I bet you all enjoy this, saying that I won't write another chapter. And I
keep lying. The title is ruined now that I wrote more chapters. Oh well. It
seems this story is just about every idea I've had for the Matrix/Reloaded.
This chapter shows my view of why Tank is dead in the second film (we all
know the real reason Marcus Chong wasn't in it, but anyway), and may flesh
out Link and Trinity a little bit- for future chapters I suppose.
~~~~~~~~~
"Morning." Neo mumbled against Trinity's shoulder from his position behind her.
"Eeh?" Trinity cracked an eye open, verbal skills not yet working.
"Ahh, at last you're awake. You fell asleep quickly last night."
"I was exhausted."
"Oh really?" Neo asked, a smile spreading across his features.
"Yeah." Trinity replied, rolling over to face him.
Neo paused a moment to look into her eyes, losing himself. ~Did I really just make love for the first time to this amazing woman last night? ~ Neo thought, cocking his head to one side. As Trinity trailed her fingers along his chest and over his plugs, Neo caught her lips in a soft and tender kiss. ~Guess so. ~
As the kiss ended, Neo opened his eyes to see Trinity's still almost closed, breathing slowly. Marveling at the effect he had on her for only a moment, Neo quickly leaned in to kiss her again, sliding his body on top of hers in the process. As Trinity sighed against his mouth, Neo decided to test how far he could go, and gently pushed his tongue against her lips before they gave way for his exploration. Tongues probed and clashed as Neo succumbed to the feelings of hot and wet before a sharp knock on the door shattered the romantic interlude.
Standing slowly, Neo quickly found and proceeded to pull on his pants before padding softly over to the door. Wrenching it open, Neo saw a tall woman with beautifully curly hair that cascaded down maple brown shoulders. Dressed as most Zionists dressed, the woman quickly recovered from the shock of seeing "The One" open Trinity's door, half naked.
"Hello. Is uh, is Trinity in there?" the woman asked, glancing over Neo's high shoulders.
"Cass? What are you doing here?" Trinity asked, pulling her shirt down as she moved around Neo to usher the woman in.
"I need you to come down to our place. There's something wrong with Tank." Cass replied, taking in everything.
Trinity knew Cass had already figured out Neo had spent the night in her room, completely naked, as had she, but they had more important things to worry about. Nodding quickly, Trinity turned around to put on her boots, Neo following quickly behind. Cass walked in a few more steps and shut the door, watching the pair sit side-by-side on the bed, completely at ease, and yet, a little on edge, most likely from her presence, pulling on their boots. Grabbing one boot and staring at it a moment, Neo quickly handed it over to Trinity as she handed him a similar one. Standing, Trinity and Neo followed Cass out, shutting the door behind them.
~~*~~
"What happened?" Trinity asked upon seeing the very sick looking Tank laying on a bed, a doctor at his side.
"Last night he was as fine as he could be considering everything he's gone through. When I woke up this morning-" Cass replied, taking a seat opposite the bed.
Link and Zee were sitting in an adjoining room, trying to keep the attention of two small children on them and not their sick uncle. Neo walked into the room, receiving awed looks from the kids, who immediately walked over to him as he sat down, curious.
"Hey, you're the One, right?" one asked.
Off Neo's nod and smile, the other stated, "Can you believe it? Link! The One is sitting at our table!"
Trinity walked over to the entrance to the room, watching in amusement as the two children proceeded to each take one of Neo's hands, examining them. Moving in silently, Trinity grabbed another chair and pulled it up next to Neo's.
"What do you think will happen?" Zee asked softly, her eyes glistening.
"I'm not sure, Zee. Let's just hope." Link replied, wrapping an arm around her.
"He'll be all right. Tank's a tough guy." Trinity answered, watching one child take her hand in his own and place it over Neo's. Neo glanced over at Trinity, catching her blue eyes looking at his face.
"Look Zee! They fit!" the boy exclaimed, smiling and running over to her open arms.
The other one walked over to Link, and, looking up into his face, asked innocently,
"Where's Daddy?"
Trinity turned away from Link's pained gaze, knowing sadly, yet another child would grow up without their father.
~~*~~
Four pained days later, Tank was brought into Zion's hospital and slipped away from the living due to horrible infections, a result of the wounds Cypher had caused. The funeral was private and short. His ashes in a metal vase were placed on a mantel in Cass's apartment, next to Dozer's. Shortly thereafter, Trinity and Neo were informed that Link, fulfilling a promise he had made to Dozer before they had left Zion in search of finding and unplugging Neo, would be their knew Operator. With almost no time to mourn the loss of yet another crewmember, Trinity and Neo joined Morpheus and Link on the Nebuchadnezzar.
~~*~~
"Does it ever stop?" Neo asked Trinity a few nights later, catching her off guard while watching the monitors half asleep.
Turning in her seat to see Neo resting his chin on his arms on top of the chair, she asked, "Does what ever stop?"
"The death, the sadness, the cold."
Trinity paused a moment, stopping herself from saying her "programmed" answer to a question such as this. Neo was different; she could be open and truthful with him.
"No. It never does. But the cold and pain become numb and you don't notice them so much after awhile. But here, death is an accepted part of life. We have to go on, no matter what."
"Why?" Neo asked, the innocence in his question causing Trinity to smile slightly.
"Because if we didn't go on, their deaths would be for nothing." Taking his silence as an acceptance to her statement, Trinity turned back around to watch the monitors again. When she heard his footsteps move down the ladder, Trinity felt more alone that night that any other night.
~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, now, you guys are my barometer. The number of reviews or the number of people who want me to continue this as a fic, you must review. I keep saying I won't write any more. Well, every once in a while, I feel the need to write out yet another idea, and it's not big enough for a fic, so I mesh it into the only fic I can. This one. You want more? I want reviews. Simple, eh? Hope you all liked this chapter, a little sad, I know, but life isn't a bed of roses. Besides, you got your bit of romance and even humor in the beginning, what more could you ask for?
~~~~~~~~~
"Morning." Neo mumbled against Trinity's shoulder from his position behind her.
"Eeh?" Trinity cracked an eye open, verbal skills not yet working.
"Ahh, at last you're awake. You fell asleep quickly last night."
"I was exhausted."
"Oh really?" Neo asked, a smile spreading across his features.
"Yeah." Trinity replied, rolling over to face him.
Neo paused a moment to look into her eyes, losing himself. ~Did I really just make love for the first time to this amazing woman last night? ~ Neo thought, cocking his head to one side. As Trinity trailed her fingers along his chest and over his plugs, Neo caught her lips in a soft and tender kiss. ~Guess so. ~
As the kiss ended, Neo opened his eyes to see Trinity's still almost closed, breathing slowly. Marveling at the effect he had on her for only a moment, Neo quickly leaned in to kiss her again, sliding his body on top of hers in the process. As Trinity sighed against his mouth, Neo decided to test how far he could go, and gently pushed his tongue against her lips before they gave way for his exploration. Tongues probed and clashed as Neo succumbed to the feelings of hot and wet before a sharp knock on the door shattered the romantic interlude.
Standing slowly, Neo quickly found and proceeded to pull on his pants before padding softly over to the door. Wrenching it open, Neo saw a tall woman with beautifully curly hair that cascaded down maple brown shoulders. Dressed as most Zionists dressed, the woman quickly recovered from the shock of seeing "The One" open Trinity's door, half naked.
"Hello. Is uh, is Trinity in there?" the woman asked, glancing over Neo's high shoulders.
"Cass? What are you doing here?" Trinity asked, pulling her shirt down as she moved around Neo to usher the woman in.
"I need you to come down to our place. There's something wrong with Tank." Cass replied, taking in everything.
Trinity knew Cass had already figured out Neo had spent the night in her room, completely naked, as had she, but they had more important things to worry about. Nodding quickly, Trinity turned around to put on her boots, Neo following quickly behind. Cass walked in a few more steps and shut the door, watching the pair sit side-by-side on the bed, completely at ease, and yet, a little on edge, most likely from her presence, pulling on their boots. Grabbing one boot and staring at it a moment, Neo quickly handed it over to Trinity as she handed him a similar one. Standing, Trinity and Neo followed Cass out, shutting the door behind them.
~~*~~
"What happened?" Trinity asked upon seeing the very sick looking Tank laying on a bed, a doctor at his side.
"Last night he was as fine as he could be considering everything he's gone through. When I woke up this morning-" Cass replied, taking a seat opposite the bed.
Link and Zee were sitting in an adjoining room, trying to keep the attention of two small children on them and not their sick uncle. Neo walked into the room, receiving awed looks from the kids, who immediately walked over to him as he sat down, curious.
"Hey, you're the One, right?" one asked.
Off Neo's nod and smile, the other stated, "Can you believe it? Link! The One is sitting at our table!"
Trinity walked over to the entrance to the room, watching in amusement as the two children proceeded to each take one of Neo's hands, examining them. Moving in silently, Trinity grabbed another chair and pulled it up next to Neo's.
"What do you think will happen?" Zee asked softly, her eyes glistening.
"I'm not sure, Zee. Let's just hope." Link replied, wrapping an arm around her.
"He'll be all right. Tank's a tough guy." Trinity answered, watching one child take her hand in his own and place it over Neo's. Neo glanced over at Trinity, catching her blue eyes looking at his face.
"Look Zee! They fit!" the boy exclaimed, smiling and running over to her open arms.
The other one walked over to Link, and, looking up into his face, asked innocently,
"Where's Daddy?"
Trinity turned away from Link's pained gaze, knowing sadly, yet another child would grow up without their father.
~~*~~
Four pained days later, Tank was brought into Zion's hospital and slipped away from the living due to horrible infections, a result of the wounds Cypher had caused. The funeral was private and short. His ashes in a metal vase were placed on a mantel in Cass's apartment, next to Dozer's. Shortly thereafter, Trinity and Neo were informed that Link, fulfilling a promise he had made to Dozer before they had left Zion in search of finding and unplugging Neo, would be their knew Operator. With almost no time to mourn the loss of yet another crewmember, Trinity and Neo joined Morpheus and Link on the Nebuchadnezzar.
~~*~~
"Does it ever stop?" Neo asked Trinity a few nights later, catching her off guard while watching the monitors half asleep.
Turning in her seat to see Neo resting his chin on his arms on top of the chair, she asked, "Does what ever stop?"
"The death, the sadness, the cold."
Trinity paused a moment, stopping herself from saying her "programmed" answer to a question such as this. Neo was different; she could be open and truthful with him.
"No. It never does. But the cold and pain become numb and you don't notice them so much after awhile. But here, death is an accepted part of life. We have to go on, no matter what."
"Why?" Neo asked, the innocence in his question causing Trinity to smile slightly.
"Because if we didn't go on, their deaths would be for nothing." Taking his silence as an acceptance to her statement, Trinity turned back around to watch the monitors again. When she heard his footsteps move down the ladder, Trinity felt more alone that night that any other night.
~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, now, you guys are my barometer. The number of reviews or the number of people who want me to continue this as a fic, you must review. I keep saying I won't write any more. Well, every once in a while, I feel the need to write out yet another idea, and it's not big enough for a fic, so I mesh it into the only fic I can. This one. You want more? I want reviews. Simple, eh? Hope you all liked this chapter, a little sad, I know, but life isn't a bed of roses. Besides, you got your bit of romance and even humor in the beginning, what more could you ask for?