Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. ~~ Dale Carnegie

NIOBE

And now for the waiting, she sighs as Roland exits the room.

Three separate crews had come together, cramming themselves into the Hammer's mess in order to develop a strategy for what will likely be the most important and admittedly most bleak battle they've faced with the machines.

Now that group is breaking up and trickling out the door. While Sparks, Link and a few others head back to the Logos to begin repairs and prepare it for the battle to come, most of the others are moving off alone, to rest or prepare or continue trying to come up with a last minute plan - or 'Hail Mary pass' as Sparks put it - on their own.

She observes the man across the table as he is one of the last to rise. Despite the almost palpable undercurrent of gloom among the group, he has offered no pep talk, no words of wisdom.

Not a good sign, she decides. And it's not the first indication she's had that something is wrong.

He has been avoiding her since she came on board. That alone is enough to frustrate her. He should know by now that it wouldn't matter. She knows him too well.

She noticed a difference in him the moment she set eyes on him at their initial briefing. Though still projecting the appearance of the ultra-calm, authoritative captain, there is something that is… off. Understandable given the overall situation, but something about him has been nagging at her.

She attempts yet again to catch his gaze as he makes his way to the door. This time, he finally meets her eyes.

It's about time, dammit, her dark eyes flash at him.

Catching one of his irritatingly familiar 'Not now, Niobe' looks, she watches as he wordlessly turns and leaves the room.

Oh no you don't. You're not getting away this time, she tells him silently, still annoyed that when she tried to speak with him alone after their initial debrief, he deftly managed to evade her. Why can't you see I need to talk to you?

She waits just long enough for him to walk through the doorway before rising to follow, getting all of two steps away from the table before a familiar voice speaks just loud enough for only her to hear.

"I hope you get more out of him than I got out of her."

Turning around, she finds that Ghost, in his remarkably quiet way, has come up behind her.

"How is she?"

"About the same as he appears to be. Stubborn, stoic..." He pauses to give her a meaningful look. "And holding back."

Glancing after Morpheus, she scoffs. "Kind of makes you want to strangle 'em sometimes, doesn't it?"

Though Ghost smirks in agreement, she can almost see him silently adding, Strangle them, or hug them.

"And Neo? I'm assuming there's no change."

At that, his smirk fades. "None," he replies soberly. Lowering his voice even further, he continues. "Niobe, we both know Morpheus hasn't been completely forthcoming. What do you think is going on?"

She frowns, not sure whether to be relieved or disconcerted that she's not alone in picking up on that. "I don't know," she says, stepping through the doorway, "But you can bet I'm not getting off his back until I find out."

Heading down the corridor, she decides to check the Core first, thinking that Morpheus may have gone there to wait for Roland to finish speaking with Zion.

As she walks, she reminds herself that as aggravated as she is with Morpheus for avoiding her, she should be grateful he is around to be aggravated with at all.

When she exited the Matrix to hear Sparks say that in spite of their efforts, nothing had happened, she hadn't been sure what to think. When he went on to report that Morpheus and the others had vanished, she began to get a sinking feeling that something had gone terribly wrong. But it was when Seraph contacted the Logos with the message that the Oracle wanted to see her immediately that she truly felt her heart drop into her stomach.

It seemed to her that the Oracle rarely, if ever, went through anyone but Morpheus when she had something important to say. That she had done so then made his disappearance that much more worrisome to her. In fact, she hadn't realized just how much it worried her until she felt the deluge of relief at AK's statement that the crew of the Neb had survived.

That reaction had caught her off guard. After all, they've both faced more than their fair share of danger on a regular basis, both in and out of the Matrix, and they had always managed to survive. But this time, at least for a while, it appeared that wasn't the case and the idea that Morpheus might be lost forever stirred up feelings she thought she buried long ago.

She and Morpheus have both made their choices in this life. She accepts that. He chose to make the prophecy his priority, pursuing it with every ounce of his existence - at the expense of their relationship. She chose to find other, more concrete ways of fighting the war. His pursuit eventually led him to Neo. Hers led her to Jason.

She has tried telling herself she would've felt the same if it had been Jason missing or in danger, but with the sentinels closing in on Zion, Jason is in imminent danger. And, the reality is, her feelings are not the same.

Her examination of that situation had ended almost as soon as it began - both out of frustration with herself and because of the knowledge that she had other, more important things to think about.

And thinking is what she's been doing ever since they set off the Logos' EMP. Thinking about what the Oracle said. Thinking about the prophecy. About what hadn't happened when Neo reached the Source. About Morpheus, Trinity and Neo. About the friends she just lost on the Vigilant and in the counterattack. And about how they are going to stop these machines from reaching and destroying Zion.

She hadn't been surprised when AK said it was not Morpheus but Neo who was in a coma. After what the Oracle said, she had already guessed that much. What bothers her is that it might lend more credibility to the Oracle's words than she feels comfortable with.

Unlike Morpheus, she isn't in the habit of believing every word that comes out of the Oracle's mouth. But the woman seems to have been right about Neo and that has left her to wonder if the rest of their conversation might hold some truth as well.

Though she has made a conscious effort not to jump to conclusions about the lack of results when Neo reached the Source, in the back of her mind she can't help but think that it is just a confirmation of what she has long believed: The prophecy is nothing more than a fabrication of a creative mind.

But if what the Oracle said is true, she begins to argue with herself again, Then there is a chance Neo might yet fulfill the prophecy Morpheus so firmly believes in, right?

Then again, her Devil's Advocate pleads its case, If Neo reached the Source as the Oracle said he did, then why the hell are the machines still digging? Didn't Morpheus say once that happened, the prophecy would be fulfilled and the war would be over?

She draws a deep breath. She still isn't sure what to make of it all, but she knows of at least one person who might be able to shed some light on things.

And there's only so many places you can hide on a hovercraft, Morpheus.