week ago, and he had gone nearly three days without sleep trying to do something about it. Neo would be taking over his shift soon, since his shipmates had finally ordered him bed rest for a few hours a day. When Neo had finally come to take over, the silence took over.

Only his footsteps echoing off the wall gave away his presence. The silence was always the worst. It gave him time to think, and that's the one place he couldn't deal with. It gnawed at his insides, and it ate away at the barriers he had placed around his heart. He felt as if he couldn't breathe. Even though the air on the ship was much thinner than it should be, it was like swimming in a dark, endless pool to breathe for Link.

He climbed down the ladder at the end of the hall. The boiler room was the only place where he got a moments peace. Only Trinity had come down here when Neo had been in a coma, and no one had come down since. Link sat on the unkempt floor and pulled his knees up under his chin. Breathing a few ragged breathes help him get control over himself.

Control. It was the one thing that their ship had lacked when they had found out about Zion. Morpheus and Niobe had sat back in a stunned silence, while Eizus and Aurelie had gone with their first emotions. They had panicked and it had taken a somehow calm and controlled Trinity to calm them down. Link had gone into an uncontrolled rage. He hadn't done it in front of the combined crew because of the initial shock, but they all knew about it. It had taken more than Trinity to calm him. He only wished that she had somehow made it out.

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Trinity only put up a brave face when she absolutely had too. Reassuring Neo had been one of those times when she had to go on instinct. It didn't mean that she actually would let something like this go. It was almost as if Neo had changed. They all had, but the intelligence in his eyes had become greater. It was almost as if had been withholding information on their account. He opened up more, yes, but something was wrong.

He shouldn't have given up Zion for her. Her life was nothing compared to the mass of lives that once made up Zion. They would rebuild it, but it would never be the same. Why didn't Neo see this? He had chosen her, and she loved him for it, but oh gods. She didn't want to think of what the rest of her shipmates were going through.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Neo asked as his arms encircled her waist. She turned to face him, but didn't meet his eyes.

"Why did you really do it, Neo?" Trinity asked. "How could you choose me over so many lives?"

Neo's face clouded over as he sighed deeply. "I didn't have to think, Trinity. Zion would've been destroyed anyway. This was the only think I could about it."

"You could have somehow saved Zion though. What really happened in there?" Trinity persisted. This time, she wouldn't even think about letting it go.

"The architect gave me a choice. I could either chose to watch the matrix to be reconstructed yet again with a new Zion, or I could save you. It wasn't even a choice to me," he whispered into her hair.

"I still wish you had chosen Zion. There's nothing we can do with just one ship of people. The only chance we have is to find another ship," she whispered back.

"Then it's a chance we have to take."

"I know, but what if…" Trinity trailed off.

"If what?" Neo asked as Trinity slid off the cot.

"What if we die out here? Then, the human world will never be free. We're running low on food, Neo. The sentinels have Zion. What are supposed to do?" she asked as she looked at the floor.

Neo slid off the cot as well, and gently lifted her chin so that she met his eyes. "We will win this war. I will do everything in my power to make sure that we do. We will free the human race, or die trying," The determination in his eyes made her shiver.

Trinity could only give him a shaky smile in response.

"I have to take over for Tank. Try to get some food and rest, Trinity. You are still human after all."

He moved a stray piece of hair behind her left ear, and he let his hand linger there before bending down to kiss her. Her body meshed against his perfectly. Neo stayed there a moment more before exiting the desolate room.

The hum of the computers welcomed Neo as he relieved Link. His shipmate seemed preoccupied within his own thoughts, so Neo took his place without saying a word. It might just another one of those days. Neo wished for a cup of black coffee as he watched the tracers that were sent out. They came back to the ship as usual.

Usually, they would try again in an hour. Instead, Neo tried something new. He received the information from the tracers that would tell him which part of the ship they were talking about. A screen pulled up a map of the ship on his left, one of the few programs that were still intact. "Morpheus," Neo called. "I think you need to see this."

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Meanwhile, Morpheus and Niobe were in the mess hall. He hadn't managed to convince Niobe that everything wasn't Neo fault, but he had managed to calm her down enough to listen to reason. It wasn't the loss of Zion that was killing him; it was seeing Niobe in so much pain that was killing him slowly. That all had losses from Zion, but it hit her the hardest. She had found the first thing to blame, and she clung to that as if it was her lifeline.

All she saw was red. The blood of her relatives, her friends, her lover. It all came down to the faith that had been put in one man. The faith that had betrayed them to the enemies they couldn't fight, couldn't run from, couldn't even see. They only had the purpose of destroying, but it was going to kill them as well.

If the machines killed all the humans, they would also die. The humans and the machines couldn't seem to live without each other, and they hated each other for it. The irony of it all. The truth of it was that humans could live without machines, but are they really willing to give up something that they have depended their whole lives upon? Not likely.

Niobe had made up her mind awhile ago. She would have her revenge whether it meant she was reckless or not. If you didn't take chances, you never got anywhere. Being overly cautious could get you killed in this world. As soon as the matrix was back up online, she was going in. Nothing could stand between her and cutting a bloodpath into every agent that dared come across her. This was going to happen with or without help.

Morpheus slipped quietly out of the room. Niobe had gotten a gleam in her eyes that Morpheus hadn't liked. It meat she was going to do something whether he approved or not. The last time something like that had happened, she had gotten herself nearly killed. It had been an accident on the agents part that she had made it out alive. She wasn't going into the matrix again so soon, he was sure of that.

Morpheus wondered down the endless halls until he reached Aurelie's room. Hearing nothing, he lowered his hand from the door he was about to knock on. Link's room was also empty. Heading down the hallway again, Morpheus frowned to himself. Eizus nearly ran into him, as he ran the other way.

"Morpheus, you need to come quick. Neo's found something," Eizus panted as he darted off the other way.

"Eizus!" Morpheus yelled back. "Does it have something to do with the computers?"

"Yeah!"

As he reached the construct room, Neo said, "Morpheus, I think you need to see this."

Morpheus studied the accuracy of the tracers. They were pointing towards the medical bay.

A.N.: I know, I'm evil. I knew it! I knew I couldn't be the only one thinking 'stop, rewind. What happened to Tank?' I will work that in at some point. Review please. Ja ne ~Insane Pineapple from Naboo

love wildflower: Wow! That was quick. Do you check fan fictions everyday? Thanks a lot for your insightfulness.

Kasha: Neo and big words. I'm not the best with dialogue, so its probably how I would explain things. *shrugs* Dual matrix? Huh? I guess we all have our theories.

Gypsy: Yep, like I said before, I have a major problem with writing dialogue. It seems to throw all my characters out of character. I'll just say that he's had a moth to think about these tings.

Andromeda Highwind: No! I love your theories. I love hearing what other people think about these things. It gives people things to discuss about.

Jordon: Yay! I have a comedian reviewer! I love those, they always seem to bring a laugh or two into my busy days. Thanks a lot!

Dreamingofani: OK, I tried to work in more of a confrontation. I also think it helps put Trinity more into character. Thanks, I love hearing about how to make my stories better.

Darkeyedtrinity: I loved that seen. Definitely priceless! Lol, thanks.

Aimee: Ok, like I said, I tried to work in more about that. I don't think she would let something like that slide. It's just not her, but thanks for the encouragement. I am going to say how Tank died. It will probably be way off, but that's ok. It's fanfiction.

Ms8309: Ack! They needed to. Can't they at least say that much?

Kenora Hazel Saul: Wow! How did you come with the reviewer name? I love it.

Nain: So am I! How is it that she gets Neo? Oh well, it did help very much so. Thanks.

Ikobe: I made someone tolerate Trinity? Wow, that really made my day. I sure if you go off to Hollywood he'll be open for the taking *gives Ikobe knowing look*

Terin: Thanks. Three words can actually mean a lot sometimes.

Kiki: A lot of people liked those two scenes it seems. Thanks.

Deranged black kitten of doom: Thanks!