Hello again! This is the last chapter of my attempt to tie up a few of the
loose ends that were left after the end of Matrix: Revolutions. I hope you
enjoy the rest of the story! And if you enjoy it, be sure to read
Transfer: The First, my other Matrix fanfiction.
Thank you so much my reviewers, Anne and NathanPostmark! I bask in the glow of your review! *basks*
Enjoy!! Review!!
Chapter Three: The End
Richard cranked the music up in his car as he made his way across the countryside, towards London. Deep in thought, he entered the city, and, not even knowing where he was headed, made the requisite turns until he found himself outside of a park located near the center of the metropolis.
Turning his car off he stepped outside, feeling the wind bite into him as he stared across the street. People from all walks of life were filtering into the small green area, all with strangely intent, vacant looks covering their faces.
He walked across the pavement and into the park, his step falling into an easy rhythm as he pondered his predicament. Why was he here? He didn't know. All he knew was that he had woken up that morning from a strange, hazy dream and known that he had to come to London. He was pulled here.
All he could remember about his dream was white. That and the fact that it had something to do with a choice.
Was that what brought him here? Choice?
Or destiny?
His shuffling footsteps stopped behind a heavyset, once-young woman with her back toward him. Not even knowing why himself, he raised his hand and tapped her on the shoulder.
She turned and gaped at him as he suddenly felt cold. Why had he done that? Why was he even here?
He hated unanswered questions. But most of all, he hated her.
But here he was, standing right next to her, both miles from their homes.
"Richard!" she gasped, breaking the silence. He managed a wane smile.
"Hello, mum."
She wrapped her arms around him and began to cry with choked sobs as he stared straight ahead, the lump in his throat growing larger with every passing second. Awkwardly he patted her on the back.
She sniffled a little and stood back from him, her voice pathetically weak. "I suppose . . . you must hate me."
He sighed deeply. "No, mum, I . . . I don't hate you."
And oddly enough, he meant it.
Suddenly the crowd shifted, and Richard realized that they were all looking at something. Slowly, he turned, feeling a sense of de ja vu, and gave a sharp intake of breath, startled at who he saw standing there.
***
"Good Morning Naoko-chan." Umi fell in step beside her friend as they walked down the street. Naoko stared straight ahead.
"I'm not going to school today, Umi-chan," she said in a monotone voice. Umi looked at her in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
Naoko was once again acting nervous, straightening the folds of her pleated skirt, tucking her dark hair behind her ears. "I'm going to the Park."
"What?"
Naoko stopped walking and turned to face her friend. "Umi-chan, I want you to come with me."
"To the Park?"
"Yes," she took the taller girls arm and began to fairly drag her down the street.
"Naoko, we have to go to school."
"Umi, please, I need to go. Please, please come with me," she looked at her pleadingly. "I cannot do it alone."
"Do what?"
She turned her head away and began to walk faster. "I don't know. But hurry Umi-chan, we will be late!"
"Late for what?" Umi tried to keep up with her friend, who was nearly running.
By Naoko didn't know. She only knew one thing. The Park was calling her, and she had to go.
She rounded the corner and smiled. There it was, right in front of her.
Her destiny.
"Hurry, Umi-chan!" She fairly ran across the street, disinterestedly noticing the multitudes of others joining her, all entering the park to stand in disjointed lines across the grass.
Suddenly Umi stopped, causing Naoko's grip on her to slip. "Naoko, I can't go."
"What?" Naoko looked at her, her eyes indefinably sad.
"I can't pass," Umi struggled slightly, placing her hands in the air as if against an invisible wall. "I don't know why, it . . . it won't let me."
Naoko was silent for a moment. "Umi-chan, did you . . . did you have a dream last night?"
"Yes, but I don't remember it. I only," she struggled to think. "I only remember a choice."
"And you're answer? Do you remember that?"
"Naoko, it was only a dream."
The small girl stared at her best friend since childhood sadly, her eyes filling with tears. "Oh Umi, I'm so sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
"I have to go," briefly she embraced her friend, looked up at her for a moment, and then turned and ran to the park.
"Naoko!" Umi struggled against the invisible wall. "Naoko!"
Naoko ignored her, crossing to the center of the green wooded area to stand all alone, arms wrapped around her as she stared ahead. And when the crowd turned with muted gasps, she was not surprised at what she saw.
Umi stared the distant figure, fighting back tears even though she didn't know why she should be crying. And when the crowd murmured and turned, she followed their gaze.
And saw nothing at all.
***
Alice slowed to a stop near the center of Central Park and stared at the glistening surface of the water. How strange that all of these people were here, some standing in twos or threes, most standing alone like her. Did they know why they were here?
Because she didn't. But somehow she hadn't made it to school that day. Instead, she had found herself here, pulled by an unknown force to stand in this spot in the middle of the city's largest park. And yet she didn't know why.
"Alice?" A call reached her ears and she turned in time to see her sister enter the park, looking somewhat lost.
"Sally!" They ran toward each other and laughed, wrapping the other in a hug. "What are you doing here?"
"I don't know. I was heading out to get coffee before going to the store and somehow ended up here."
"I'm glad," she hugged her sister again, feeling incredibly relieved, as if she had been worrying all along yet hadn't known it.
"Me too," Sally whispered.
Something caused Alice to turn and she stared, shocked, at the lanky figure of her brother leaning against the wall that lead into the park. But he made no move to come in. He just stood there and stared at her, his face wondering. She could see the question in his eyes.
What are you doing there?
"Oh, Chris," she whispered to herself. "You never really had a choice in the matter, did you. You never were the kind to make your own decisions."
The crowd suddenly shifted, the murmur rising in pitch. Slowly, deliberately, Alice turned her back on her brother and faced the man standing in the middle of the park.
She was not surprised to see him there. After all, she had seen him in her dream last night. She remembered that much of it.
Quietly he began to speak, and Alice gasped as his voice appeared to emanate from directly in front of her.
"You know why you are here. You are here for the same reason hundreds of humans are gathering around the world. I am speaking to them all, as I am speaking to you."
He turned to stare at the crowd for a moment, silent.
"You are here because you made," his lips curled into a sneer as if he could barely stand to say the word, "A choice. You are here because you are leaving. You are the small percent of the world that has rejected what I have offered you. And so you in turn are rejected, by your own decision."
He paused one more. "And so, I am setting you free. You are all going . . . home."
In the back of her mind, Alice was scared. Terrified, actually. But she also knew that it was right. For how could she stay in such a place?
Quietly she reached over and gripped Sally's hand, taking comfort in the warmth she felt as she prepared for her journey.
Alice looked around the park one last time before smiling silently at her sister. Brave new world.
The End.
Hope you enjoyed the story. Please review and tell me your thoughts!
Thank you so much my reviewers, Anne and NathanPostmark! I bask in the glow of your review! *basks*
Enjoy!! Review!!
Chapter Three: The End
Richard cranked the music up in his car as he made his way across the countryside, towards London. Deep in thought, he entered the city, and, not even knowing where he was headed, made the requisite turns until he found himself outside of a park located near the center of the metropolis.
Turning his car off he stepped outside, feeling the wind bite into him as he stared across the street. People from all walks of life were filtering into the small green area, all with strangely intent, vacant looks covering their faces.
He walked across the pavement and into the park, his step falling into an easy rhythm as he pondered his predicament. Why was he here? He didn't know. All he knew was that he had woken up that morning from a strange, hazy dream and known that he had to come to London. He was pulled here.
All he could remember about his dream was white. That and the fact that it had something to do with a choice.
Was that what brought him here? Choice?
Or destiny?
His shuffling footsteps stopped behind a heavyset, once-young woman with her back toward him. Not even knowing why himself, he raised his hand and tapped her on the shoulder.
She turned and gaped at him as he suddenly felt cold. Why had he done that? Why was he even here?
He hated unanswered questions. But most of all, he hated her.
But here he was, standing right next to her, both miles from their homes.
"Richard!" she gasped, breaking the silence. He managed a wane smile.
"Hello, mum."
She wrapped her arms around him and began to cry with choked sobs as he stared straight ahead, the lump in his throat growing larger with every passing second. Awkwardly he patted her on the back.
She sniffled a little and stood back from him, her voice pathetically weak. "I suppose . . . you must hate me."
He sighed deeply. "No, mum, I . . . I don't hate you."
And oddly enough, he meant it.
Suddenly the crowd shifted, and Richard realized that they were all looking at something. Slowly, he turned, feeling a sense of de ja vu, and gave a sharp intake of breath, startled at who he saw standing there.
***
"Good Morning Naoko-chan." Umi fell in step beside her friend as they walked down the street. Naoko stared straight ahead.
"I'm not going to school today, Umi-chan," she said in a monotone voice. Umi looked at her in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
Naoko was once again acting nervous, straightening the folds of her pleated skirt, tucking her dark hair behind her ears. "I'm going to the Park."
"What?"
Naoko stopped walking and turned to face her friend. "Umi-chan, I want you to come with me."
"To the Park?"
"Yes," she took the taller girls arm and began to fairly drag her down the street.
"Naoko, we have to go to school."
"Umi, please, I need to go. Please, please come with me," she looked at her pleadingly. "I cannot do it alone."
"Do what?"
She turned her head away and began to walk faster. "I don't know. But hurry Umi-chan, we will be late!"
"Late for what?" Umi tried to keep up with her friend, who was nearly running.
By Naoko didn't know. She only knew one thing. The Park was calling her, and she had to go.
She rounded the corner and smiled. There it was, right in front of her.
Her destiny.
"Hurry, Umi-chan!" She fairly ran across the street, disinterestedly noticing the multitudes of others joining her, all entering the park to stand in disjointed lines across the grass.
Suddenly Umi stopped, causing Naoko's grip on her to slip. "Naoko, I can't go."
"What?" Naoko looked at her, her eyes indefinably sad.
"I can't pass," Umi struggled slightly, placing her hands in the air as if against an invisible wall. "I don't know why, it . . . it won't let me."
Naoko was silent for a moment. "Umi-chan, did you . . . did you have a dream last night?"
"Yes, but I don't remember it. I only," she struggled to think. "I only remember a choice."
"And you're answer? Do you remember that?"
"Naoko, it was only a dream."
The small girl stared at her best friend since childhood sadly, her eyes filling with tears. "Oh Umi, I'm so sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
"I have to go," briefly she embraced her friend, looked up at her for a moment, and then turned and ran to the park.
"Naoko!" Umi struggled against the invisible wall. "Naoko!"
Naoko ignored her, crossing to the center of the green wooded area to stand all alone, arms wrapped around her as she stared ahead. And when the crowd turned with muted gasps, she was not surprised at what she saw.
Umi stared the distant figure, fighting back tears even though she didn't know why she should be crying. And when the crowd murmured and turned, she followed their gaze.
And saw nothing at all.
***
Alice slowed to a stop near the center of Central Park and stared at the glistening surface of the water. How strange that all of these people were here, some standing in twos or threes, most standing alone like her. Did they know why they were here?
Because she didn't. But somehow she hadn't made it to school that day. Instead, she had found herself here, pulled by an unknown force to stand in this spot in the middle of the city's largest park. And yet she didn't know why.
"Alice?" A call reached her ears and she turned in time to see her sister enter the park, looking somewhat lost.
"Sally!" They ran toward each other and laughed, wrapping the other in a hug. "What are you doing here?"
"I don't know. I was heading out to get coffee before going to the store and somehow ended up here."
"I'm glad," she hugged her sister again, feeling incredibly relieved, as if she had been worrying all along yet hadn't known it.
"Me too," Sally whispered.
Something caused Alice to turn and she stared, shocked, at the lanky figure of her brother leaning against the wall that lead into the park. But he made no move to come in. He just stood there and stared at her, his face wondering. She could see the question in his eyes.
What are you doing there?
"Oh, Chris," she whispered to herself. "You never really had a choice in the matter, did you. You never were the kind to make your own decisions."
The crowd suddenly shifted, the murmur rising in pitch. Slowly, deliberately, Alice turned her back on her brother and faced the man standing in the middle of the park.
She was not surprised to see him there. After all, she had seen him in her dream last night. She remembered that much of it.
Quietly he began to speak, and Alice gasped as his voice appeared to emanate from directly in front of her.
"You know why you are here. You are here for the same reason hundreds of humans are gathering around the world. I am speaking to them all, as I am speaking to you."
He turned to stare at the crowd for a moment, silent.
"You are here because you made," his lips curled into a sneer as if he could barely stand to say the word, "A choice. You are here because you are leaving. You are the small percent of the world that has rejected what I have offered you. And so you in turn are rejected, by your own decision."
He paused one more. "And so, I am setting you free. You are all going . . . home."
In the back of her mind, Alice was scared. Terrified, actually. But she also knew that it was right. For how could she stay in such a place?
Quietly she reached over and gripped Sally's hand, taking comfort in the warmth she felt as she prepared for her journey.
Alice looked around the park one last time before smiling silently at her sister. Brave new world.
The End.
Hope you enjoyed the story. Please review and tell me your thoughts!