I followed close behind Trinity who followed close behind the man. I had insisted that Trinity not come. I remembered what happened the last time she had jacked into the matrix against my will. If anything happened to her this time...I don't know what I would do. I could feel the sweat drizzling down my forehead. Questions about what the frenchman had riddled me with and questions about Trinity flowed through my head like an electrical current. I gathered my thoughts and crammed them in the corner of my mind and kept following Trinity. We came to a door-obviously a back door. It was large and looked to be made of solid gold with two giant elephants carved into them. Emeralds adorned the elephants' eyes and the border of the door. We stopped about five feet in front of the door. I watched the man pull out a brass skeleton key from the chain around his neck. He unlocked the door and opened it and the hinges squealed.
"After you," he said to Trinity and me in a somewhat cocky voice. Something wasn't right. I could feel it. The room had a dark, muggy feel to it. I took my glasses off. Trinity. Her presence left me. She was no longer in the room. The man lit a bowl of sticks and light filled the room. Trinity was gone.
"Where the hell is Trinity?" I demanded.
"Don't worry, don't worry," the frenchman said laughing.
Immediately I felt the sabatoge that came upon me like a tiger. I was now adorned in thick ropes and couldn't fight back. I just couldn't find the strength. The frenchman rose up off of his black cashmere chair and came up close to my face. I could feel the heat his face gave off.
"Well, Neo. I wish everyone back in Zion could see you right now. Such a messiah for everyone. I mean just look at you. You realize that you cannot win. I am more important than I seem and obviously you do not see that because of your blindness! Blindness. Blind to me and your little love of your life is responsible for it. I tell you what, I am going to let you in on a little secret, Neo. I have been sidetracking you with all this crap about oracles and architects and machines." he said.
"Why?" I asked.
"Just so I could demonstrate my power. I sidetracked you because I wanted everyone to see you fail eventually. Well, Neo your time has come. The oracle was a carefully designed program of mine- so was the architect."
"What about the machines and the machine lord, Deus Ex?"
"All programs. They did not work how I had expected them to. I expected them to destroy Zion and all the inhabitants. They were the first of the programs to have a separate independantly thinking program. Kind of like a human mind. Do not we all have free will? Cannot a program be given free will too? What makes them any different from humans? But that is beside the matter. The machines rebeled against me so I terminated them. That is all that matters now. And oh yes, my men are taking good care of your little love."
He stared into my eyes and I stared right back into his glassy eyes.
"Take him to see his woman," the frenchman said.
With little struggle they dragged me down a flight of cold, wet, cement steps into the private level of Hel Club. One of the four men that escorted me down there opened the cell door. With a brutal shove I was locked in the cell. Trapped.
"Okie dokie. You got yourself into this Neo....now get yourself out," It whispered to myself. I closed my eyes. Energy surged through my whole body. I felt her again. I turned around and looked in the dark corner. It was Trinity. She was in the cold, damp corner passed out. I ran over to her and picked her up. I held her tight so nothing could tear her from me. I sat down in that corner and held her all through the sleepless night.
I could tell the night had turned into day. Sunlight seeped through the tiny hole in the back wall. I sat there, still holding her and her hand finally grasped my hand tightly.
"Neo," she said in a groggy voice.
"Yes. I am here," I whispered.
I put two fingers up to her lips.
"Shhh...just rest," I said softly.
I closed my eyes and began to rest them. A few moments passed. The silence was shattered by the two of the Merovingian's men. The Merovingian followed not too far behind. They walked up to the cell. The two other men did not look too well-built and were not very tall. I laid Trinity to the side against the wall and stood up. I took a few steps towards the men. I did not get too close. The Merovingian walked up and put his hands on the cell bars.
"This is a waste of my time. Do what you like with him," The frenchman said.
"After you," he said to Trinity and me in a somewhat cocky voice. Something wasn't right. I could feel it. The room had a dark, muggy feel to it. I took my glasses off. Trinity. Her presence left me. She was no longer in the room. The man lit a bowl of sticks and light filled the room. Trinity was gone.
"Where the hell is Trinity?" I demanded.
"Don't worry, don't worry," the frenchman said laughing.
Immediately I felt the sabatoge that came upon me like a tiger. I was now adorned in thick ropes and couldn't fight back. I just couldn't find the strength. The frenchman rose up off of his black cashmere chair and came up close to my face. I could feel the heat his face gave off.
"Well, Neo. I wish everyone back in Zion could see you right now. Such a messiah for everyone. I mean just look at you. You realize that you cannot win. I am more important than I seem and obviously you do not see that because of your blindness! Blindness. Blind to me and your little love of your life is responsible for it. I tell you what, I am going to let you in on a little secret, Neo. I have been sidetracking you with all this crap about oracles and architects and machines." he said.
"Why?" I asked.
"Just so I could demonstrate my power. I sidetracked you because I wanted everyone to see you fail eventually. Well, Neo your time has come. The oracle was a carefully designed program of mine- so was the architect."
"What about the machines and the machine lord, Deus Ex?"
"All programs. They did not work how I had expected them to. I expected them to destroy Zion and all the inhabitants. They were the first of the programs to have a separate independantly thinking program. Kind of like a human mind. Do not we all have free will? Cannot a program be given free will too? What makes them any different from humans? But that is beside the matter. The machines rebeled against me so I terminated them. That is all that matters now. And oh yes, my men are taking good care of your little love."
He stared into my eyes and I stared right back into his glassy eyes.
"Take him to see his woman," the frenchman said.
With little struggle they dragged me down a flight of cold, wet, cement steps into the private level of Hel Club. One of the four men that escorted me down there opened the cell door. With a brutal shove I was locked in the cell. Trapped.
"Okie dokie. You got yourself into this Neo....now get yourself out," It whispered to myself. I closed my eyes. Energy surged through my whole body. I felt her again. I turned around and looked in the dark corner. It was Trinity. She was in the cold, damp corner passed out. I ran over to her and picked her up. I held her tight so nothing could tear her from me. I sat down in that corner and held her all through the sleepless night.
I could tell the night had turned into day. Sunlight seeped through the tiny hole in the back wall. I sat there, still holding her and her hand finally grasped my hand tightly.
"Neo," she said in a groggy voice.
"Yes. I am here," I whispered.
I put two fingers up to her lips.
"Shhh...just rest," I said softly.
I closed my eyes and began to rest them. A few moments passed. The silence was shattered by the two of the Merovingian's men. The Merovingian followed not too far behind. They walked up to the cell. The two other men did not look too well-built and were not very tall. I laid Trinity to the side against the wall and stood up. I took a few steps towards the men. I did not get too close. The Merovingian walked up and put his hands on the cell bars.
"This is a waste of my time. Do what you like with him," The frenchman said.