Chapter 10
A few hours later, Sydney noticed the city was extremely quiet. Then, she remembered Niobe had said something about a gathering. She went down the elevator to the ground floor and wandered around. She wondered what kind of gathering this would be and what it would be like. Maybe, it would be like church or something like that. She heard drums and instruments playing in the distance. She followed the sounds and reached the entrance of a huge and vast cave. It was very earthy and brown. There were stalagmites and stalactites everywhere. She noticed shoes everywhere. She took hers off and placed in a small corner.
When they entered the cave, it was bigger than Sydney had ever seen. There was a high cliff that protruded out from one of the cave walls. She could see the Council and Morpheus standing up there. She saw stairs leading up to the cliff. Sydney turned and saw the cave was packed with people. They turned their attention to the cliff. Morpheus stood at the tip of the cliff. Everyone was dancing to the beat of the instruments. The music pounded in Sydney's head.
She stood off to one side of the cave. She had never really like social interaction with other people. She saw Neo standing off to one side. She walked up to him.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey. Why aren't you dancing?" he asked her. Sydney gave a small smile.
"I don't dance," she said. They stayed silent, but the cave was extremely noisy with people yelling and the music. Suddenly, Neo moved away from her. She saw Trinity coming through the entrance of the cave and Neo went to greet her. They went off to another corner and started kissing. Sydney felt a small pang of jealousy and sorrow in her gut.
"You've got it bad," Niobe said behind her. Sydney turned. When she looked back to where Neo and Trinity had been, they were gone.
"They belong together," she said, with a hint of sadness in her voice. She hated to admit it, but she wanted to kiss Neo. She wanted to see how it felt, just once.
"Well, then, if that's true, then that means that there's someone else out there for you," Niobe said. Sydney was reminded of her mother. Her mother had always told her that she would find the right guy for her.
When the gathering was over, the people streamed back outside to go back to their homes. Sydney dragged herself to the elevators, which were full of people. She went to Trinity's apartment and opened the door. She froze when she saw Neo. He was walking around with nothing but a pair of shorts on. He looked up at her and gave her a curious look when he saw her surprised face.
"Are you okay?" he asked her. Sydney opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't speak. She ran past him and to her room. She slammed the door and started laughing. She leaned against the door and slid down to the floor. She kept laughing until tears came to her eyes. Then, her laughing turned into crying. She just let the tears come out freely. She didn't understand why she was crying. She had no reason to be sad. She stopped crying, but started hiccupping as she gasped for air. It was late now and she just wanted to sleep. She fell on the bed and fell asleep almost immediately.
When she woke up, she had a massive headache. She rubbed her temples and decided to go out for a walk. She opened the door a bit and nearly jumped when someone banged on the front door. She saw Trinity get up and open the door. She could hear someone's voice.
"The Nebuchadnezzar is ready to leave," a man said. 'So much for a nice walk.' Sydney quickly gathered her stuff and stuffed into the bag. She slung the bag over her shoulder and walked out. Everyone turned to her.
"Let's go," she said. They quickly collected their things and met Morpheus and Link at the bay. They walked off to the ship and left Zion. The ship lifted off with a huge groan and once again, they were floating in the darkness of the wastes of the machines and humans.
A few days passed. Sydney fell into a slow depression. Every time she went to sleep, she would feel this ache in her chest. She wanted to tell someone, but didn't know who would listen. Finally, one night, she found Morpheus sitting alone in the dining room.
"I need to talk to you," she said. She sat down across from him. She laughed a bit. "I feel like a whiny teenager going to the high school guidance counsellor," she said.
"Sydney, what is it?" he asked her. Sydney sighed and closed her eyes.
"I don't know. I just guess I'm still getting used to it. It's so different than what I know."
"Sometimes, when a mind gets older, it's more harder for it to accept. Everything takes time to understand and accept."
The next day, Sydney had decided what she was going to do. She wanted to see her parents. Even though, through her teenage years, she had hated them, she still loved them and missed them dearly. It hurt her to think about them. She had spent the last three weeks wondering what they were doing.
"Morpheus, I want to go in for just a little while," she told him. He thought it over.
"I don't know if that's wise, Sydney."
"No, I want to," she said, staring hard. He stared back and nodded. Sydney sat down on one of the chairs. She lay back as Neo put the needle in. She blinked and once again, she was in the middle of the city.
She looked around for more familiar surroundings. She didn't recognize the place. She called Link on her phone.
"Link, where am I?" she asked him.
"Well, according to this, you're in a town called North York."
"It's a region in Toronto. Well, at least I'm in the right city. Thanks. I think I can find my way around from here," she said. She hung up and looked around for a car. She saw a Mercedes-Benz parked in the corner of the street.
Soon, she was speeding down the highway toward downtown Toronto. She wound her way around side streets and slowed down as she entered the familiar neighbourhood of what was once her home. She stopped in front of a red-brick, two-storey house. She got out of the car and walked to the front door. She made sure her sunglasses were on properly. Her hand shook as she reached up to ring the doorbell.
A few hours later, Sydney noticed the city was extremely quiet. Then, she remembered Niobe had said something about a gathering. She went down the elevator to the ground floor and wandered around. She wondered what kind of gathering this would be and what it would be like. Maybe, it would be like church or something like that. She heard drums and instruments playing in the distance. She followed the sounds and reached the entrance of a huge and vast cave. It was very earthy and brown. There were stalagmites and stalactites everywhere. She noticed shoes everywhere. She took hers off and placed in a small corner.
When they entered the cave, it was bigger than Sydney had ever seen. There was a high cliff that protruded out from one of the cave walls. She could see the Council and Morpheus standing up there. She saw stairs leading up to the cliff. Sydney turned and saw the cave was packed with people. They turned their attention to the cliff. Morpheus stood at the tip of the cliff. Everyone was dancing to the beat of the instruments. The music pounded in Sydney's head.
She stood off to one side of the cave. She had never really like social interaction with other people. She saw Neo standing off to one side. She walked up to him.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey. Why aren't you dancing?" he asked her. Sydney gave a small smile.
"I don't dance," she said. They stayed silent, but the cave was extremely noisy with people yelling and the music. Suddenly, Neo moved away from her. She saw Trinity coming through the entrance of the cave and Neo went to greet her. They went off to another corner and started kissing. Sydney felt a small pang of jealousy and sorrow in her gut.
"You've got it bad," Niobe said behind her. Sydney turned. When she looked back to where Neo and Trinity had been, they were gone.
"They belong together," she said, with a hint of sadness in her voice. She hated to admit it, but she wanted to kiss Neo. She wanted to see how it felt, just once.
"Well, then, if that's true, then that means that there's someone else out there for you," Niobe said. Sydney was reminded of her mother. Her mother had always told her that she would find the right guy for her.
When the gathering was over, the people streamed back outside to go back to their homes. Sydney dragged herself to the elevators, which were full of people. She went to Trinity's apartment and opened the door. She froze when she saw Neo. He was walking around with nothing but a pair of shorts on. He looked up at her and gave her a curious look when he saw her surprised face.
"Are you okay?" he asked her. Sydney opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't speak. She ran past him and to her room. She slammed the door and started laughing. She leaned against the door and slid down to the floor. She kept laughing until tears came to her eyes. Then, her laughing turned into crying. She just let the tears come out freely. She didn't understand why she was crying. She had no reason to be sad. She stopped crying, but started hiccupping as she gasped for air. It was late now and she just wanted to sleep. She fell on the bed and fell asleep almost immediately.
When she woke up, she had a massive headache. She rubbed her temples and decided to go out for a walk. She opened the door a bit and nearly jumped when someone banged on the front door. She saw Trinity get up and open the door. She could hear someone's voice.
"The Nebuchadnezzar is ready to leave," a man said. 'So much for a nice walk.' Sydney quickly gathered her stuff and stuffed into the bag. She slung the bag over her shoulder and walked out. Everyone turned to her.
"Let's go," she said. They quickly collected their things and met Morpheus and Link at the bay. They walked off to the ship and left Zion. The ship lifted off with a huge groan and once again, they were floating in the darkness of the wastes of the machines and humans.
A few days passed. Sydney fell into a slow depression. Every time she went to sleep, she would feel this ache in her chest. She wanted to tell someone, but didn't know who would listen. Finally, one night, she found Morpheus sitting alone in the dining room.
"I need to talk to you," she said. She sat down across from him. She laughed a bit. "I feel like a whiny teenager going to the high school guidance counsellor," she said.
"Sydney, what is it?" he asked her. Sydney sighed and closed her eyes.
"I don't know. I just guess I'm still getting used to it. It's so different than what I know."
"Sometimes, when a mind gets older, it's more harder for it to accept. Everything takes time to understand and accept."
The next day, Sydney had decided what she was going to do. She wanted to see her parents. Even though, through her teenage years, she had hated them, she still loved them and missed them dearly. It hurt her to think about them. She had spent the last three weeks wondering what they were doing.
"Morpheus, I want to go in for just a little while," she told him. He thought it over.
"I don't know if that's wise, Sydney."
"No, I want to," she said, staring hard. He stared back and nodded. Sydney sat down on one of the chairs. She lay back as Neo put the needle in. She blinked and once again, she was in the middle of the city.
She looked around for more familiar surroundings. She didn't recognize the place. She called Link on her phone.
"Link, where am I?" she asked him.
"Well, according to this, you're in a town called North York."
"It's a region in Toronto. Well, at least I'm in the right city. Thanks. I think I can find my way around from here," she said. She hung up and looked around for a car. She saw a Mercedes-Benz parked in the corner of the street.
Soon, she was speeding down the highway toward downtown Toronto. She wound her way around side streets and slowed down as she entered the familiar neighbourhood of what was once her home. She stopped in front of a red-brick, two-storey house. She got out of the car and walked to the front door. She made sure her sunglasses were on properly. Her hand shook as she reached up to ring the doorbell.