Chapter 6
Sydney lay awake on her cot. She had slept for only a few hours. She couldn't go back to sleep. All she could think about was what Morpheus had told her. It made sense. She knew that. But, she had a hard time accepting it. She sat up and wrapped the blanket more tightly around her. She stood up and tied her boots on. She opened the door and walked out.
The ship was quiet, except for the whirring and clanking of the ship's engines. She walked to the chairs and the monitors. She was surprised to find Neo in front of them. He was drinking from a cup and staring at them. He turned and was also surprised to see her.
"Can't sleep?" he asked.
"How can I? After what happened?" she asked back in a quiet voice. She sat down on one of the chairs and stared at her feet.
"I still can't sleep sometimes. I come here and look at what's happening," Neo said, pointing at the monitors. Sydney got up and walked over to them. Endless streams of data flew across the screen.
"What is that? Is that a machine language or something?" she asked. She felt silly for asking, but she was curious. Neo laughed.
"No, it's the code the Matrix is written in."
"Can you read it?" she asked. He nodded and Sydney stared at the monitors again.
"Wow...how do you read it?" she asked him. She felt odd asking him all these questions. She couldn't help it.
"Well, your brain gets used to it. Eventually, it just decodes it by itself." Sydney nodded. She wondered how that worked, but stopped herself from asking him.
"What happens when a person is unplugged?"
"Usually, in the Matrix, the person is believed to be missing and never found. Or the machines delete them permanently from the Matrix and it's as though they never existed. But, they usually just make it as if the person's gone missing. Less work that way."
"And what about those men? Who are they?"
"They are agents. They're programs created to guard the Matrix and make sure that everything functions the way it's supposed. They also try to prevent anyone from waking up. That's why they were after you."
"And how come I tasted blood in my mouth if it wasn't real?" she asked.
"Well, the mind perceives it as real and interprets it as real. So, it tells the body that it's real. That's why you react to whatever happens to you there here." Sydney realized what that meant. If you died there, you died here.
"How were you unplugged?" Sydney asked him. She was wondering about that. Neo smiled.
"It's a long story."
"We have the whole night," Sydney said. She smiled for the first time ever since she'd been unplugged.
"Well," Neo started. "I was just an ordinary guy. Then, I knew that there was something called the Matrix and I had to find Morpheus to find out what it was. I spent several years searching for him. But, I didn't know that he was searching for me at the same time. Finally, I met Trinity and Morpheus. I was unplugged and I've been here ever since."
"Isn't there more?" she asked him. He looked at her with a surprised look. "I mean, I had dreams of you. I saw only you. In one of my dreams, I was being attacked by those men and you came to save me." Neo sighed. Now, he knew how Morpheus had felt when he told him that he was the One.
"Well, after I was unplugged, Morpheus told me that I was the One. The One was the only person born inside the Matrix who could destroy it."
"Wait. What does that mean?"
"Well, right now, the humans are still at war with the machines. If the Matrix is destroyed, that would mean the end of the war," Neo explained.
"Oh...wow. What do you say to something like that?" Sydney mused out loud. They both heard faint footsteps and saw Trinity. Sydney stood up.
"Neo? What are you doing? You should be resting," Trinity said. Neo got up and slipped a hand around her waist. He kissed her cheek. Sydney wasn't sure how she should feel. She had to admit, she liked Neo. But, in which way?
"I-I'm sorry. I couldn't s-sleep and I was just t-talking..." Sydney stuttered. She hoped Trinity didn't think she was trying to steal Neo away from her.
"Come on, Trin. I'll go back to bed with you," Neo whispered and they both left. Sydney stood there, dumbly. She dragged herself to her room. She lay down on the cot, the lights flickering. Sydney chewed her lower lip. The flickering lights stopped and she lay in the dark.
Sydney lay awake on her cot. She had slept for only a few hours. She couldn't go back to sleep. All she could think about was what Morpheus had told her. It made sense. She knew that. But, she had a hard time accepting it. She sat up and wrapped the blanket more tightly around her. She stood up and tied her boots on. She opened the door and walked out.
The ship was quiet, except for the whirring and clanking of the ship's engines. She walked to the chairs and the monitors. She was surprised to find Neo in front of them. He was drinking from a cup and staring at them. He turned and was also surprised to see her.
"Can't sleep?" he asked.
"How can I? After what happened?" she asked back in a quiet voice. She sat down on one of the chairs and stared at her feet.
"I still can't sleep sometimes. I come here and look at what's happening," Neo said, pointing at the monitors. Sydney got up and walked over to them. Endless streams of data flew across the screen.
"What is that? Is that a machine language or something?" she asked. She felt silly for asking, but she was curious. Neo laughed.
"No, it's the code the Matrix is written in."
"Can you read it?" she asked. He nodded and Sydney stared at the monitors again.
"Wow...how do you read it?" she asked him. She felt odd asking him all these questions. She couldn't help it.
"Well, your brain gets used to it. Eventually, it just decodes it by itself." Sydney nodded. She wondered how that worked, but stopped herself from asking him.
"What happens when a person is unplugged?"
"Usually, in the Matrix, the person is believed to be missing and never found. Or the machines delete them permanently from the Matrix and it's as though they never existed. But, they usually just make it as if the person's gone missing. Less work that way."
"And what about those men? Who are they?"
"They are agents. They're programs created to guard the Matrix and make sure that everything functions the way it's supposed. They also try to prevent anyone from waking up. That's why they were after you."
"And how come I tasted blood in my mouth if it wasn't real?" she asked.
"Well, the mind perceives it as real and interprets it as real. So, it tells the body that it's real. That's why you react to whatever happens to you there here." Sydney realized what that meant. If you died there, you died here.
"How were you unplugged?" Sydney asked him. She was wondering about that. Neo smiled.
"It's a long story."
"We have the whole night," Sydney said. She smiled for the first time ever since she'd been unplugged.
"Well," Neo started. "I was just an ordinary guy. Then, I knew that there was something called the Matrix and I had to find Morpheus to find out what it was. I spent several years searching for him. But, I didn't know that he was searching for me at the same time. Finally, I met Trinity and Morpheus. I was unplugged and I've been here ever since."
"Isn't there more?" she asked him. He looked at her with a surprised look. "I mean, I had dreams of you. I saw only you. In one of my dreams, I was being attacked by those men and you came to save me." Neo sighed. Now, he knew how Morpheus had felt when he told him that he was the One.
"Well, after I was unplugged, Morpheus told me that I was the One. The One was the only person born inside the Matrix who could destroy it."
"Wait. What does that mean?"
"Well, right now, the humans are still at war with the machines. If the Matrix is destroyed, that would mean the end of the war," Neo explained.
"Oh...wow. What do you say to something like that?" Sydney mused out loud. They both heard faint footsteps and saw Trinity. Sydney stood up.
"Neo? What are you doing? You should be resting," Trinity said. Neo got up and slipped a hand around her waist. He kissed her cheek. Sydney wasn't sure how she should feel. She had to admit, she liked Neo. But, in which way?
"I-I'm sorry. I couldn't s-sleep and I was just t-talking..." Sydney stuttered. She hoped Trinity didn't think she was trying to steal Neo away from her.
"Come on, Trin. I'll go back to bed with you," Neo whispered and they both left. Sydney stood there, dumbly. She dragged herself to her room. She lay down on the cot, the lights flickering. Sydney chewed her lower lip. The flickering lights stopped and she lay in the dark.