By Jake Newman and based on the Matrix Trilogy by the Wachowski Brothers. Characters in this story which appear in the Matrix Trilogy do not belong to me. Some dialogue may be similar to that found in the official Trilogy.

Chapter 4: Decision

Chris was standing in his bedroom again, facing his computer. As he subconsciously mulled over the ultimatum given to him by the Architect, he happened to catch sight of his reflection in his computer monitor, just as he had before. This time was different however, this time he knew none of what he saw was real. Chris let out a small laugh; he was mocking the futility of his existence. Did anything matter anymore? He could easily have trashed his room, burnt down his house, or even the whole neighbourhood and nothing, except computer code, would be different. Sure, his actions might kill people, but what's wrong with taking the life of someone that doesn't really have a life to begin with? Chris began to think further. "Maybe it's more futile to accept the truth and do nothing?", he thought. "In that case, what should I do to give my life real purpose? After all, it's not the environment you live in that makes you who you are, it's what you do in that environment and how it affects other people."

Chris stopped concentrating and began to look around his room. Before his eyes had even left his computer desk he noticed something that wasn't there before. Chris cautiously walked over to his desk and gently picked up the new item. He examined it closely, they were an unusual shape but strangely attractive. They reflected his face and he felt almost obligated to put them on. The sunglasses were marginally too big but that didn't really matter, they felt good on. Chris felt his personality shift somehow but he couldn't explain in exactly what way. He knew he felt important with them on, he felt powerful too. He turned around and walked towards a mirror on his bedroom wall, he smiled at himself wryly and started to feel almost manic. The glasses suited him; they matched the contours of his face and oddly, reflected his personality. Caught in the moment, he joked to himself, "I look like an FBI Age…", he interrupted himself and sharply ripped the glasses off his face and threw them onto the floor. "What's happening to me?", he asked himself. Was it the glasses having an effect? Was it something the Matrix was doing to him? Or was he really beginning to believe the Architect, was he really beginning to make his choice?

The glasses looked almost disappointed at their rejection, as they lay lens side down on Chris's carpet. He picked them up, folded them and placed them in his school bag. He put the bag on and walked out of his room without looking back. Chris walked downstairs and looked into the room where his parents were sitting, oblivious to the truth. "I'm going out for a while", he told them. "OK son, keep out of trouble", they replied. "I'm already in trouble", he whispered to himself.

Chris had made his way to the tunnel, and although it wasn't responsible for how he'd felt his whole life, it had pushed his beliefs over the edge and been the reason behind his life-changing experience, and that's why he was revisiting it. "I'll go back to where this started", he thought, "and maybe it'll make more sense". As he stood in the same spot from where he'd witnessed the mysterious figure leave someone's body, a moment of clarity came to him. For the first time, the concept of the Matrix was clear in his mind, the meaning of what he'd seen was apparent to him and his mind had been truly freed. Chris felt ten times more powerful than the glasses had made him feel, he felt invincible. He started to walk calmly towards the tunnel, his eyes never stopped looking into the black depths of it, he wanted to know what was beyond it. He arrived at the entrance, his heart was beating faster as he closely inspected the area where he'd seen the two men, there was no trace of them. Chris reached over to an external pocket on his bag and felt it gently to ensure that the glasses were there. He refocused on the darkness ahead and walked further still. Chris got closer and closer to the darkness until his limbs seemingly vanished one by one into the black. "I've made my decision", he said aloud and the echo of his words faded to silence.