CHAPTER NINE

'Neo,' Morpheus said, 'it might be wise to consult Trinity about this, hmm?'

Neo jumped. He must have been sitting there for about five minutes, deep in thought, feeling sick to the stomach. Morpheus' words startled him. He'd been so absorbed in trying to find a solution, that he'd completely forgotten the existence (and the rights) of one crucial person in this equation – the mother, Trinity.

Mother. Neo repeated the word over and over in his mind. While he was now looking forward to having a child, he was distressed about the decision they were faced with, and he still found it hard to associate the word 'mother' with Trinity. Trinity was an arse-kicking, sharp-witted warrior and a sentimental side when in private. He could not believe that she was going to be the mother of his child. A surge of pride coursed through him at this thought. Trinity, my Trinity, the mother of my baby, our baby. He smiled for a moment, before remembering the terrible decision before them. He sighed, and left the room, dragging his feet all the way along to her room.

Trinity was sleeping when he entered the room. She was curled up on her side, peacefully serene. His heart gave a jolt when he looked at her. She's so beautiful, he thought, and she's mine. I love her so much. When he moved closer to the bed, he noted that one hand rested gently on her stomach. He sighed. How could he take such a precious gift away from her? The truth was, he couldn't.

'Trinity?' he whispered, hardly daring to awaken her, but knowing he had to. She looked as perfect as a porcelain doll; delicate and painfully beautiful. He traced the contours of her cheeks and eyes and lips with his eyes. 'Trinity?' he whispered again, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. She stirred, and then her eyes fluttered open, gradually settling on his face.

'Hi,' she said.

'Hey,' he said, quietly, as though speaking any more audibly would break the spell of beauty in that room. 'I have to talk to you.' He bent down and kissed the tip of her nose.

'Okay,' she said. 'Go ahead.'

'Morpheus…he wasn't happy about the baby…' he said, and when a furious expression appeared on her face, he hastily amended his words. 'Because it puts us all in danger. Basically, our lives will be threatened if this baby is born. He said we have two choices – we either flee to Zion and stay there for the rest of our lives, and have the baby, or –' He swallowed. 'You have to have an abortion.'

'WHAT?' Trinity cried, springing to her feet from the bed. Her face blazed with anger. 'Kill the baby? Give up the battle? How could he ask us to do that?'

'Well, he did,' he finished. 'Trin, we have to make a decision. Quickly, he says.'

'Well, Morpheus can go to hell,' Trinity fumed. 'I'm not doing either. We are staying right here, going on with the war, and having this baby.'

'I think that's a little unrealistic,' a voice appeared from the doorway. Neo and Trinity turned, only to see Morpheus' stocky figure framed in the entrance. 'I already informed Neo that to remain, here, fighting in the war, without terminating the pregnancy, would be fatal for all concerned.'

Trinity, wide-eyed with a frightening combination of anger, confusion, sadness and fear, eyed Neo. Neo nodded. 'We have to listen, Trin,' he said. 'I'm not losing you. Or the baby. I'll make you go to Zion if it means saving the only happiness I'll ever know.'

'Neo, I can't.'

'You can, but I won't. I have a duty to fulfil here, for Zion and for everybody. I'll have you and the baby protected in Zion, but there is no use sending you there if there is nobody here to free it. If what everybody's saying is true, and I am the One, then it's my job to save it.' He felt tears choking his words. 'Even if it means sending you away.'

'Neo, it's just as much my battle as yours, damnit. I'm not going away to Zion, let alone without you.'

Morpheus chose that moment to intervene. 'Then, I'm afraid, you'll have to abort the pregnancy.'

Trinity scowled. 'How can you do this to us, Morpheus, damnit?'

'It is not my fault, Trinity. It is the direct result of a choice you made, that night in Zion. And,' he said, 'it is not easy for me to tell you this. I do not want to see either of you unhappy, nor do I want the baby killed, whether by an abortion or by the agents. But for the sake of you three, as well as the rest of the crew, I have to tell you to make decisions that will ultimately affect your lives.'

Trinity lowered her head. She did not want them to see the tears forming in her eyes. She clutched her abdomen protectively. 'I don't know what to do,' she finally admitted. 'I can't do this, Neo. I can't do this, Morpheus.'

'I must say,' said Morpheus, 'that although we do want you here, the baby was conceived in Zion, and so it should be born and raised there. Not here. Not on this ship. Not in the midst of battle and conflict and war.'

'Would you stand a chance without us?' Neo asked Morpheus.

Morpheus shook his head. 'But we never know.'

'Perhaps I can work from within Zion to help you. Part-time battle…occasionally leaving to help…'

'Perhaps. I cannot say for sure though. Only time will tell, as they say.' Morpheus finally smiled slightly. 'I didn't say it before, because I was so concerned about the outcome. But I will say it now. Congratulations. If any two people in this world deserve happiness like a baby, it is you.'

Neo dipped his head, then looked up and into Trinity's eyes. They spoke to each other without words. They both knew exactly what the other was thinking, what the other wanted to say but couldn't.

'Morpheus…' Neo said finally, 'Trin and I will leave the Nebuchadnezzar. We'll go on to Zion, and have our baby.'

Morpheus sighed. 'I knew you were going to say that.'