One Month Later.
"Morpheus, when do you want me to start her training?" Neo asked, unsure that the title of mentor should be given to him.
"Neo, you are the One. She connected to you, you are to train her, I will help from time to time, but it is you. After Tank has finished with all the programs, you start. She knows the truth, but you do the rest. Set her mind free." Morpheus replied, not really answering Neo's question.
"Hey, we're done with the combat training program. You want to get in there and show her the rules that need breaking?" Tank interrupted.
Neo turned to Tank and nodded. As he sat in the chair, Neo feel Trinity's hand touch his shoulder gently, right before the plug was pushed into his head. Before even the slightest pain was felt, Tank loaded the Dojo program, and Neo was in the computer.
"Hi." Mace said quietly.
"Hello." Neo responded before getting into a ready stance.
"You're the guy that saved me." Mace stated, causing Neo to pause, just for a split second, and she was on him.
Neo dodged an easy high kick and did a quick flip over her, gracefully landing in a split as he caught her foot coming down. Outside the program, Tank winced, as did Trinity.
"That's gonna hurt him when he gets out." Tank mumbled, and turning to Trinity, he said, "He'll be a little sore tonight."
A tight smile escaped her lips before Tank returned to watch the screen.
Neo held her leg tightly, using the breakable rules to his advantage.
"Listen to me, before you spring into action, again." Neo stood up slowly, lifting each leg to make sure they were still attached while Mace eyed him warily.
"Well, what is it that you need to tell me?" She asked curtly.
"Information, about this place, and the Matrix." Neo replied, walking slowly backwards.
"Like what?"
"This place, just as the Matrix, is inside a computer program-"
"I know that one."
"-The thing you have to understand is that just like this place, the Matrix is built on a set of rules. Some can be bent, others, can be broken. Now hit me-if you can." Neo smiled as he repeated the same words Morpheus had once said to him.
Mace jumped into a flying kick, spinning around. Neo caught her leg and flipped her down- hard. Before he could finish his own move- she was up, flipping backwards. Mace came at him throwing punch after punch, while Neo made block after block. Finally, Neo tried to trip her up, only to have her flip over him and continue running- up the wall and flipping over his head. Neo waited for her to land, but she knew he would, and as she landed, she collapsed her legs, and using Neo's off balance to her advantage, grabbed his leg and pulled him to the floor. As she attempted to pin him, he flipped her, and instead pinned her.
"You can do better than this, Mace, I know it." Neo said through clenched teeth. "Don't think you can, know you can."
Neo stood up, and they proceeded to fight again. Having Neo as a teacher, Morpheus noticed, might not have been the best choice. He was too fast and he was the One- not a good match for a newly freed mind. They needed to fight someone that was their equal when it came to breaking the rules.
"Tank, put Trinity in." Tank and Trinity looked at Morpheus, confusion covering their faces.
"Just do it."
Trinity nodded and went to her chair where Morpheus plugged her in. In the Dojo, Trinity landed at the edge of the padded floor. Neo noticed her at once, and did a flip to both push Mace away- who seemed almost too happy to have their faces so close- and also to get closer to Trinity.
"Why'd they put you in here?" Neo asked, eyeing Mace.
"Morpheus wanted someone who was a little more equal to Mace. Someone who can't break ALL the rules and make some of their own while they're at it." Trinity informed him.
"Hey, I think I can fight him fine, what's the problem? What makes him so special?" Mace asked, angry that they so casually left her out of the conversation.
Her anger sizzled out the moment Neo nodded and was awestruck at watching his RSI code disappear.
"That's so weird-and incredibly cool." Mace commented, still staring at the spot Neo had just been moments ago.
"You wanted to know why he was so special? Tank, put Neo back in, this time, give me a gun and load the jump program." Tank nodded at her command and instead of taking Neo's plug out, left it in to load him in again.
"Trinity, why'd you have me put ba- what's with the gun?" Neo's questioning immediately went to concern upon seeing her holding a .45.
"She wanted to know what made you special. I'm going to show her. Mace, don't move to help Neo, or to stop me. I know what I'm doing and Neo knows what he can do. Neo I'm going to empty this clip at you. You know the drill." Trinity paused to make sure everyone understood.
Neo nodded and backed up about four steps. As Trinity began firing bullet after bullet at Neo, Mace couldn't help but yell "No!" before going silent at the vision in front of her. Every bullet fired at Neo stopped about four inches from his hand that he held up in front of himself.
"Whoa." Neo smiled at the similarities between what was said when he was freed and what was said now.
"How'd you do that?" Mace asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
"I'm what they call 'the One'. I am the only human who can't be killed inside the Matrix, who can kill the agents, or bad guys. I'm pretty much the savior of the world. That's how." Neo answered the moment he let the bullets drop.
"What made you like that? What made you believe like that? Or better yet, what about outside the Matrix?" Mace asked, wanting to know more.
"Well, I guess I was born like that. What made me believe was someone else's belief in me. And outside the Matrix, I'm just as human as you. I can be killed outside the Matrix just like anyone else." Neo's responses were quick as he tried to be vague about Trinity's involvement. He knew she didn't like to advertise his death and her proclamation of love for him if he didn't need to, so he tried not to.
"Who's belief in you was it that made you believe?" Mace asked, unable to control her questions.
Neo paused to glance at Trinity, but before he could answer, Tank's voice broke the silence, "Hey, do the jump and let's go. We got about ten minutes before we have to worry about sentinels, so go!"
Neo looked at Trinity and then turned to Mace.
"If you believe everything we've told you, then you can do this. Remember that this world isn't real; you can bend it to your will. You have to free your mind to survive." Neo quickly turned, ran, and jumped over the space between the two buildings, landing gently.
"Neo can fly, so don't think you can land as gracefully as him. Even Morpheus doesn't land that well. You and I are the same, the only difference is that I believe I can do this, I've let everything go, from fear and doubt to worrying about the drop. As Neo put it, free your mind." With the last statement, Trinity followed Neo's lead and jumped, landing hard and breaking several of the tiles.
"I'm supposed to be able to do that?" Mace stared at the two people on the roof across the street before following in their footsteps. She flew gracefully until she started falling. And she fell until she hit the ground and came back up to land on the surface.
"Morpheus, when do you want me to start her training?" Neo asked, unsure that the title of mentor should be given to him.
"Neo, you are the One. She connected to you, you are to train her, I will help from time to time, but it is you. After Tank has finished with all the programs, you start. She knows the truth, but you do the rest. Set her mind free." Morpheus replied, not really answering Neo's question.
"Hey, we're done with the combat training program. You want to get in there and show her the rules that need breaking?" Tank interrupted.
Neo turned to Tank and nodded. As he sat in the chair, Neo feel Trinity's hand touch his shoulder gently, right before the plug was pushed into his head. Before even the slightest pain was felt, Tank loaded the Dojo program, and Neo was in the computer.
"Hi." Mace said quietly.
"Hello." Neo responded before getting into a ready stance.
"You're the guy that saved me." Mace stated, causing Neo to pause, just for a split second, and she was on him.
Neo dodged an easy high kick and did a quick flip over her, gracefully landing in a split as he caught her foot coming down. Outside the program, Tank winced, as did Trinity.
"That's gonna hurt him when he gets out." Tank mumbled, and turning to Trinity, he said, "He'll be a little sore tonight."
A tight smile escaped her lips before Tank returned to watch the screen.
Neo held her leg tightly, using the breakable rules to his advantage.
"Listen to me, before you spring into action, again." Neo stood up slowly, lifting each leg to make sure they were still attached while Mace eyed him warily.
"Well, what is it that you need to tell me?" She asked curtly.
"Information, about this place, and the Matrix." Neo replied, walking slowly backwards.
"Like what?"
"This place, just as the Matrix, is inside a computer program-"
"I know that one."
"-The thing you have to understand is that just like this place, the Matrix is built on a set of rules. Some can be bent, others, can be broken. Now hit me-if you can." Neo smiled as he repeated the same words Morpheus had once said to him.
Mace jumped into a flying kick, spinning around. Neo caught her leg and flipped her down- hard. Before he could finish his own move- she was up, flipping backwards. Mace came at him throwing punch after punch, while Neo made block after block. Finally, Neo tried to trip her up, only to have her flip over him and continue running- up the wall and flipping over his head. Neo waited for her to land, but she knew he would, and as she landed, she collapsed her legs, and using Neo's off balance to her advantage, grabbed his leg and pulled him to the floor. As she attempted to pin him, he flipped her, and instead pinned her.
"You can do better than this, Mace, I know it." Neo said through clenched teeth. "Don't think you can, know you can."
Neo stood up, and they proceeded to fight again. Having Neo as a teacher, Morpheus noticed, might not have been the best choice. He was too fast and he was the One- not a good match for a newly freed mind. They needed to fight someone that was their equal when it came to breaking the rules.
"Tank, put Trinity in." Tank and Trinity looked at Morpheus, confusion covering their faces.
"Just do it."
Trinity nodded and went to her chair where Morpheus plugged her in. In the Dojo, Trinity landed at the edge of the padded floor. Neo noticed her at once, and did a flip to both push Mace away- who seemed almost too happy to have their faces so close- and also to get closer to Trinity.
"Why'd they put you in here?" Neo asked, eyeing Mace.
"Morpheus wanted someone who was a little more equal to Mace. Someone who can't break ALL the rules and make some of their own while they're at it." Trinity informed him.
"Hey, I think I can fight him fine, what's the problem? What makes him so special?" Mace asked, angry that they so casually left her out of the conversation.
Her anger sizzled out the moment Neo nodded and was awestruck at watching his RSI code disappear.
"That's so weird-and incredibly cool." Mace commented, still staring at the spot Neo had just been moments ago.
"You wanted to know why he was so special? Tank, put Neo back in, this time, give me a gun and load the jump program." Tank nodded at her command and instead of taking Neo's plug out, left it in to load him in again.
"Trinity, why'd you have me put ba- what's with the gun?" Neo's questioning immediately went to concern upon seeing her holding a .45.
"She wanted to know what made you special. I'm going to show her. Mace, don't move to help Neo, or to stop me. I know what I'm doing and Neo knows what he can do. Neo I'm going to empty this clip at you. You know the drill." Trinity paused to make sure everyone understood.
Neo nodded and backed up about four steps. As Trinity began firing bullet after bullet at Neo, Mace couldn't help but yell "No!" before going silent at the vision in front of her. Every bullet fired at Neo stopped about four inches from his hand that he held up in front of himself.
"Whoa." Neo smiled at the similarities between what was said when he was freed and what was said now.
"How'd you do that?" Mace asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
"I'm what they call 'the One'. I am the only human who can't be killed inside the Matrix, who can kill the agents, or bad guys. I'm pretty much the savior of the world. That's how." Neo answered the moment he let the bullets drop.
"What made you like that? What made you believe like that? Or better yet, what about outside the Matrix?" Mace asked, wanting to know more.
"Well, I guess I was born like that. What made me believe was someone else's belief in me. And outside the Matrix, I'm just as human as you. I can be killed outside the Matrix just like anyone else." Neo's responses were quick as he tried to be vague about Trinity's involvement. He knew she didn't like to advertise his death and her proclamation of love for him if he didn't need to, so he tried not to.
"Who's belief in you was it that made you believe?" Mace asked, unable to control her questions.
Neo paused to glance at Trinity, but before he could answer, Tank's voice broke the silence, "Hey, do the jump and let's go. We got about ten minutes before we have to worry about sentinels, so go!"
Neo looked at Trinity and then turned to Mace.
"If you believe everything we've told you, then you can do this. Remember that this world isn't real; you can bend it to your will. You have to free your mind to survive." Neo quickly turned, ran, and jumped over the space between the two buildings, landing gently.
"Neo can fly, so don't think you can land as gracefully as him. Even Morpheus doesn't land that well. You and I are the same, the only difference is that I believe I can do this, I've let everything go, from fear and doubt to worrying about the drop. As Neo put it, free your mind." With the last statement, Trinity followed Neo's lead and jumped, landing hard and breaking several of the tiles.
"I'm supposed to be able to do that?" Mace stared at the two people on the roof across the street before following in their footsteps. She flew gracefully until she started falling. And she fell until she hit the ground and came back up to land on the surface.