*****

If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. ~~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

MORPHEUS

As he leaves the mess behind, he can't help but notice the strangeness of the echo his boots create as they clunk against the grated metal below him. His ship sounds so different, feels so different.

He heaves a sigh. Sounded, he corrects himself, the finality of the Nebuchadnezzar's fate still sinking in, Felt.

He has always known the chance she might not survive this war was high. He was in fact, reminded of that with each and every sentinel encounter. Still, he had hoped that somehow, they would see the end of the war together.

Instead, here he is, walking the floors of someone else's ship - someone else's home - while his lies smoldering, a twisted wreckage in the dark depths beneath a lifeless surface.

And in all likelihood, this ship will soon be suffering the same end, he thinks grimly. As will Zion.

Zion. His other home. The one they will soon be fighting to defend, futile though that fight will be.

They have come up with only one seemingly viable tactical option, and he doesn't have much faith in it. At this moment, Roland is relaying that plan to Commander Lock, a task he - and to his surprise, Niobe - declined. Now they wait, the precious minutes ticking by too fast, while Lock discusses it with the Council.

His frown deepens at the thought of Lock.

I imagine you'll enjoy hearing that I was wrong about the prophecy, won't you?

Even before he became "Commander Lock," the man was not his favorite person. And that feeling has always been mutual. Not that it isn't to be expected. After all, while he had always believed the prophecy of the One was their only salvation, Lock believed it was a worthless fairytale. With such opposite views on how to end the war, it's only natural that they clash on occasion.

But the discord between them has only increased since Niobe became involved with the commander, more so on Lock's end, he believes, than on his own.

It's not that he holds Lock responsible for him losing Niobe. He knows he lost her long before they became involved. Lock had nothing to do with his quest for the One essentially putting the rest of his life - including Niobe - on a back burner. Lock had nothing to do with his neglect driving her away.

It's more that he knows Lock cannot make Niobe happy. That, and the fact that he can't help but feel more than a twinge of jealousy when he sees the two of them together.

He'd be lying if he said his feelings for her have diminished or faded over time. Perhaps that is one of the reasons behind Lock's growth in animosity toward him. Perhaps the commander senses that he still loves Niobe and, aware of the intense connection he and Niobe once shared, views him as a threat.

Or maybe…

Maybe he fears that she might still love me…

Arching a brow, he wonders how much truth there might be in that thought.

He almost smiles at the memory of the mischievous sparkle her eyes held when she spoke to him after his remarks in the temple. Then there was that impish tug at the corner of her mouth as she hinted at wanting to dance. No sooner had he extended his hand and she moved to take it, than Lock had called out to her, but he hadn't missed her flash of disappointment at the interruption. Nor had he missed the way that sparkle seemed to vanish at the sound of the other man's voice.

His expression quickly takes on traces of regret. Those moments in the temple were brief, but they remind him of how different things might have been had he not committed himself so completely to the search for the One.

Though he had believed in the prophecy long before the Oracle revealed to him that he would find the One, it wasn't until he heard those words from her that his purpose in this war became clear to him. It wasn't until then that he became a man so driven, he allowed the prophecy to affect almost every decision he ever made.

No, as much as he doesn't like the man, it isn't Lock's fault. Nor is it Niobe's. The blame rests squarely on his own shoulders.

I lost her. And for what? he thinks acrimoniously. For a lie.

And the losses hadn't ended with Niobe.

Ever since that particular visit with the Oracle, he has fought for the prophecy with even more passion than before. He has watched as others have fought for it, watched as close friends and family died for it in some fashion or another.

He briefly closes his eyes as the pain of loss surges in his soul.

Dozer. Mouse. Apoc. Switch. Eventually Tank. Even Cypher himself.

They are but a few of many who have died in this war, but they have a special place in his heart. They were a part of his family. And he has held himself largely responsible for their deaths.

How many times after Cypher's betrayal has he asked himself: 'If I hadn't been so preoccupied with finding the One, would I have seen what was happening to him?'

The question is only that much more agonizing now, knowing that it was all for nothing.

Why did the Oracle mislead me? After a beat, he shakes his head, a painful realization occurs to him. Perhaps that's my fault, too. I wanted the prophecy to be true. I needed it to be true - so much so that I was willing to blindly trust in it all.

Reaching his destination, he stops in the doorway. His eyes immediately settle on the two familiar figures in front of him; one lying inert on a table, the other diligently keeping watch over him.

In spite of the situation, he feels a wave of gratitude at the sight. This day has seen the end of two things he has held close to his heart: His ship and his belief in the prophecy. Though it has come painfully close, it has thankfully not seen the end of a third.

At least not yet, he thinks cynically. The day is still young.

He still remembers the alarm that came over him when he jacked out of the Matrix to see that Trinity had jacked in. That alarm had turned to abject helplessness as he could do nothing but watch her code on the screen as she plummeted toward the ground, a bullet lodged in her chest. Finally, as her monitor flatlined, he felt the heavy grief begin to descend into his soul.

Though temporarily replaced by stunned relief when Neo revived her, that helplessness and grief returned as he watched the Nebuchadnezzar meet her abrupt end. Those emotions only deepened when moments later, he heard Trinity cry out and he found her holding an unconscious Neo in her arms.

Feeling his anger rise, he clenches his jaw and looks away from the couple in front of him. This is not how it was supposed to be. We should be tasting victory. We should be celebrating the end of the war.

But the end of the war has not come as it was foretold.

"It was a lie, Morpheus…" Neo's voice floats unbidden into his mind. "The prophecy was a lie…"

His gaze drops to the floor and he searches it with dark, unseeing eyes. At first, he couldn't believe Neo. He refused to. But the reality has had enough time to eat away at his conviction now. If the prophecy had been true, they wouldn't be on someone else's ship. They wouldn't be waiting for Neo to wake up. They wouldn't be facing a massacre.

What was once an unfamiliar feeling intensifies in him now, increasing the tightness in his gut.

For so long, he has held on to his belief that the deaths he has seen have not been in vain.

For so long, he has held on to his belief that he would live long enough to see freedom for his people.

For so long, he has held on to his belief that the One would end the war.

Now…

"The One was never meant to end anything…"

Now he's not sure what to hold on to.