Jessica Silverflame: Oh yeah? I counter your dragon attack with my army of rabid Pikachus! Or, I could just post this chapter as a peace offering. Lol.
Selina Enriquez: And now the thrilling consequences of that cliff hanger.
Emerald3: You can stop baiting your breath now! It's chapter 8!
Alocin: I'm happy I made you more Trin sympathetic. She's always been my favourite character. And Smith is just, well he's Smith and I love him. I wish there was no divine plan, and I'm sure I could give Smith the victory this time. How much are you willing to pay me to see Smith win?
Stormhawk: That will suffice. Here's the next chapter and you get to see if Trinity's okie dokie!
Trin303: Yes, cliffies are evil, but I love them like I love Smith.
Niobie: Definitely more. I cried like a baby in Revolutions and in Reloaded, while my friends laughed! I was so alone. Grr…
Aqua Phoenix: Eek! The eye twitch! Please don't submit me to cookie torture!
Queerquail: We're doing allegories in school to as part of our English unit on Medieval times. We're doing Chaucer and stuff and that's where I found out about the Allegory of the Cave and fell in love with the Matrix all over again.
Xensin: Please don't cry! Please? I'll give you a Pikachu!
SilverButterfly: My pleasure on letting you write your own version. Just read through it today. Very nice.
Wow! All my reviewers deserve a cookie and a free Pikachu. Pick yours up when you review!
Disclaimer: Not mine, all the Wachowski's.
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Chapter 8: Bleeding
Neo opened his eyes and looked around. Wherever he was, it was a big change from the front gates where he had fought against Smith. He was in a large white hallway, doors on either side, turquoise in colour. It was eerily silent.
Smith had thrown him into here. One minute the rain was dripping down his cheeks and now it was dripping to the floor from his drenched coat. When he tilted his head forward, a thin line of water dripped from his scalp and moved down his face. He wiped it away, irritated and grabbed the handle of the nearest door.
A whole classroom of children stared at him. Neo shut the door, a little embarrassed, and looked up and down the hall. Nothing and no one. He was alone.
There was a click and a door a ways behind him opened and closed as a young woman stepped inside. She looked at him oddly, her green eyes staring at him strangely.
"Are you lost?" She asked him, brushing a lock of copper hair out of her face. Neo was a little stunned, but shrugged.
"I think I am." He said, with a nod. The girl smiled and closed the door behind her, putting a ring of keys back in her pocket. She looked him over.
"We don't get many of your kind in here." She admitted, walking to him and outstretched her hand. The bellbottom sleeves of her coat ruffled at her wrist. "I'm the Guide."
Neo took her hand and she shook it softly.
"Where are you trying to get?" She asked, bringing her hand back, his name of no importance to her. Neo looked around the hall a little, slightly drawn back that a program wished to help him. The Guide's eyebrows lifted as she waited. "Come on, I'm not going to hurt you. Tell me where you need to go."
"How do I know I can trust you?" He asked her. The program didn't seem hurt. She smiled softly.
"Only one way to find out." She urged. Neo nodded.
"The Gateway." He admitted finally, taking his hands behind his back and seeming more composed. The girl nodded, looking down the hall with a searching look. She reached a hand into her pocket and looked through bundles of key rings. Neo watched her with a small amount of fascination as she quickly picked one out and shoved the key into the lock.
"I already…" He tried to tell her about the classroom, but the girl turned the handle forcefully and opened it up to the rainy exterior of the Gate. Neo looked at her and she grinned a little, waiting for him to go through.
"She told me you would need a little help." The Guide said. Neo didn't need to ask who She was. He gave a small grin and walked out into the rain as the red haired girl closed the door and the locking system shut it again. The door vanished, fading into the stone arch of the gate once again. Neo turned back and looked around, inspecting for the two programs again. They were nowhere to be seen.
With a sense of urgency, he ran to the door and opened it, getting into the controls of the gate. The Twins looked up, but had no time to react as Neo grabbed their throats and pushed them harshly against the wall. They looked from each other and then back to Neo.
"Hey guys." He said angrily. The Twins actually looked a little afraid this time.
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Trinity had barely any time to react as she yanked on the door. The bullet flew through the air at her and missed her head because of her position. Instead, it skinned her shoulder, taking out a good chunk of her flesh. She gasped, gripping the bloodied area with her hand in shock. Smith walked to her as she fumbled with the handle more, leaning against the door and trying to fight back at the pain that was gnawing at her. The gun was at her temple again and Smith's hand brought her head to face him, lifting her up on the wall with her neck. Trinity choked as the gun was aimed at her temple and she was losing breath. She clamped her hands around Smith's wrist.
"Just…do…it." She choked in an inaudible whisper. Smith obviously didn't hear her. She repeated herself, gaining strength in her words. "Pull…GOD DAMNED TRIGGER!"
"As you wish." He said, firing a round into the same shoulder as before, doing much more the a skim this time. Trinity felt her consciousness fade for a only a moment, but was brought back at the sense of falling. She pushed her way awake as Smith brought her to the ground. The gun was still at her head, but she was sure he would riddle her torso with bullets before he fired into her head.
Smith inched closer, smelling the blood dripping down her arm and making a puddle on the floor. It was a miracle the stitches hadn't ripped and added to the puddle underneath her. She winced as he came closer, whispering into her ear.
"What's it like outside the cave Trinity?" He asked her, saying her name for the first time in her imprisonment. The warrior gasped for breath, coughing slightly as The Agent continued speaking. "Is it better then inside? Or is it cold and dark like some unmaking and undoing of a world?" She closed her eyes tightly, feeling burning tears slide down her cheeks. The Agent kept the gun at her temple. "How is it more real then this?"
"You're insane." She choked. Smith ignored her and pushed the gun to her temple again.
"How many people have you failed to release from here?" He demanded, rhetorically of course. "How many people have taken that blue pill?" Trinity pushed back against the wall, curling her toes in pain. His voice got deeper and more malicious. "How many didn't believe?"
"Fuck you!" She finally said aloud. Smith didn't move, and he continued taunting her with his twisted voice.
"At the end of the story it doesn't matter." He said quietly. "Humans would rather kill their own kind then accept that their 'reality' isn't real."
He deepened his voice again, silencing for a moment. Trinity pushed against his hand, her right shoulder stinging as her muscle tensed. Smith took a deep breath and exhaled his warm breath over her neck and shoulder. Over her skin it felt warm, but the wound froze at it hit it.
"Humans have many caves." He said as an afterthought. "What Plato didn't seem to understand is that humans just bury themselves in bigger ones. There truly is no escape."
Trinity could feel her head sag and she started to lose consciousness again. Slowly but surely the black spots clouded her vision and Smith moved back to her face, his lasting image in her eyes.
Oh God. Neo. Hurry up. Please Neo. I can't do this. I need you Neo. Please.
She stopped trying to convince her that the pain wasn't real. She was begging some force to get Neo there. The Agent continued to speak in a whisper.
"How many caves have you crawled into?" He stated as Trinity took in another shaky breath. "Fear? Humans follow each other into that cave. It's a mystery how your species last this long. But love?" A fear came over her as she sat there, pressed against the wall, facing this man…machine who had fired bullets at her and took attempts at her life more times then any.
"You hate that cave, don't you?" He analyzed her. "About as much as you can't stand being without it."
Trinity's hands dropped from his arm, her strength fading. Shock was starting to take over, gripping at her senses and sending her into some form of stupor. She blinked and her eyelids slid closed.
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Neo tossed the two bodies behind him. The twins groaned and got to their feet again, only to be beaten twice as severely by the now enraged One. He pinned them against the wall.
"Open the gate." He demanded again. He received no response and proceeded to kick them both into the nearby wall. Without a second thought he punched the other into the stone, causing pieces of it to fall to the floor. For the second, he threw him by one arm into the air and grabbed the second and punched him into the gears. His neck fell into the sharp metal and he latched on, choking and gasping. Neo gave him one final kick and the body dropped, leaving the head atop the gear. The One took the head and held it to Twin 2, who recovered quickly from Neo's attack. He held up a hand.
"Fine." He finally said. The machine and contraption of gears sprang to life, and Neo could hear the gate starting to open.
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Smith's ears perked as the door's intricate locking system seemed to open. The clicks and small prickles attacked his senses as Trinity faded. He grinned softly, lifting her head back up as her eyes started to roll.
"It appears our time together has come to a close." He put simply. Trinity groaned, the pain fading from her stomach and her wrists, and her whole body went numb. The Agent supported her head as her neck went limp, and a glowing light appeared from the doorframe. She lifted her eyelids once more, staring right at him.
The Agent leaned in, kissing her on the lips as the gun pounded at her temple and his hand threatened to tighten. She didn't kiss back at all, unmoving as the Agent gave her the same care he would some lover of his.
He pulled back, staring at her.
"Give my regards to Neo." He said as a final thought and stood up. Trinity's head bobbed and she watched him fade from vision.
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Neo threw himself inside the small room, expecting to find Smith somewhere. Instead, Trinity's limp form lay against the wall, and the room was empty aside from the dishevelled furniture.
The One knelt quickly to the woman's side, pulling her head in his direction. Her eyes were closed. Worried, he slid a hand to her neck and felt the weak pulse under his fingers. Gently, he shook her, trying to rouse her.
"Trinity?" He asked gently. She moaned softly, trying to open her eyes. He brushed the lock of hair from her face as he curled her into her arms. "Trin?"
Weakly, her eyelids opened, looking at him. A faint smile came across her lips.
"Neo." She whispered, raising her arms around his neck as she hugged him tightly. He hugged back, wary of her bleeding shoulder and injured stomach. Trinity closed her eyes, the feeling of joy rising through her body as she curled up in her lover's arms.
Neo felt her body sag alongside his, and worry filled his mind as he found the pool of blood on the floor. Without another word, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her out of the room.
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Next Chapter=Last Chapter.
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