"Welcome," the Oracle said as Neo entered the room the next morning. From the smell, Neo could tell that the cake the Oracle was decorating was fresh out of the oven. Little children circled around, playing and laughing. Despite their joyful appearance, Neo could tell that they were just programs, not the trainees. He also noted that Seraph was standing protectively against the far wall. The bodyguard gave him an expression of annoyance, and then turned his head, obviously not interested in the oncoming conversation.

"To you as well," Neo returned politely, surprised at Seraph's unusual behavior, "I need to ask you something: what did Trinity mean when she said that loss of innocence was the greatest causality of all?"

The Oracle gave Neo a look that said she had resignedly expected this and then returned to icing the cake white, "Isn't that a little trivial?"

"At first glance, I would suppose so," Neo voiced thoughtfully, "But it is a question has haunted my thoughts. Despite it's trivial appearance, it rings a bell of critical importance. I would not of come here otherwise."

"Trinity warned you against it, did she not?"

"Yes, still... I just need to know. So that I may understand Trinity if nothing else."

"If you must know," the Oracle said. She gestured to a small child. The girl came as beckoned and smiled as she pushed tangled ebony hair out of her pale face, "Why is a person more willing to trust a child, then an adult?"

"Well, a human child just has that certain charm," Neo replied, examining the girl's deep emerald eyes, "They make you feel that everything has to turn out good in the end."

"Like the child Samuel?" the Oracle inquired offhandedly as she added some red cinnamon to the upper layers of the cake.

Neo cringed slightly at such a brisk reference. He looked at the child program, frustrated by her counterfeit charm, "In a way. Samuel was so alive and active. He could smile and find someone to trust completely, even though there was a war around him. It was like danger and evil could surround the child but never manage to touch him."
"Did it?"

"Not really," Neo replied after a few seconds of thought.

"Did Samuel understand that he was could do such evil?"

"No. Even though he did attack me, I think a little punch was about the worst he could do. He just didn't understand what death meant." Neo was surprised at how well he had came to the know the boy during their short meaning.

"His hands were clean of blood. He was innocent," the Oracle stated. She continued to work on the cake, placing some delicate green herbs in an intricate formation. "Are you? Do you understand the evil around you? Do you understand that you too, are capable of such deeds?" Neo thought for a moment. The Oracle continued, "Are your hands dirty? With the blood of Samuel's father?"

"What?" baffled Neo asked. Taking a second to control himself, "What to you mean?"

"You battle with robots outside Zion, you duel Agents inside the Matrix."

"Yes. And Agents are just programs; servants of the Matrix."

"True, but Agent Smith is a special case. After you battled him six months ago, he was ejected from the Matrix. Under normal circumstances, programs instantly return to the source once ejected from the Matrix."

"Because they are part of the Matrix. It is their only way of life," Neo remarked, "But Smith survived and became a rogue. How?"

"He found an ally, or rather; an ally found him: a human. The human who yearned for the One's demise. Agent Smith and the human merged, so that they might better achieve their mutual cause."

"Hence Agent Smith took on 'human qualities'," Neo concluded.

"Even though the merge prevented Agent Smith from immediately terminating," the Oracle added, "it could not erode a program's basic nature. The recent duel you had with him in the Matrix was the Agent's last deed. All his strength was simply depleted..." she paused for moment, concentrating on placing some blackberries around the cake's edges.
"The program dissolved," Neo finished.

"Leaving only the human. A human by the name of Alex Krieger."

"But... I killed him in battle.... After I had promised to help Samuel find him."

"Neo," the Oracle prompted kindly. Neo locked eyes with her, surprised to hear his name, "Would you go back?"

"What does that mean? The past can't be erased."

"Are you sure of that?" the Oracle inquired. With her right hand, she reached into her basket of ingredients and pulled out a small metallic case. She handed it to Neo. The One opened it to find a small blue pill.

"What does this mean?" he demanded, surprised by the urgency in his voice, "I took the red. I said 'no' to this and was told that was my only chance."

"Under normal circumstances that would be true," the Oracle replied, "Just like you usually only get to die once. You are a very special case."

"I'm not going to betray anyone," Neo argued sternly, "I'm here to save the people of Zion, not to kill them. I'm not going to help the Matrix."

"Neo, everything I told you six days ago still holds true. This is a gift free of charge. To help you. Consider the possibilities." Neo nodded, only hearing half the Oracle's words. He was still staring at the pill and the choices it represented.

"Think about it," the Oracle continued, "You can go back. You don't have to be the One. You don't have to be the hero. This is your chance. Make it that none of this happened. If you went back, a child's father would still be alive; the child would still be alive. You can give Samuel his life back."

"I can't," Neo said more to himself than the Oracle, "I can't go back. I told Trinity I wouldn't. I couldn't live without her."

"If you take this offering, neither of you would ever know that the other existed. Besides in your deepest dreams."

"Dreams can haunt a person, whether or not they sleep," Neo whispered in a voice that seemed oddly displaced.

"Like a dream of Trinity dying?" the Oracle asked kindly, "You brought that upon her. Because she is the one closest to you, your foes will stop at nothing to hurt her. She is a target."

"Are we not all?" Neo demanded.

"Just this afternoon she was attacked and nearly killed in your bedroom by the one you call 'Bane'." The Oracle turned to the side and continued to work on her cake, this time adding purple sprinkles throughout. The little girl at her side smiled and licked her lips in anticipation.

"She didn't tell me of any assassination attempts," Neo countered.

"She was injured. She didn't want you to know."

"But- why?" Neo asked, confused. The Oracle did not respond to that question, instead she waited for Neo to figure it out.

"... She didn't want me to worry," Neo surmised, "She didn't want me to see her in a moment of weakness."

"Trinity lacks the One's strength but her death would surely kill the One's sprit. For that reason, no other target is as tempting," the Oracle finished, "You can change that. Go back." She gestured to the pill. Neo nodded, agreeing that anything to save Trinity was worth the price. He raised the small blue parcel up to his lips.

The child turned and timidly looked at Neo with her pure emerald eyes and softly whispered, "Please, mister. I knew Samuel. I liked him-"

"Quiet." Seraph snapped suddenly. The girl jumped; evidently she had forgotten the bodyguard still stood in the corner. "This is for the One to decide. No one else."

Seraph's interruption snapped Neo out of his train of thought. He pulled the pill away from his mouth and studied it. "Where did you get this?" he demanded.

"It is a gift," the Oracle repeated, "Exclusively for you."

"From who?"

"Captain Morpheus is a very well supplied man."

"But this didn't come from him," Neo accused, "This came from someone else. The Matrix gave this to you, to give to me."

"Of course, all I do is follow orders." The Oracle calmly replied.

Neo looked at the pill one last time. "In that case, I can not trust you." The One held the pill out in front of him and crushed. With a stern face, Neo turned away from the Oracle and left the room. She gave a disappointed sigh and offered a piece of the finished cake to the anxious green-eyed child.