A/N: Whew! I actually finished by Nov. 5! My thanks to everyone who has reviewed, I appreciate each and every one of them. A reminder that this section contains a small spoiler from behind the scenes footage from Revs. And finally, one more HUGE thank you to Ovo for the beta! You're the best!
*****
When the world says, "Give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time." ~~Author Unknown
TRINITY, MORPHEUS, NIOBE & GHOST
Why are you just sitting here? she chastises herself as she stares at the edge of the metal table.
The thin veil of shock that has been with her has gradually begun to lift, only to be replaced by an undercurrent of nervousness. The nagging whisper in her mind has grown louder and the impression it leaves has given rise to a sense of urgency that, until now, has been mostly muted by her clogged and worried mind. Yet in spite of the growing need to take action - any action - she has yet to move.
You're a soldier - a fighter. You should be doing something to help him. You should be doing something to help Zion.
In her mind, she can picture the sentinels digging through the earth and can only imagine the hell they will unleash upon Zion once they reach it.
And they will reach it, Trinity, she reminds herself. There's nothing -
"Trinity?"
Blinking, she looks up to find Maggie standing at her side with a tin of water in her hand.
"I thought you could probably use this," the redhead says with a small smile.
While Trinity's first reaction is to decline, looking at the tin, she suddenly realizes just how thirsty she has become.
"Thank you," she says as she takes the water. Raising it to her lips, she takes a sip, allowing the cool liquid to sit in her mouth before closing her eyes and letting it slide down her dry throat.
Taking another sip, she watches over the rim of the container as Maggie moves to Neo's other side. The medic leans over Neo, pulling back an eyelid and flashing a light in his eye. She repeats the action with his other eye before Trinity sees her brow lightly furrow.
"What is it?" she asks, barely keeping the worry from her tone.
Maggie shakes her head. "I'm just checking him again," she says noncommittally.
Not reassured, Trinity watches the medic continue her exam. As she waits, she finishes off the water and sets the empty tin on a stand nearby. Shrugging off the blanket Ghost put on her shoulders, she rotates her head to work out the kinks then drags her fingers over her dry, burning eyes.
Finally, Maggie glances at her to answer her unspoken question. "No change."
Trinity's lips press into a fine line. Although it was the answer she expected, she can't help but feel a stab of disappointment.
"It might help if I could figure out exactly what the sentinels did to him to cause this," Maggie adds, moving over to examine Bane again. "Then maybe I'd have an idea about how to reverse it."
The sentinels… Trinity lowers her gaze to look at Neo. An image of him, standing against the backdrop of a cold tunnel lit only by the flames consuming the Neb, flashes in her head.
"Something's different…" his voice echoes in her ears. "I can feel them."
Those had been his last words to her before he collapsed. She does not want to believe that they are the last she will ever hear from him.
Come on. Wake up.
She finds it ironic that, moments after he declared the prophecy was a lie, he was able to do something so unthinkable as to stop the sentinels the way he did.
I don't understand, Neo. She raises a hand to a shoulder, kneading the burning muscles with her cold fingers. I look at what you can do in the Matrix... And I don't understand.
Over the last six months, his abilities in the Matrix have developed so quickly. Not only can he dodge bullets, he can stop them by merely raising a hand. There, he can see things that the rest of them can't and he can sense when things are happening. And he can fly.
You took a bullet out of my body. You restarted my heart. And now… Now, you can stop sentinels. And you did that here, Neo. In the Real World.
She searches his pale, expressionless face. How can you do that if you're not meant to…?
She sighs, the ache in her chest flaring uncomfortably.
Are we really supposed to believe that you possess all these abilities just to… what? To mislead us? As some sick, convoluted attempt at control? Why?
I don't know, Neo. Arching a brow, she shakes her head almost imperceptibly. I don't know if I can believe that.
She looks down at her hand where it holds his. Or maybe it's just that I don't want to believe it.
Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Maggie begin to move away from Bane.
"Can I get you anything else?"
Trinity glances up at her. You can get Neo to wake up, she replies silently, even as she forces her lips into a small, appreciative smile. "I'm fine, Maggie. Thank you."
She turns back to Neo, her heart rate picking up as the feeling of urgency continues to flow through her. She can sense the minutes ticking away, each one allowing the sentinels to get a little closer to Zion.
Time is running out, Neo.
One hand still holding his, she curls the other into a fist to keep from fidgeting with the hem of her sweater. She has to help him. She has to help the Resistance.
Do something, dammit! she orders herself.
She swallows, fighting to hold down the tears as she suddenly recalls the last time she issued that particular command to herself.
Cypher.
She had issued the order in an old TV repair shop in the Matrix, just after she realized what Cypher's intentions were. Then, the command was accompanied by a sense of foreboding and dread, as well as a nervous anticipation that was just shy of panic, as she listened to his rant, helpless to stop the death that was coming.
She feels the same emotions coursing through her now, as if an intuitive warning of the death to come.
Her heart skips as she understands that, this time around, the death will be on a much larger scale.
"This is what keeps bothering me," she suddenly hears the medic mutter from behind her.
She glances over shoulder. She's not sure if Maggie was speaking to herself or to her, but the statement causes her worry to rise. "What?" she asks, rising to her feet.
As she joins Maggie at a bank of computer screens, the medic points to a screen. "His neural patterns don't look like someone who's in a coma."
Confused, she looks down at the other woman, but before she can open her mouth to ask a question, Maggie continues.
"The strange thing is, I see these patterns all the time."
Trinity looks back at the patterns displayed on the screen to examine them again.
"Where?" she asks softly.
"On someone jacked in."
Trinity's brows pull together. Jacked in? How is that possible? She looks back at Maggie and, seeing her puzzled expression, knows the medic doesn't have the answer.
She glances over her shoulder at Neo, her confusion and worry compounded. What does that mean, Neo? Walking back over to him, she grasps his hand and sits back down. What's happened to you?
She shakes her head. More questions. And it seems that now, the answers might be more important than ever.
And you're the only one who has them, aren't you, Neo?
At that, another thought enters her mind. Maybe you're not the only one, she grudgingly considers.
She has already been through her debate about the Oracle. As a result, her conflicting emotions on the subject remain near the surface. So much of what the older woman told her has been true - everything, in fact, about her, about Neo and about them. Everything, except perhaps the most important thing: the prophecy itself.
Would she know what's wrong with you? Would she know how to fix it? Her lips dip into a small, uncertain frown. Can I even trust what she tells me if she does?
She considers it for a brief moment and, taking a deep breath, she makes a decision.
Only one way to find out, Trinity.
Just as she is about to rise off the stool, it occurs to her that while she's been in her own little world, things may have changed. They had been at broadcast depth when the Neb went down and the Hammer picked them up, but, with Ghost and Niobe on board, she realizes there is a possibility that they have moved to meet the Logos. And that might present a problem.
"Maggie," she calls over her shoulder, "Are we still at broadcast depth?"
"For the Matrix?" she hears Maggie answer from behind her. "I don't think so. We had to drop down to find the Logos after they were attacked. And Roland -"
Caught off guard, Trinity turns on the stool "The Logos was attacked?" she asks, doing her best to keep her voice even.
"Yes," Maggie replies simply, moving over to her.
Trinity closes her eyes and exhales. Of course. You should've realized that was a possibility, Trinity. First the Vigilant, then the Neb, why not the Logos too?
While slightly irritated that Ghost and Niobe have both been by and neither had said a word, she worries that may be because they have lost their ship as well. Opening her eyes, she looks back up at Maggie. "How bad was the damage?"
"They sustained some engine damage," Maggie explains, adjusting a sensor on Neo's monitor. "Niobe had to crash land. And by the time they set off their EMP, the sentinels had already begun latching on. They've already started working on repairs, but honestly, I don't know how bad it is."
Trinity drops her gaze. I really have been in my own little world, haven't I?
"We're down low enough that we can transmit to Zion," Maggie continues, returning to Trinity's original question, "So we might be out of range for the Matrix."
Shit, Trinity curses silently, staring at the floor. She had forgotten that Roland had spoken with Zion.
"Why?" she hears Maggie ask.
Instead of providing an answer, Trinity shifts her attention back to Neo; part of her is reluctant to leave him, part of her knows it may be the only way she can help him - if she can help him at all.
I don't know if I can trust the Oracle, Neo. She squeezes his hand. I don't even know if she can help. But I have to try. It's the only thing I can think of to do to help you.
Slowly, she rises from the stool. "If I leave, you'll stay with him?"
"Of course," Maggie assures her before adding hopefully, "You going to get some rest?"
"I'm going to talk to Roland," Trinity replies, her gaze still on Neo. "Then I'm going into the Matrix."
"You're what?" she hears the medic say, "Trinity, with everything going on, I don't know if Roland's going -"
"Let him try to stop me," she mutters in a low, determined voice. She can feel her resolve growing by the minute, fueled by a renewed sense of purpose, overshadowing her apprehension.
As Morpheus enters the infirmary, he sees Trinity bend over to gently kiss Neo on the forehead. Once again, he registers a brief pang of the guilt and responsibility he felt the last time he was here, but it rapidly subsides as he moves over to her.
"I'll be back," he hears her say, and wonders if it is directed more at Neo than at the Hammer's medic.
"Trinity."
Trinity turns around. "Morpheus," she says, immediately locking eyes with her captain and friend, "I need to see the Oracle."
Morpheus lifts an eyebrow in response. He knows he shouldn't be surprised, but he is.
"Then you know?" he asks, only to instantly see his assumption is wrong.
Trinity tenses. "Know what?" she asks, her mouth suddenly dry, her dread and foreboding rising up again. "What's happened?"
Seeing the traces of alarm in her otherwise stoic expression, Morpheus quickly moves to explain. "The Oracle contacted Niobe, Trinity."
She arches her brows, surprised that the Oracle would have contacted Niobe instead of Morpheus or Neo. "When?"
"After she and Ghost jacked out of the Matrix."
After the Neb went down, she instantly realizes. After Neo collapsed.
"Does she know about Neo?" she asks cautiously.
"Maybe," Morpheus answers tentatively, before amending his answer. "Yes."
"Does she know what's wrong with him?"
Taking a breath, he hesitates, still having to make a conscious effort to try to believe what Niobe told him. "According to Niobe," he explains, "The Oracle claims that when Neo touched the Source, he became trapped between our world and the Matrix."
"Wait a minute," Maggie speaks up as she walks over to them. "I thought you said Neo collapsed when he stopped the sentinels."
Morpheus suppresses a frown as he glances over at the medic. He hadn't realized she was close enough to overhear them. "He did."
Trinity keeps her eyes on her captain, her brows knitted tightly together. "I don't understand, Morpheus."
"I know, Trinity," he says with a sigh, "Neither do I."
Lowering her eyes, she tries to make sense of what he's said. Finally she switches her gaze to Maggie. "Would that explain his neural patterns?"
"It might," Maggie shrugs. "But I don't really understand what it means, Trinity, much less how it's possible."
Morpheus glances from one woman to the other, his brow furrowed, his concern for Neo mounting. Obviously, there's been a development he's unaware of. "What are you talking about?"
Tossing a quick glance at Trinity, Maggie exhales sharply and begins to explain. "It's something that's been bothering me for a while, I just didn't know how to explain it. Hell, I still don't. But Neo's neural patterns don't correspond to the normal range for someone in a coma."
"He's not in a coma?" he questions, simultaneously worried and relieved.
Maggie shakes her head. "I didn't say that. All the other markers indicate he is - but his neural patterns... They're consistent with those we see when someone is jacked in to the Matrix."
At that, Morpheus' brow furrows even deeper. He shifts his gaze over to the table where Neo remains unconscious, suddenly becoming aware of his dull headache again.
"I still don't know what it means," Maggie continues, "But if what you're saying is true…" She shakes her head, giving Trinity an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry. It still doesn't help me, but I'll see what I can do with it."
"Thanks, Maggie," Trinity says, stifling her disappointment as she watches the medic return to the bank of computer screens. For a moment, she had hoped that the information might be useful to the medic, that she could use it to help Neo.
Morpheus says nothing as he considers Maggie's report. He doesn't know what to make of it either, but it occurs to him that it would seem to lend some credibility to what the Oracle told Niobe.
Moving her gaze back to Morpheus, Trinity catches a glimpse of Niobe and Ghost walking through the door. Instantly, she brings her focus back to Morpheus' revelation.
"Did the Oracle explain how this happened to Neo?" she asks as the pair joins them, not wasting any time with pleasantries. "Or how to fix it?"
Niobe glances up at Morpheus, mildly surprised. "How far did you get?"
"Not far enough," he replies. "We got sidetracked."
"Sidetracked?" Niobe arches her brows, wondering what could have been so important that he was unable to fill Trinity in by now.
"I'll explain later," Morpheus says, "Right now, I think I'll let you finish explaining."
"What has he told you?" Niobe asks, looking to Trinity.
"That the Oracle told you Neo's trapped between the Real World and the Matrix."
"Whatever that means," Ghost mutters. He sees Trinity's gaze flicker over to him and can see by her expression that he has just vocalized what she had been thinking but, for whatever reason, had held back.
Trinity shifts her attention back to Niobe. "What else did she tell you?"
"That you could help him."
Feeling a small current of relief flow through her at the words, Trinity slowly releases her breath.
"Did she say how?" she asks, keeping her voice steady and her impatience in check.
"No," Niobe says, with a quick glance at Morpheus, "But I got the feeling it's not going to be easy."
Trinity's brows draw together. "Why?"
"Because she said you're going to have to fight your way through hell to do it."
Trinity doesn't even blink at the statement. She'll go through hell a hundred times if it means bringing Neo out of this.
"She didn't say anything else?"
"No," Niobe shakes her head, "That's all."
"Not quite all," Ghost speaks up to remind her.
Trinity looks at her friend expectantly. "What else is there?"
Instinctively knowing where Ghost is taking this, Morpheus glances in Maggie's direction and is relieved to find she seems to be busy working on something at the computer station. Telling Niobe had been difficult enough, he's not sure he's ready to tell the others just yet.
"It's about what Neo told you and Morpheus," he hears Ghost explain and finds himself thankful for the other man's discreet phrasing. Instantly, he feels Trinity's eyes on him and he returns his gaze to her.
"You told them." It was a statement that to most others was devoid of emotion. He, however, detects her relief.
"He told me," Niobe says before he can answer. "I told Ghost on our way here."
I should've been the one to tell him, Trinity thinks, looking at the man who's been both a brother and a close friend to her.
Ghost catches Trinity's apologetic glance and nods.
"It's okay," he says quietly, "I understand."
As he listens to Niobe share her thoughts on her visit with the Oracle, Ghost keeps his eyes on Trinity. Her face is taut, yet expressionless. Her eyes, while still weary, are focused and intense. And he can read the traces of her conflicting emotions at Niobe's words.
He had been surprised when Niobe filled him in on what the Oracle and Morpheus had told her, but it has helped him understand what he saw in Trinity earlier. What worries him now is the Oracle's statement that Trinity would have to go through hell to free Neo. His only hope is that she makes it through that hell and comes back alive.
As Niobe finishes her explanation, Trinity shifts her gaze and considers what Niobe has shared. Knowing what she does about the other woman's views on the One and the prophecy, she's surprised at Niobe's certainty that Neo might still be able to end the war. She's also slightly more reassured. This is what she's wanted to hear, and the fact that it came from someone like Niobe has only helped alleviate some of her doubts.
Some, but not all.
She looks at Morpheus. "What do you think?"
Morpheus shifts his gaze to Niobe to see confidence reflected in her eyes. He draws on it. He has been standing here, listening to her explain things to Trinity, trying to sort out his own feelings and thoughts. He's managed to come to one important conclusion: If there's any way he can help bring Neo out of his coma-like state, he's going to hold to that. As for whether or not the One can help them, he's not entirely closed off to the possibility, but he's not sure he's ready to completely believe it either.
One step at a time, Morpheus.
He meets Trinity's gaze with unwavering eyes. "I think that if there is a chance she is right and that you can help Neo, then I will do everything I can to help you."
"So will we," Ghost adds, offering her a supportive glance.
Niobe looks at the dark-haired woman across from her. "What do you want to do, Trinity?"
"I need to see the Oracle," she answers, reaffirming her earlier declaration. "She's the only one who can tell me how to help Neo."
Morpheus nods. "Then I'll talk to Roland."
Niobe tugs back a corner of her mouth. Though not carrying the power she is used to hearing, she recognizes the determination in his tone and hopes it is a sign that he is changing his path.
"We'll talk to Roland," she says meaningfully, eliciting a grateful glance from him. "Two captains are better than one."
Trinity looks at Morpheus again, noticing for the first time the subtle change. While much of his uncertainty remains, he doesn't appear to be as tired as he did just a short time ago. Nor does he seem as defeated. As she watches the two captains leave the room, she almost smiles, wondering if Niobe has had anything to do with that.
She glances at Ghost and, though his expression doesn't show it, she can see the traces of worry in his eyes. It doesn't take much for her to deduce what it stems from. "Don't worry, Ghost," she says quietly. "It'll be fine."
"I know," he nods, even as his concern for her remains undiminished.
Stepping back over to Neo, Trinity takes his hand in hers one last time, feeling more focused than she has in hours. Gently squeezing his hand, she bends down to whisper in his ear.
"I'm coming, Neo."
As she leaves him behind, she can feel it; embers of something she thought had all but died out with Neo's revelation and collapse are beginning to flare. She had seen small sparks of it flash in Morpheus' eyes just a few minutes ago, and, as cautious or as fragile at it is for both of them, she recognizes it for what it is.
Hope.