Neo sat there alone in the bedroom. Absentmindedly, he began
to flip through some of the he papers grabbed along with the valuable book.
In the very back he found some old faded photographs, they were of a
smiling and laughing man that Neo didn't recognize. One picture was of him
wrestling with a boy who looked about three years of age. Behind the
photographs laid a fresh hand-written letter.
It read:
My dearest son,
I hope you're taking care of yourself. You don't know how much I worry about you, ever since that day...I can barely write about it...ever since they took your mom... I can't tell you how much I miss her, but then again you probably do too. Last week I found the enemy and battled him, but victory escaped my grasp. But I'll keep my promise to you. I shall fight this battle to the end. Anyway, you be careful and stay safe; the adversary is absolutely relentless. I should be home soon.
With the dearest love,
Daddy
Frowning, Neo read the letter again. He read it a third time, trying to perceive it's full meaning. Baffled, he put the letter down and decided to think about the matter after a good night's sleep.
"I thought you could use some company," Trinity said as she entered the bedroom. Neo quickly pushed the papers aside to make room for her on the bed.
Giving a half smile, he replied, "More then ever."
"Neo? Trinity?" Link called from outside the door, "Something has happened. The captains are calling a meeting in the Matrix. They want us to report, it sounds urgent." Trinity and Neo quickly followed him out to the bridge and entered the Matrix. They met Morpheus and Niobe inside the council room. Neo had been told that many of the crews suffered causalities from an unexplained EMP explosion in the tunnels, but that was not enough to account for the number of empty chairs.
Captain Sardis of the Javelin stood up, "Time is of the essence, so we shall start the meeting without our full numbers. Captains Morpheus and Niobe, we request a report on your progress. I see that Neo is here with us."
"Yes, he awoke early this morning," Niobe explained, "We arrived on the surface this morning, but were detected and attacked. Neither crew suffered any serious long-term damage, but I fear that we will not be able to take the Logos to the surface again without serious advance planning. The machines are on their guard."
"Well, the solution to that seems simple enough," Commander Locke stated, "Stay in the tunnels and remain hidden."
"That seems to be our most common operation," Trinity whispered too quietly for anyone but Neo to hear.
"We have already established that, Commander," Ghost agreed somewhat sarcastically, "We plan to separate into groups and investigate the surface for a weak point in the machine's defenses."
"Travel in groups of no less than three," Captain Tiresias of the Castor added wisely, "So when you take injuries, the other squad members will be able to assist the injured one-"
He was interrupted by the sudden arrival of Captain Pi of the Ethos. Despite the fact that Real World injuries didn't show in the Matrix, Neo could sense the effort it was for her to speak, let alone remain conscious. "Our sabotage forces were discovered in the tunnels. One of our advance scouts arrived with this information minutes before the machines attacked. We didn't have enough time to organize into formation; so we fled to the escape pods, hoping to save as many lives as possible. Scattering in every direction; we created as many false leads as possible, but the sentinels hunted us down. As it stands, Ryu of the Hammer, Turbine of the Espoir, my first mate Laser, and myself are the only survivors from all eleven ships."
The seated officers, numbering less than a dozen in all, bowed their heads grievously. "How far from Zion are the sentinels?" First Mate Banquo demanded.
"Approximately forty two hundred meters above the city," Pi weakly replied.
"That gives us less then five hours before they reach us," Sardis cursed.
"Let's count our blessing in the knowledge that the Javelin, the Castor, and the Euphrates were being refueled in Zion, otherwise we would have lost all everything," Lieutenant Scan pointed out.
"Still, we can't hope to defend Zion with so few ships," a first mate argued bluntly.
"In which case..." Ghost spoke very slowly, hating that the situation had come to this, "We have no choice but to abandon the city."
"Never!" Locke declared, "We put every thing into this city; it is our only save haven, we could never afford to abandon it!"
"You cannot afford to do otherwise," Morpheus stated, speaking for the first time this meeting, "In less than five hours, our homes will be obliterated. We cannot hope to save the building, but we can and will be able to save the people. Load the remaining ships and flee the city. Come to the surface, where we can concentrate all our efforts and resources into one final attack."
"I will not abandon my city for one of your disillusioned prophecies!" Locke roared with such force it sent many captains back in their seats, "Zion is where we put all our hopes into! Even if we were to leave, there is barely enough time to get everyone in the ships. Civilians and children would only serve as targets for the enemy!"
"Morpheus is right," Niobe rose to her feet, but spoke calmly, looking straight at look, "You underestimate the strength and determination of Zion's children. They have lived in underground like mice all their life; if they are to die, they would wish to die fighting, not hiding their heads in the sand."
The other captains chorused in agreement. Reluctantly, Locke surrendered and grudgingly declared, "We shall commence the abandonment of Zion, immediately. We'll rendezvous with the Logos near the surface in 36 hours. Every ship for themselves. Meeting adjourned."
The officers filed out of the room toward the various exits. The Logos and Nebuchadnezzar crews headed toward a phone Link had established as an exit point. Morpheus used the phone, followed by Niobe and Ghost. Neo reached out to answer it, only to have the appliance pulled out of his hand. He turned around to discover Persephone playing with the disconnected cord.
"You shouldn't have done that," Trinity growled, obviously annoyed.
"Now, why's that?" Persephone inquired.
"Why are you here?" Neo interrupted, impatient to get the conversation over with.
"Why? I wanted to talk to you, of course," Persephone relied coyly. Neo just glared. "Why not? You haven't been in the Matrix lately, I wanted to see you before you left again."
"You've been following my whereabouts?" Neo asked.
"Certainly, it is my job, after all. And there is some personal incentive..." she moved closer to Neo, placing her hand seductively on his chest.
"Are you going to give us the phone or not?" Trinity demanded. Persephone glared at her, but did back away from Neo, toying with the telephone between her fingers.
"I have a message for you, Neo. It's from an old friend of mine; the Architect." Reaching into her purse, Persephone pulled out a folded piece of paper. Placing her purse on the floor, she handed the letter to Neo.
"The Architect was the prime creator of the Matrix," Neo explained to Trinity, "He was through the door at the end of the hallway. He didn't have anything to say and I don't want to hear anymore of it." He pushed Persephone's outstretched hand and the letter away.
"I wouldn't give you the phone until you read it. And it might be in you best interest to cooperate with me," she warned. Only then did Neo see the vampires surrounding him and Trinity. "You don't have a weapon, let alone one that would hurt them." Not wanting a fight, Neo roughly grabbed the letter.
"Hello again," the Architect's voice boomed as Neo broke the seal, "I trust that Persephone has delivered this correspondence with her customary promptness, notwithstanding your instinctive pains to alienate the manifestos of truth. I offer my ovations concerning your disclosure of the deeper One capabilities engraven within you. Naturally, the primordial utilization of these potentialities can precipitate profound mental backlash on the perpetrator. Forthrightly, I had postulated your expiration at that critical junction. And yet, your immature talents continue to fledge at an unparalleled tempo. Even now your latent psyche continues to fabricate irregularities within the system, radiating incalculable compulsions, which you are ultimately disenabled to discriminate. Congruent, is the allocation of the code; the lady ethereal being a prime example.
"I find it intriguing that this process is evolving with greater acceleration levels in each subsequent periodicity. I am only surmise that this escalating derivative is an indirect paradoxal result of your continual nonsensical efforts to halt the very procedure. Regardless of your struggle to abstain from it, the human opposition will be stifled. As is tradition, once you grow weary of this new form in the metamorphosis, triggered by your recrudesce to the source, I feel it my duty to extend an invitation for you to return to my domicile, upon which time we shall consolidate and begin anew. I counsel you to do as I and look to the oncoming unavoidable events with patient anticipation. Salutations."
"Now, that wasn't so terrible," Persephone remarked offhandedly. "I have something to offer you, Neo, something you've been searching for...an answer to a question."
"In exchange for what?" Neo asked untrustingly. He frowned and took a step backward toward Trinity.
"It has been along time since I felt that flame you have," Persephone explained, she placed her hand on Neo's cheek and whispered, "I can sample that blaze but it's not the same as possessing it for myself. Perhaps, if we were to be one of the pioneers- if the one I once cared for and I could have a fresh start in a new world- that would change. I have no care for the other fifteen and six, but let us be two. Let me feel the fire again."
Neo shook his head, "I have no favors for programs designed to enslave the human conscience." The vampires around them stirred restlessly.
"Patience, boys," Persephone ordered. Turning back to Neo, "You refuse my proposal? In that case, we shall discuss it later. In the mean time, may you at least let me touch the warmth for a second? As a requirement for passage, if nothing else." She moved to kiss Neo.
Suddenly, Trinity reached down and kicked Persephone's purse toward her. She grabbed the gun from inside and aimed it at Persephone. "Now, you can give us the phone and take your leave. Or I can fire this and send you back to the source. Your choice."
Persephone growled at Trinity, but did hand Neo the telephone. She gestured for her purse and gun. Trinity glared threateningly, gun still aimed for Persephone's forehead. Disgrunitingly, she turned and left. Trinity did not relax her grip on the gun until after Neo had exited the Matrix.
It read:
My dearest son,
I hope you're taking care of yourself. You don't know how much I worry about you, ever since that day...I can barely write about it...ever since they took your mom... I can't tell you how much I miss her, but then again you probably do too. Last week I found the enemy and battled him, but victory escaped my grasp. But I'll keep my promise to you. I shall fight this battle to the end. Anyway, you be careful and stay safe; the adversary is absolutely relentless. I should be home soon.
With the dearest love,
Daddy
Frowning, Neo read the letter again. He read it a third time, trying to perceive it's full meaning. Baffled, he put the letter down and decided to think about the matter after a good night's sleep.
"I thought you could use some company," Trinity said as she entered the bedroom. Neo quickly pushed the papers aside to make room for her on the bed.
Giving a half smile, he replied, "More then ever."
"Neo? Trinity?" Link called from outside the door, "Something has happened. The captains are calling a meeting in the Matrix. They want us to report, it sounds urgent." Trinity and Neo quickly followed him out to the bridge and entered the Matrix. They met Morpheus and Niobe inside the council room. Neo had been told that many of the crews suffered causalities from an unexplained EMP explosion in the tunnels, but that was not enough to account for the number of empty chairs.
Captain Sardis of the Javelin stood up, "Time is of the essence, so we shall start the meeting without our full numbers. Captains Morpheus and Niobe, we request a report on your progress. I see that Neo is here with us."
"Yes, he awoke early this morning," Niobe explained, "We arrived on the surface this morning, but were detected and attacked. Neither crew suffered any serious long-term damage, but I fear that we will not be able to take the Logos to the surface again without serious advance planning. The machines are on their guard."
"Well, the solution to that seems simple enough," Commander Locke stated, "Stay in the tunnels and remain hidden."
"That seems to be our most common operation," Trinity whispered too quietly for anyone but Neo to hear.
"We have already established that, Commander," Ghost agreed somewhat sarcastically, "We plan to separate into groups and investigate the surface for a weak point in the machine's defenses."
"Travel in groups of no less than three," Captain Tiresias of the Castor added wisely, "So when you take injuries, the other squad members will be able to assist the injured one-"
He was interrupted by the sudden arrival of Captain Pi of the Ethos. Despite the fact that Real World injuries didn't show in the Matrix, Neo could sense the effort it was for her to speak, let alone remain conscious. "Our sabotage forces were discovered in the tunnels. One of our advance scouts arrived with this information minutes before the machines attacked. We didn't have enough time to organize into formation; so we fled to the escape pods, hoping to save as many lives as possible. Scattering in every direction; we created as many false leads as possible, but the sentinels hunted us down. As it stands, Ryu of the Hammer, Turbine of the Espoir, my first mate Laser, and myself are the only survivors from all eleven ships."
The seated officers, numbering less than a dozen in all, bowed their heads grievously. "How far from Zion are the sentinels?" First Mate Banquo demanded.
"Approximately forty two hundred meters above the city," Pi weakly replied.
"That gives us less then five hours before they reach us," Sardis cursed.
"Let's count our blessing in the knowledge that the Javelin, the Castor, and the Euphrates were being refueled in Zion, otherwise we would have lost all everything," Lieutenant Scan pointed out.
"Still, we can't hope to defend Zion with so few ships," a first mate argued bluntly.
"In which case..." Ghost spoke very slowly, hating that the situation had come to this, "We have no choice but to abandon the city."
"Never!" Locke declared, "We put every thing into this city; it is our only save haven, we could never afford to abandon it!"
"You cannot afford to do otherwise," Morpheus stated, speaking for the first time this meeting, "In less than five hours, our homes will be obliterated. We cannot hope to save the building, but we can and will be able to save the people. Load the remaining ships and flee the city. Come to the surface, where we can concentrate all our efforts and resources into one final attack."
"I will not abandon my city for one of your disillusioned prophecies!" Locke roared with such force it sent many captains back in their seats, "Zion is where we put all our hopes into! Even if we were to leave, there is barely enough time to get everyone in the ships. Civilians and children would only serve as targets for the enemy!"
"Morpheus is right," Niobe rose to her feet, but spoke calmly, looking straight at look, "You underestimate the strength and determination of Zion's children. They have lived in underground like mice all their life; if they are to die, they would wish to die fighting, not hiding their heads in the sand."
The other captains chorused in agreement. Reluctantly, Locke surrendered and grudgingly declared, "We shall commence the abandonment of Zion, immediately. We'll rendezvous with the Logos near the surface in 36 hours. Every ship for themselves. Meeting adjourned."
The officers filed out of the room toward the various exits. The Logos and Nebuchadnezzar crews headed toward a phone Link had established as an exit point. Morpheus used the phone, followed by Niobe and Ghost. Neo reached out to answer it, only to have the appliance pulled out of his hand. He turned around to discover Persephone playing with the disconnected cord.
"You shouldn't have done that," Trinity growled, obviously annoyed.
"Now, why's that?" Persephone inquired.
"Why are you here?" Neo interrupted, impatient to get the conversation over with.
"Why? I wanted to talk to you, of course," Persephone relied coyly. Neo just glared. "Why not? You haven't been in the Matrix lately, I wanted to see you before you left again."
"You've been following my whereabouts?" Neo asked.
"Certainly, it is my job, after all. And there is some personal incentive..." she moved closer to Neo, placing her hand seductively on his chest.
"Are you going to give us the phone or not?" Trinity demanded. Persephone glared at her, but did back away from Neo, toying with the telephone between her fingers.
"I have a message for you, Neo. It's from an old friend of mine; the Architect." Reaching into her purse, Persephone pulled out a folded piece of paper. Placing her purse on the floor, she handed the letter to Neo.
"The Architect was the prime creator of the Matrix," Neo explained to Trinity, "He was through the door at the end of the hallway. He didn't have anything to say and I don't want to hear anymore of it." He pushed Persephone's outstretched hand and the letter away.
"I wouldn't give you the phone until you read it. And it might be in you best interest to cooperate with me," she warned. Only then did Neo see the vampires surrounding him and Trinity. "You don't have a weapon, let alone one that would hurt them." Not wanting a fight, Neo roughly grabbed the letter.
"Hello again," the Architect's voice boomed as Neo broke the seal, "I trust that Persephone has delivered this correspondence with her customary promptness, notwithstanding your instinctive pains to alienate the manifestos of truth. I offer my ovations concerning your disclosure of the deeper One capabilities engraven within you. Naturally, the primordial utilization of these potentialities can precipitate profound mental backlash on the perpetrator. Forthrightly, I had postulated your expiration at that critical junction. And yet, your immature talents continue to fledge at an unparalleled tempo. Even now your latent psyche continues to fabricate irregularities within the system, radiating incalculable compulsions, which you are ultimately disenabled to discriminate. Congruent, is the allocation of the code; the lady ethereal being a prime example.
"I find it intriguing that this process is evolving with greater acceleration levels in each subsequent periodicity. I am only surmise that this escalating derivative is an indirect paradoxal result of your continual nonsensical efforts to halt the very procedure. Regardless of your struggle to abstain from it, the human opposition will be stifled. As is tradition, once you grow weary of this new form in the metamorphosis, triggered by your recrudesce to the source, I feel it my duty to extend an invitation for you to return to my domicile, upon which time we shall consolidate and begin anew. I counsel you to do as I and look to the oncoming unavoidable events with patient anticipation. Salutations."
"Now, that wasn't so terrible," Persephone remarked offhandedly. "I have something to offer you, Neo, something you've been searching for...an answer to a question."
"In exchange for what?" Neo asked untrustingly. He frowned and took a step backward toward Trinity.
"It has been along time since I felt that flame you have," Persephone explained, she placed her hand on Neo's cheek and whispered, "I can sample that blaze but it's not the same as possessing it for myself. Perhaps, if we were to be one of the pioneers- if the one I once cared for and I could have a fresh start in a new world- that would change. I have no care for the other fifteen and six, but let us be two. Let me feel the fire again."
Neo shook his head, "I have no favors for programs designed to enslave the human conscience." The vampires around them stirred restlessly.
"Patience, boys," Persephone ordered. Turning back to Neo, "You refuse my proposal? In that case, we shall discuss it later. In the mean time, may you at least let me touch the warmth for a second? As a requirement for passage, if nothing else." She moved to kiss Neo.
Suddenly, Trinity reached down and kicked Persephone's purse toward her. She grabbed the gun from inside and aimed it at Persephone. "Now, you can give us the phone and take your leave. Or I can fire this and send you back to the source. Your choice."
Persephone growled at Trinity, but did hand Neo the telephone. She gestured for her purse and gun. Trinity glared threateningly, gun still aimed for Persephone's forehead. Disgrunitingly, she turned and left. Trinity did not relax her grip on the gun until after Neo had exited the Matrix.