Tell Me
There was no pain. There was no blood. There was no hell. No prison.
The sun shined overhead. And Angel laughed as she ran into the open field. Smith soon followed, no suit on. Follows blossomed there, and a butterfly had landed. Angel had stopped to look at it. She smiled, and tried to grab it, but it only flew away. They only wore white shirts and black pants. Dark sunglasses did not hide their eyes. Smith's blue eyes were open to the world, just like Angel's. Smith walked along, following his daughter. Angel rose to her feet and started running up a small hill. It was a beautiful day over the field. The sun shined warmly, white clouds covered the sky, and there was even a slight breeze. Angel's laughter filled the air. Smith was happy.
"Come on, Daddy!" Angel laughed.
"I'm coming." He replied.
Angel stopped at the top of the hill, and looked back for her father. He only smiled and calmly walked to her. She smiled at him, as she turned and ran ahead. Smith started to pick up his pace to catch up with her. She ran down the hill, and he ran after her. There was a new emotion Smith had never felt before. He didn't reject it. He embraced it. It was warm, and protecting. He liked it.
And there, in field, there was no pain. There was no copies, no fighting, no Neo. Only he and his daughter, together. They played in the field. Sometimes they climbed the trees. But of course, Angel was better at that. And there were no tears. No screams. No anger, or pain. Only the laughter of his daughter.
He laughed as he chased his daughter. She started running faster. And he just missed her. He stopped, and waited for her to return to him. Angel laughed, and ran around. She stopped to see her father waiting. She grinned. Angel began to run back to him. He held out his arms ready to grab her. She jumped into his arms, and caused them to fall to the grass. They laughed, and Smith hugged his daughter on the ground. They rolled over so Angel was still in his arms, and they faced the sky. They saw the white clouds pass over the blue sky. And Smith held his daughter tightly, and smiled.
"My Angel." He said.
Angel giggled, and looked at her father.
"Oh, Daddy."
The sun shined over father and daughter. They stayed in silence for a moment. Only looking up at the sky. And feeling the warmth of the sun.
"Daddy," Angel began.
"Yes?" He asked.
He looked down at her, still in his arms.
"Promise me." She said.
"Promise you what?"
Angel lifted out of her father's hold. She sat up, and looked down at him. She didn't seem happy anymore. She seemed like she was going to cry. Smith didn't understand.
"Promise me." She said again.
"What is it?"
Smith started to sit back up with her. He wanted to know what was wrong. He had to make it stop. Make her happy again. He didn't want her to cry. Dark clouds started to come in. The beautiful day was beginning to vanish. Darkness spreaded over the field.
"Promise me, Daddy."
"Angel. . ."
The wind began to pick up, and Angel stood over her father. She looked down at him, teary eyes. Then she ran away, and disappeared in the darkness. Smith couldn't stop her. . . He couldn't even really move as he watched his Angel run away from him. He didn't understand. . .
"Angel!?" He called to her.
But there was no reply back. Only the cold wind was with him now. Angel was gone. His Angel was gone.
Then just as his daughter left him so did the field. Only darkness greeted Smith. And in darkness Smith stayed. There was no field. No sun, not even a sky. . . There were none of Angel's laughs. He was alone, again. He feared he'd be alone forever.
"No! No! No!"
He didn't want to be alone. Not again. Not again. He screamed at nothing, and no one heard. There was nothing there.
"Angel!"
Not even Angel came to him.
He wanted out of there. Out of the darkness. Out of nothing. He didn't want to be alone. He wanted Angel. But in the darkness he stayed. No matter how hard he tried. No one would come. No one would find him. No one cared. . .
Then there was laughter. Smith stopped. The laugh made him shiver. Something was wrong. He turned. And saw Neo.
"Mr. Anderson. . . ?" Smith asked.
Neo grinned, and nodded to him. Neo began to laugh evilly. Then his cloak began to spread into the darkness. It became the darkness. It infected everything, like a virus. And it was coming for Smith.
Smith looked in fear, at Neo. Neo only began to laugh harder. His laughter sending chills down Smith's spine. Neo's cloak began tugging at Smith's feet. And Smith could only run.
"Angel!"
Smith still called into the darkness. He needed her. He needed to protect her. Get her away from this. Even as Neo still laughed, and the cloak came closer he called for her. But it was no use. Neo would get him. It was inevitable. Yet, he still ran.
"Angel!"
But the cloak caught his foot, and dragged him to the ground. It started to pull him under the rest of the cloth. And Neo watched with pleasure, still laughing his evil laugh. Smith clawed at the darkness. Trying to get away. Trying to pull away. Trying to get free. Trying to find his daughter. But there was no use, as the cloak soon wrapped around him, nearly suffocating him. He still struggled, but there was no use denying the inevitable.
"No!" He screamed.
He couldn't let this happen. He couldn't die. He couldn't. . . He needed to find her. Hold her. Protect her. But Neo's cloak only started wrapping itself around him. Really, in the same matter Smith turned someone into a copy. It spread from his legs to his waste, then his chest. It was getting harder to breath, and Neo laughed. It went up his neck, and on his face.
"No! Angel! Angel!"
Was this what it was like to die? To come so close, yet so far? Did he fail? Did he fail his Angel?
Then there was nothing for Agent Smith.
Angel stood over her father. She watched as he seemed scared of something in his sleep. She didn't know what he was dreaming of. She couldn't even imagine. She didn't really want to even know.
Angel had entered through the broken window. She was soaked from the rain outside, and she was even beginning to look pale from the cold. She didn't know why she came back. She turned away. Something always pulled her back. Maybe she just wanted to try again with her father. She knew he wouldn't listen. She knew. . . But she still hoped. Who wouldn't dream of something better for father and daughter? All Angel knew was that there was more to her father.
He almost screamed when he awoke. He turned over to his side, the book still in his hand. Smith still closed his eyes, fearful of what he would see if he looked. He didn't know it was a dream. This really was only his second one. Really, his second nightmare. He huddled up, unsure of his reality. It made his daughter tilt her head.
"Angel. . ." He whispered, mournfully.
Angel didn't know what to say. She only stared at her father. Then she turned away. And jumped out the window. She knew there was nothing she could do. She looked back up, and walked over to the swings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Trinity. Trinity. . .You can't die. . .You can't, you can't." The blinded Neo said.
They made it. They were at Machine City, but at what cost?
Neo was next to his love. His Trinity. She was impaled, and stabbed by rods. There was nothing he could. He couldn't save her this time. He would have killed to see her one last time. He would of done anything to see with his eyes. To cry for her.
"Yes I can." She said.
She was going to die. She knew it. She embraced it.
"You brought me back once, but not this time. Do you remember? On the roof after you caught me, the last thing I said to you?" Trinity continued.
"You said you were sorry."
"I wish I hadn't. That was my last thought. I wish I had one more chance to say what really matter. To say how much I loved you. How grateful I was for every moment I was with you. But by the time I knew what to say what I wanted to, it was too late. But you brought me back. You gave me my wish. One more chance to say to you what I really wanted to say. Kiss me. Once more. . ."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The rain didn't really bother her, nor the cold. She had gotten used to it, as she swung again.
Smith finally fully awoke. He still laid on the bed, and turned to his side, still holding the book. He stayed still, staring at the book, and listening to the rain. He didn't like going to sleep. He saw no purpose in it, and didn't take any pleasure in it. He never dreamed, he had nightmares. And he guessed that they wouldn't go away. He didn't need sleep anyway. That was a human quality. He was not human. He wanted to never be human. Never be like them. But that is where he found himself. There was no purpose worrying for Angel. There was no reason to not let go of that book. But he couldn't think of anything else. He never wanted to be like this. He never wanted to feel this. He was Agent Smith. He hated this.
Smith looked over at the window. There was no purpose in that action, but that is what he did. He couldn't stop himself. Nothing could live without purpose. Then what is the purpose of this? Smith hated being like this. He didn't want this pain. He had to go do something now. He had to go kill Neo. He couldn't do it the way he felt. He never wanted this. He never wanted to be infected. To allow himself to feel. To let his emotions become. They had infected him. Now he could feel. Emotions are a distraction. Emotions are nothing, they are merely a belief. But emotion is what he felt. And he hated that.
Humans did this to him. Humans infected him. They made him hate, they made him kill with pleasure. They made him feel. Neo made him feel. And now look where it had gotten him. Did Smith know any greater pain than this? To know that his daughter was out there, alone, cold, weak, and there was nothing he could do. To know that he shouldn't be like this when he was.
He hated it. He wanted it to stop. He didn't want these nightmares, these thoughts, these feelings. He wanted Angel, and he hated that.
Smith pushed himself off the bed, and walked over to window. There was no purpose in that, but he did it anyway. And it hurt him to see his daughter had come back. She swung once again on the swings.
Angel looked up to see her father. She would not go to him. She would stay where she was. The swings were the last place she could remember where she truly was happy. A war was happening, and she didn't want to be in it. She knew people were dying outside the boundaries of the Matrix, and she didn't do anything about it. She just wanted her father to stop. Angel knew he would soon fall to the war. Neo was coming. Smith was going to die. She believed in Neo. She believed he would win. He fought for a greater purpose.
She would not go to Smith, but she hoped he would come to her. That maybe he would stop, and come down to her. Maybe he would come back to her, and give up with Neo. Maybe he could save himself. But Smith didn't move. His blue eyes only stared at hers.
"Please don't go, Daddy. Please don't. . ." She whispered looking up at him.
She knew he couldn't hear her, but she still said it.
"Neo will win, Daddy. He fights for people. He fights for a greater purpose. Please Daddy. Please don't die. . ."
Her words were lost in the rain, and Smith did not move.
There she was. All Smith had to do was go down to her. Hold her, run away with her. But no, he wasn't going to do that. His whole existence has worked up to tonight. Everything would be his. Neo would die. His true dreams would be fulfilled. He couldn't run away from that. He worried for his daughter. What would happen to her. He wanted her. But this was bigger. Humans could not go unpunished for what they did to him. They made this happen. He hated that. He hated almost everything.
But Angel still stared at him, and she waited for him, but he would never come.
This is the path he has chosen. This is the choice he has made. He could have stopped long ago, but he has gone too far to turn back now. He loved her. He'd keep her alive, he would try. He'd hold her again. But now, he had to go. He had to do his purpose. He had to kill Neo, make everything his. So Smith lowered his head, and turned away from his daughter. And walked away from the window. Angel looked away. He was going to leave her, and there was nothing she could do.
Angel wiped her tears, and walked away. She did not cry to him. She did not run to him. Angel knew there was no changing his mind. He probably wouldn't even listen. So she walked away, and onto the tops of buildings. Angel could see them now. The copies now lined up along the streets, and in the buildings. They stirred amongst themselves, waiting for Smith. They wondered if he would come, Angel knew he would. She didn't want to watch. And she jumped from building to building. She knew they would not chase her, Neo was now more important than her.
Angel didn't really know what to think. She didn't know how to feel. What to do. She was only a child. Only a child, knowing her father would die that night. Knowing she could not stop him. There was nothing she could do. That father she knew. The one that held her and loved her was not going to listen. Agent Smith was going to fight Neo. All the way to his death. Angel couldn't do anything. She had tried, and failed.
She didn't realize how weak she was. She didn't realize her cuts were still bleeding. She didn't feel the cold. She only wanted her Daddy.
Angel didn't really even fully realize he was going to die. She was so young, like most, she didn't really grasp it yet. Or she didn't want to. Never again would he hold her. Never again would he protect her. This was it. He was going to die. And all Angel could do was cry. She jumped form building to building, tears in her eyes. She was running away from him.
Only a few copies saw her, and those that did, didn't do anything. They merely stood there, watching, waiting. It seemed like it would never end. They were everywhere. All throughout the city. And Angel couldn't escape them. She had done a good job hiding from them those hours. But now. . .
And then the tired Angel just stopped. She fell to the sidewalk, and into an alley, escaping the copies' gaze. They were there. The city ended, and the copies were a block away. Angel was alone. She only wanted her Daddy. But she knew he would never come. Angel huddled up into a ball, trying to keep everything else away. She was so tired. She was so scared. Angel waited with tears.
Then there were footsteps. Angel froze, would her death come sooner? She didn't know if she could run or fight anymore. She turned outside the alley. And there on the road, was The One. Angel smiled for the first time in a while.
"Neo!" She yelled.
Angel stumbled to her feet, and ran to Neo. She had been alone. Alone for so long. No one to hold her, no one with a good soul. Hours alone with men in suits. Hours of pain. And finally someone to help her. Angel was so tired. She just hugged Neo, and wrapped her arms around him. Neo was shocked by her, and the hug.
"You're alive!" He exclaimed.
"Neo!"
Angel cried in front of him, and buried her head in the dark cloak she once feared.
"Angel?" He asked.
"Yes. . ."
Neo tried to get away from the hug, but Angel wouldn't let go. She wasn't going to. Neo looked down at the poor girl. Her eyes were red from crying still, and he saw her bruises and cuts. He saw her weakened code. . . She had been fighting. And then he saw she wore a cloak like him. This little girl fighting. He saw her pain. She was only a child caught in a battle. Neo stopped. And put his arms around her. She may have been the daughter of Smith, but she was not like him.
"Are you okay?" Neo asked.
"Neo. . ." Angel cried.
"What happened?"
"They came after me. . . I had to hide and fight. . ."
"Did they hurt you?"
Angel didn't answer.
Neo sighed, he couldn't believe she was alive. He couldn't believe her, he couldn't even believe he was comforting the child of Smith. He pushed her away, and held her shoulder. He kneeled down to her level, and looked at her.
"What did he do to you?" Neo asked.
"He didn't do anything. . . They did!"
Angel tried to explain. It wasn't Smith, the copies did this. Her father wasn't like them. Smith was her Daddy!
"Who?" Neo asked.
"The copies! They did this!" Angel yelled through her tears.
"The copies are him. . ."
"No! They're different! He's different than them. He's better."
Angel fell into Neo's arms again. Maybe she could explain to Neo. Maybe he would spare her father's life if he knew. . .
"Neo, he's not like them. He loves me. He does. . ." Angel said.
"Angel. . ."
Neo didn't believe that. He couldn't, not the Smith he knew. Not the one that blinded him, and killed him.
"You don't know him like I do! He's held me! He's protected me! Neo!" She tried.
"I have to do this." He said. "I have to kill him."
"No! You can't!"
Angel pushed him away, and she stepped back.
"You can't Neo! You can't! You can't! Don't!" She cried.
Neo didn't understand. Maybe Smith truly did have a relationship with this child. She seemed so sure. But he couldn't stop. He had to kill him. Neo had to, for Zion. Neo only pulled Angel closer. He put his hands on her cold pale face. He wiped her tears away with his fingers. And then he looked at her. Angel saw that purity again in him.
"You have his eyes." He said, and Angel nodded.
"Neo. . . Tell me. . ."
Lightning began to strike the Matrix sky.
"Tell you what?" Neo asked.
"Tell me. . . Why? Why do things have to be this way? Why did people have to die? Why did he lie? Why won't anyone listen? Why does he hate you? Why do you have to kill him?" She cried.
"You sound like your father."
Angel sniffled, and Neo held her. She seemed so sad, and pure. He couldn't let her cry. Not after what he had been through.
"This is war, Angel. It has to be this way." Neo said.
"Why!?" Angel cried.
"Because this is the only way I can save my home, my people. We can't kill the machines, we can't. . . And your father isn't going to reason. He's made his choice. . . He hates us, and he isn't going to stop."
"He loves me. . ."
"But he hates us. He hates me. Nothing can change that. I don't know what we did to him. He says I took away his purpose. . . I killed him. But he killed me first."
"What?"
"Eight bullets to the chest. . . He isn't going to stop. And if I kill him, we will have peace. No one has to die anymore."
"Except him. . ."
Neo could feel tears on his neck from Angel.
"I have to do this. I've been through too much now. For everyone he must die. . . I'm sorry." Neo continued.
His voice sounded so pure and good. Unlike anything Angel had ever heard.
"What will happen to me?" Angel asked.
Neo didn't answer.
"Tell me." Angel said.
"I don't know. I don't know if I kill him what will happen to the copies. .You may. . ."
Neo couldn't say it. He couldn't tell this child that she may die. But Angel turned to look at him.
"If he dies, so must I? I wouldn't have it any other way." Angel said, and hugged The One.
"I've had my losses too." Neo comforted her. "Trinity. . ."
"Trinity?"
"A woman I loved very much. She died next to me. . . She died getting me here to do this."
Angel looked at Neo. He too showed pain in his eyes. Yes, he loved this woman very much. Angel could see that. Saying her name even almost made him cry.
"I'm sorry, Angel. I have to." Neo said.
"What if we're wrong? What if you died?" Angel said.
"I won't. I can't." Neo said strongly.
Angel stepped away from Neo's hold. She turned away, her eyes closed. Now she understood. She knew the risks. She knew what would happen.
"Where is he?" Neo asked.
Angel pointed.
"Down there. The copies are on the sidewalk. They're waiting." Angel said.
Neo started to walk, and he looked back at her.
"Come on." Neo said, holding out his hand.
"I can't." Angel replied.
Neo came over, and grabbed her hand.
"We'll go together." Neo said.
He didn't understand this child. How she came to be, and how she survived so long. But now her end neared, or even her father's. Neo related to her, and he saw her pain. She was only a child, even The One had to help her. Angel nodded, and wiped her tears. Then she took his hand, and walked with him to her father.
It's hard to know you're going to die soon. Even harder to walk to it. But that is what Angel Smith did. She realized she was walking towards her potential death, or her father's. She still cried. But in the words of her father, it was inevitable. She couldn't run from this. She couldn't. She understood now. And as they passed the copies, she saw their hatred for Neo, she stared at them. She didn't look away. She was terrified. But she continued on, Neo at her side. Her father was down there. She wanted her Daddy. She wanted him to stop. But she knew that would not happen. And all she thought about was her love for him, and his love for her. She knew it was there. Angel was wise beyond her years. She didn't fear death, only the moments before it, and if she lived, she feared life without her Daddy. But that was her future. Her path. She could not change that.
If she died that night, she would welcome death.
But if she lived, she knew she would want to be there with her father in his final moments.
"I love you, Daddy." She whispered, and no one heard.
Then Agent Smith stepped out into the rain, and joined his copies. They turned and all stared at him. He stared at them.
It was time. They had infected him, and now he would kill them for it. They made this happen. They made him feel this pain. This love. Smith started to feel that hatred he had for them. All this. All this. His Angel, his pain, his dreams, it was all because of them. He hated this. It was all their fault. He had to do this. He had to kill them. Smith was going to show no mercy. He was tired of this pain. He was tired of longing for his daughter. He hated this emotion. He hated it. He hated wanting his Angel, even though he still did. He looked out into the road, and hoped she was safe. And he hated himself for that hope.
Then a copy approached him. It handed him something he had forgotten all about. His edged sunglasses. Smith held them in his hand, before putting them on. This is his fate. The path he has chosen. They did this to him. Now was the time to make them pay. Now he would kill Neo. And claim the worlds. They were already his. He wouldn't loose. He saw him win. Now all he had to do was show Neo no signs of Angel, and he would kill him.
Smith waited, just like all the others.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Next Chapter: It Ends
In the end
I do not have fear
For death coming near
I only wish for you
But there is nothing I can do
The skies are crying
We may be dying
But I gave up trying
I await the end
But your wounds I can't mend
Forgive me
Like I've forgiven you
Maybe you will see
In the end
What could be
But it is too late
Here is your fate
You will try
And you will die
But we will be together
Here and now
Don't ask why or how
You're my Daddy
And I love you
Here in the end
~ From a girl named Angel
There was no pain. There was no blood. There was no hell. No prison.
The sun shined overhead. And Angel laughed as she ran into the open field. Smith soon followed, no suit on. Follows blossomed there, and a butterfly had landed. Angel had stopped to look at it. She smiled, and tried to grab it, but it only flew away. They only wore white shirts and black pants. Dark sunglasses did not hide their eyes. Smith's blue eyes were open to the world, just like Angel's. Smith walked along, following his daughter. Angel rose to her feet and started running up a small hill. It was a beautiful day over the field. The sun shined warmly, white clouds covered the sky, and there was even a slight breeze. Angel's laughter filled the air. Smith was happy.
"Come on, Daddy!" Angel laughed.
"I'm coming." He replied.
Angel stopped at the top of the hill, and looked back for her father. He only smiled and calmly walked to her. She smiled at him, as she turned and ran ahead. Smith started to pick up his pace to catch up with her. She ran down the hill, and he ran after her. There was a new emotion Smith had never felt before. He didn't reject it. He embraced it. It was warm, and protecting. He liked it.
And there, in field, there was no pain. There was no copies, no fighting, no Neo. Only he and his daughter, together. They played in the field. Sometimes they climbed the trees. But of course, Angel was better at that. And there were no tears. No screams. No anger, or pain. Only the laughter of his daughter.
He laughed as he chased his daughter. She started running faster. And he just missed her. He stopped, and waited for her to return to him. Angel laughed, and ran around. She stopped to see her father waiting. She grinned. Angel began to run back to him. He held out his arms ready to grab her. She jumped into his arms, and caused them to fall to the grass. They laughed, and Smith hugged his daughter on the ground. They rolled over so Angel was still in his arms, and they faced the sky. They saw the white clouds pass over the blue sky. And Smith held his daughter tightly, and smiled.
"My Angel." He said.
Angel giggled, and looked at her father.
"Oh, Daddy."
The sun shined over father and daughter. They stayed in silence for a moment. Only looking up at the sky. And feeling the warmth of the sun.
"Daddy," Angel began.
"Yes?" He asked.
He looked down at her, still in his arms.
"Promise me." She said.
"Promise you what?"
Angel lifted out of her father's hold. She sat up, and looked down at him. She didn't seem happy anymore. She seemed like she was going to cry. Smith didn't understand.
"Promise me." She said again.
"What is it?"
Smith started to sit back up with her. He wanted to know what was wrong. He had to make it stop. Make her happy again. He didn't want her to cry. Dark clouds started to come in. The beautiful day was beginning to vanish. Darkness spreaded over the field.
"Promise me, Daddy."
"Angel. . ."
The wind began to pick up, and Angel stood over her father. She looked down at him, teary eyes. Then she ran away, and disappeared in the darkness. Smith couldn't stop her. . . He couldn't even really move as he watched his Angel run away from him. He didn't understand. . .
"Angel!?" He called to her.
But there was no reply back. Only the cold wind was with him now. Angel was gone. His Angel was gone.
Then just as his daughter left him so did the field. Only darkness greeted Smith. And in darkness Smith stayed. There was no field. No sun, not even a sky. . . There were none of Angel's laughs. He was alone, again. He feared he'd be alone forever.
"No! No! No!"
He didn't want to be alone. Not again. Not again. He screamed at nothing, and no one heard. There was nothing there.
"Angel!"
Not even Angel came to him.
He wanted out of there. Out of the darkness. Out of nothing. He didn't want to be alone. He wanted Angel. But in the darkness he stayed. No matter how hard he tried. No one would come. No one would find him. No one cared. . .
Then there was laughter. Smith stopped. The laugh made him shiver. Something was wrong. He turned. And saw Neo.
"Mr. Anderson. . . ?" Smith asked.
Neo grinned, and nodded to him. Neo began to laugh evilly. Then his cloak began to spread into the darkness. It became the darkness. It infected everything, like a virus. And it was coming for Smith.
Smith looked in fear, at Neo. Neo only began to laugh harder. His laughter sending chills down Smith's spine. Neo's cloak began tugging at Smith's feet. And Smith could only run.
"Angel!"
Smith still called into the darkness. He needed her. He needed to protect her. Get her away from this. Even as Neo still laughed, and the cloak came closer he called for her. But it was no use. Neo would get him. It was inevitable. Yet, he still ran.
"Angel!"
But the cloak caught his foot, and dragged him to the ground. It started to pull him under the rest of the cloth. And Neo watched with pleasure, still laughing his evil laugh. Smith clawed at the darkness. Trying to get away. Trying to pull away. Trying to get free. Trying to find his daughter. But there was no use, as the cloak soon wrapped around him, nearly suffocating him. He still struggled, but there was no use denying the inevitable.
"No!" He screamed.
He couldn't let this happen. He couldn't die. He couldn't. . . He needed to find her. Hold her. Protect her. But Neo's cloak only started wrapping itself around him. Really, in the same matter Smith turned someone into a copy. It spread from his legs to his waste, then his chest. It was getting harder to breath, and Neo laughed. It went up his neck, and on his face.
"No! Angel! Angel!"
Was this what it was like to die? To come so close, yet so far? Did he fail? Did he fail his Angel?
Then there was nothing for Agent Smith.
Angel stood over her father. She watched as he seemed scared of something in his sleep. She didn't know what he was dreaming of. She couldn't even imagine. She didn't really want to even know.
Angel had entered through the broken window. She was soaked from the rain outside, and she was even beginning to look pale from the cold. She didn't know why she came back. She turned away. Something always pulled her back. Maybe she just wanted to try again with her father. She knew he wouldn't listen. She knew. . . But she still hoped. Who wouldn't dream of something better for father and daughter? All Angel knew was that there was more to her father.
He almost screamed when he awoke. He turned over to his side, the book still in his hand. Smith still closed his eyes, fearful of what he would see if he looked. He didn't know it was a dream. This really was only his second one. Really, his second nightmare. He huddled up, unsure of his reality. It made his daughter tilt her head.
"Angel. . ." He whispered, mournfully.
Angel didn't know what to say. She only stared at her father. Then she turned away. And jumped out the window. She knew there was nothing she could do. She looked back up, and walked over to the swings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Trinity. Trinity. . .You can't die. . .You can't, you can't." The blinded Neo said.
They made it. They were at Machine City, but at what cost?
Neo was next to his love. His Trinity. She was impaled, and stabbed by rods. There was nothing he could. He couldn't save her this time. He would have killed to see her one last time. He would of done anything to see with his eyes. To cry for her.
"Yes I can." She said.
She was going to die. She knew it. She embraced it.
"You brought me back once, but not this time. Do you remember? On the roof after you caught me, the last thing I said to you?" Trinity continued.
"You said you were sorry."
"I wish I hadn't. That was my last thought. I wish I had one more chance to say what really matter. To say how much I loved you. How grateful I was for every moment I was with you. But by the time I knew what to say what I wanted to, it was too late. But you brought me back. You gave me my wish. One more chance to say to you what I really wanted to say. Kiss me. Once more. . ."
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The rain didn't really bother her, nor the cold. She had gotten used to it, as she swung again.
Smith finally fully awoke. He still laid on the bed, and turned to his side, still holding the book. He stayed still, staring at the book, and listening to the rain. He didn't like going to sleep. He saw no purpose in it, and didn't take any pleasure in it. He never dreamed, he had nightmares. And he guessed that they wouldn't go away. He didn't need sleep anyway. That was a human quality. He was not human. He wanted to never be human. Never be like them. But that is where he found himself. There was no purpose worrying for Angel. There was no reason to not let go of that book. But he couldn't think of anything else. He never wanted to be like this. He never wanted to feel this. He was Agent Smith. He hated this.
Smith looked over at the window. There was no purpose in that action, but that is what he did. He couldn't stop himself. Nothing could live without purpose. Then what is the purpose of this? Smith hated being like this. He didn't want this pain. He had to go do something now. He had to go kill Neo. He couldn't do it the way he felt. He never wanted this. He never wanted to be infected. To allow himself to feel. To let his emotions become. They had infected him. Now he could feel. Emotions are a distraction. Emotions are nothing, they are merely a belief. But emotion is what he felt. And he hated that.
Humans did this to him. Humans infected him. They made him hate, they made him kill with pleasure. They made him feel. Neo made him feel. And now look where it had gotten him. Did Smith know any greater pain than this? To know that his daughter was out there, alone, cold, weak, and there was nothing he could do. To know that he shouldn't be like this when he was.
He hated it. He wanted it to stop. He didn't want these nightmares, these thoughts, these feelings. He wanted Angel, and he hated that.
Smith pushed himself off the bed, and walked over to window. There was no purpose in that, but he did it anyway. And it hurt him to see his daughter had come back. She swung once again on the swings.
Angel looked up to see her father. She would not go to him. She would stay where she was. The swings were the last place she could remember where she truly was happy. A war was happening, and she didn't want to be in it. She knew people were dying outside the boundaries of the Matrix, and she didn't do anything about it. She just wanted her father to stop. Angel knew he would soon fall to the war. Neo was coming. Smith was going to die. She believed in Neo. She believed he would win. He fought for a greater purpose.
She would not go to Smith, but she hoped he would come to her. That maybe he would stop, and come down to her. Maybe he would come back to her, and give up with Neo. Maybe he could save himself. But Smith didn't move. His blue eyes only stared at hers.
"Please don't go, Daddy. Please don't. . ." She whispered looking up at him.
She knew he couldn't hear her, but she still said it.
"Neo will win, Daddy. He fights for people. He fights for a greater purpose. Please Daddy. Please don't die. . ."
Her words were lost in the rain, and Smith did not move.
There she was. All Smith had to do was go down to her. Hold her, run away with her. But no, he wasn't going to do that. His whole existence has worked up to tonight. Everything would be his. Neo would die. His true dreams would be fulfilled. He couldn't run away from that. He worried for his daughter. What would happen to her. He wanted her. But this was bigger. Humans could not go unpunished for what they did to him. They made this happen. He hated that. He hated almost everything.
But Angel still stared at him, and she waited for him, but he would never come.
This is the path he has chosen. This is the choice he has made. He could have stopped long ago, but he has gone too far to turn back now. He loved her. He'd keep her alive, he would try. He'd hold her again. But now, he had to go. He had to do his purpose. He had to kill Neo, make everything his. So Smith lowered his head, and turned away from his daughter. And walked away from the window. Angel looked away. He was going to leave her, and there was nothing she could do.
Angel wiped her tears, and walked away. She did not cry to him. She did not run to him. Angel knew there was no changing his mind. He probably wouldn't even listen. So she walked away, and onto the tops of buildings. Angel could see them now. The copies now lined up along the streets, and in the buildings. They stirred amongst themselves, waiting for Smith. They wondered if he would come, Angel knew he would. She didn't want to watch. And she jumped from building to building. She knew they would not chase her, Neo was now more important than her.
Angel didn't really know what to think. She didn't know how to feel. What to do. She was only a child. Only a child, knowing her father would die that night. Knowing she could not stop him. There was nothing she could do. That father she knew. The one that held her and loved her was not going to listen. Agent Smith was going to fight Neo. All the way to his death. Angel couldn't do anything. She had tried, and failed.
She didn't realize how weak she was. She didn't realize her cuts were still bleeding. She didn't feel the cold. She only wanted her Daddy.
Angel didn't really even fully realize he was going to die. She was so young, like most, she didn't really grasp it yet. Or she didn't want to. Never again would he hold her. Never again would he protect her. This was it. He was going to die. And all Angel could do was cry. She jumped form building to building, tears in her eyes. She was running away from him.
Only a few copies saw her, and those that did, didn't do anything. They merely stood there, watching, waiting. It seemed like it would never end. They were everywhere. All throughout the city. And Angel couldn't escape them. She had done a good job hiding from them those hours. But now. . .
And then the tired Angel just stopped. She fell to the sidewalk, and into an alley, escaping the copies' gaze. They were there. The city ended, and the copies were a block away. Angel was alone. She only wanted her Daddy. But she knew he would never come. Angel huddled up into a ball, trying to keep everything else away. She was so tired. She was so scared. Angel waited with tears.
Then there were footsteps. Angel froze, would her death come sooner? She didn't know if she could run or fight anymore. She turned outside the alley. And there on the road, was The One. Angel smiled for the first time in a while.
"Neo!" She yelled.
Angel stumbled to her feet, and ran to Neo. She had been alone. Alone for so long. No one to hold her, no one with a good soul. Hours alone with men in suits. Hours of pain. And finally someone to help her. Angel was so tired. She just hugged Neo, and wrapped her arms around him. Neo was shocked by her, and the hug.
"You're alive!" He exclaimed.
"Neo!"
Angel cried in front of him, and buried her head in the dark cloak she once feared.
"Angel?" He asked.
"Yes. . ."
Neo tried to get away from the hug, but Angel wouldn't let go. She wasn't going to. Neo looked down at the poor girl. Her eyes were red from crying still, and he saw her bruises and cuts. He saw her weakened code. . . She had been fighting. And then he saw she wore a cloak like him. This little girl fighting. He saw her pain. She was only a child caught in a battle. Neo stopped. And put his arms around her. She may have been the daughter of Smith, but she was not like him.
"Are you okay?" Neo asked.
"Neo. . ." Angel cried.
"What happened?"
"They came after me. . . I had to hide and fight. . ."
"Did they hurt you?"
Angel didn't answer.
Neo sighed, he couldn't believe she was alive. He couldn't believe her, he couldn't even believe he was comforting the child of Smith. He pushed her away, and held her shoulder. He kneeled down to her level, and looked at her.
"What did he do to you?" Neo asked.
"He didn't do anything. . . They did!"
Angel tried to explain. It wasn't Smith, the copies did this. Her father wasn't like them. Smith was her Daddy!
"Who?" Neo asked.
"The copies! They did this!" Angel yelled through her tears.
"The copies are him. . ."
"No! They're different! He's different than them. He's better."
Angel fell into Neo's arms again. Maybe she could explain to Neo. Maybe he would spare her father's life if he knew. . .
"Neo, he's not like them. He loves me. He does. . ." Angel said.
"Angel. . ."
Neo didn't believe that. He couldn't, not the Smith he knew. Not the one that blinded him, and killed him.
"You don't know him like I do! He's held me! He's protected me! Neo!" She tried.
"I have to do this." He said. "I have to kill him."
"No! You can't!"
Angel pushed him away, and she stepped back.
"You can't Neo! You can't! You can't! Don't!" She cried.
Neo didn't understand. Maybe Smith truly did have a relationship with this child. She seemed so sure. But he couldn't stop. He had to kill him. Neo had to, for Zion. Neo only pulled Angel closer. He put his hands on her cold pale face. He wiped her tears away with his fingers. And then he looked at her. Angel saw that purity again in him.
"You have his eyes." He said, and Angel nodded.
"Neo. . . Tell me. . ."
Lightning began to strike the Matrix sky.
"Tell you what?" Neo asked.
"Tell me. . . Why? Why do things have to be this way? Why did people have to die? Why did he lie? Why won't anyone listen? Why does he hate you? Why do you have to kill him?" She cried.
"You sound like your father."
Angel sniffled, and Neo held her. She seemed so sad, and pure. He couldn't let her cry. Not after what he had been through.
"This is war, Angel. It has to be this way." Neo said.
"Why!?" Angel cried.
"Because this is the only way I can save my home, my people. We can't kill the machines, we can't. . . And your father isn't going to reason. He's made his choice. . . He hates us, and he isn't going to stop."
"He loves me. . ."
"But he hates us. He hates me. Nothing can change that. I don't know what we did to him. He says I took away his purpose. . . I killed him. But he killed me first."
"What?"
"Eight bullets to the chest. . . He isn't going to stop. And if I kill him, we will have peace. No one has to die anymore."
"Except him. . ."
Neo could feel tears on his neck from Angel.
"I have to do this. I've been through too much now. For everyone he must die. . . I'm sorry." Neo continued.
His voice sounded so pure and good. Unlike anything Angel had ever heard.
"What will happen to me?" Angel asked.
Neo didn't answer.
"Tell me." Angel said.
"I don't know. I don't know if I kill him what will happen to the copies. .You may. . ."
Neo couldn't say it. He couldn't tell this child that she may die. But Angel turned to look at him.
"If he dies, so must I? I wouldn't have it any other way." Angel said, and hugged The One.
"I've had my losses too." Neo comforted her. "Trinity. . ."
"Trinity?"
"A woman I loved very much. She died next to me. . . She died getting me here to do this."
Angel looked at Neo. He too showed pain in his eyes. Yes, he loved this woman very much. Angel could see that. Saying her name even almost made him cry.
"I'm sorry, Angel. I have to." Neo said.
"What if we're wrong? What if you died?" Angel said.
"I won't. I can't." Neo said strongly.
Angel stepped away from Neo's hold. She turned away, her eyes closed. Now she understood. She knew the risks. She knew what would happen.
"Where is he?" Neo asked.
Angel pointed.
"Down there. The copies are on the sidewalk. They're waiting." Angel said.
Neo started to walk, and he looked back at her.
"Come on." Neo said, holding out his hand.
"I can't." Angel replied.
Neo came over, and grabbed her hand.
"We'll go together." Neo said.
He didn't understand this child. How she came to be, and how she survived so long. But now her end neared, or even her father's. Neo related to her, and he saw her pain. She was only a child, even The One had to help her. Angel nodded, and wiped her tears. Then she took his hand, and walked with him to her father.
It's hard to know you're going to die soon. Even harder to walk to it. But that is what Angel Smith did. She realized she was walking towards her potential death, or her father's. She still cried. But in the words of her father, it was inevitable. She couldn't run from this. She couldn't. She understood now. And as they passed the copies, she saw their hatred for Neo, she stared at them. She didn't look away. She was terrified. But she continued on, Neo at her side. Her father was down there. She wanted her Daddy. She wanted him to stop. But she knew that would not happen. And all she thought about was her love for him, and his love for her. She knew it was there. Angel was wise beyond her years. She didn't fear death, only the moments before it, and if she lived, she feared life without her Daddy. But that was her future. Her path. She could not change that.
If she died that night, she would welcome death.
But if she lived, she knew she would want to be there with her father in his final moments.
"I love you, Daddy." She whispered, and no one heard.
Then Agent Smith stepped out into the rain, and joined his copies. They turned and all stared at him. He stared at them.
It was time. They had infected him, and now he would kill them for it. They made this happen. They made him feel this pain. This love. Smith started to feel that hatred he had for them. All this. All this. His Angel, his pain, his dreams, it was all because of them. He hated this. It was all their fault. He had to do this. He had to kill them. Smith was going to show no mercy. He was tired of this pain. He was tired of longing for his daughter. He hated this emotion. He hated it. He hated wanting his Angel, even though he still did. He looked out into the road, and hoped she was safe. And he hated himself for that hope.
Then a copy approached him. It handed him something he had forgotten all about. His edged sunglasses. Smith held them in his hand, before putting them on. This is his fate. The path he has chosen. They did this to him. Now was the time to make them pay. Now he would kill Neo. And claim the worlds. They were already his. He wouldn't loose. He saw him win. Now all he had to do was show Neo no signs of Angel, and he would kill him.
Smith waited, just like all the others.
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Next Chapter: It Ends
In the end
I do not have fear
For death coming near
I only wish for you
But there is nothing I can do
The skies are crying
We may be dying
But I gave up trying
I await the end
But your wounds I can't mend
Forgive me
Like I've forgiven you
Maybe you will see
In the end
What could be
But it is too late
Here is your fate
You will try
And you will die
But we will be together
Here and now
Don't ask why or how
You're my Daddy
And I love you
Here in the end
~ From a girl named Angel