Chapter 14
Sydney and Neo stood in the middle of the street. It was dark and the sky was cloudy. They looked at each other and walked up to a building. They went inside and the elevator opened as if on cue.
They reached an apartment and Sydney opened the door. They looked around for the Oracle. She was in the kitchen, reading a book. She put it down and looked up at them.
"Well, now, this is a surprise," she said, smiling at them. Neo stepped forward.
"I want to know something," he said.
"Yes...how the sentinels were stopped?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow. Neo stayed silent.
"How did that happen? Was it Neo who stopped them or did they stop by themselves?" Sydney asked. "The latter seems unlikely, though." The Oracle rested her hands on the table.
"Remember how I told you two that the Second One was the bridge between the One and source?" Neo and Sydney nodded. "Well, the sentinels were powered by the machines, which is the source. You felt them, didn't you, when they came close to you? Well, when they came close to him, the source and the One became closer. However, there was still that gap between them. The gap that can only be closed if the Second One is present. When you touched him, Sydney, the gap was closed and that's how he stopped the sentinels," the Oracle explained. Sydney and Neo looked at each other and then back at the Oracle.
"What? But, Neo's powers exist only in the Matrix," Sydney countered. The Oracle took out a cigarette and lighted it. She gave a small puff on it.
"Well, it's like trying to fill a container that's already full. The source is always feeding the One information and the One sends it back. However, when the sentinels came to him, the source was overwhelmed because the information was too much. When that happened, his powers overcame the boundaries of the Matrix and into the real world." She continued to puff on her cigarette. They looked at each other and left the building to their car.
"Link, we need the address of a club called 'Cyberneticks'," Sydney said into her phone.
"Got it. It's on the intersection of Wells and 54th." Sydney hung up and told Neo the address. He stepped on the accelerator and sped away.
When they found the club, they discovered there was a huge line of people waiting to go in. Sydney and Neo pushed their way through the line and stopped in front of the bouncers. They stared at each other through their glasses. The bouncers put a hand out to stop Neo. Sydney took her gun out.
"You let us in, or the last thing you'll see is a bullet from this gun," she said, pointing it at the bouncer's forehead. He looked at the other bouncer and they nodded. They stepped aside to let them in. Sydney smiled and put her gun away.
The club was dark and damp. There were people everywhere. There were flashing lights and the music was blaring. Sydney and Neo pushed people aside as they looked around for the Wiseman. Sydney saw a man sitting alone at the bar. She tapped Neo's arm and nodded in the man's direction. They walked up to him.
The Wiseman was not what Sydney had expected. He was young and Gothic. He had eyeliner smeared all over his eyes and multiple piercings. His hair was short and spiky. It had obviously been dyed several times. It was bright blue and purple with spots of cherry red at the tips. His clothes were covered with pins and accessories. He turned when he saw them.
"Hey, hot stuff," he said to Sydney.
"You know why we're here," she replied. He took a sip from his drink.
"Yes, I do...but a deal must be paid both ways. I give you what you want, and you must give me something I want," he said arrogantly, with a little smirk.
"What do you want?" Neo asked him. The Wiseman searched his brain.
"I want her," he said, pointing at Sydney. Neo and Sydney looked at each other.
"You can't," Neo said. The Wiseman shrugged.
"Well, then, I can't give you what you want." Sydney was outraged. She whipped her gun out.
"Sydney –," Neo started. But, she ignored him.
"Listen, buster. You are going to tell us where the keys are or I will kill you right now," she said. The Wiseman shrugged.
"You can't kill me. You won't know where the keys are if you don't have me." Sydney kept the gun at his head. Finally, she lowered it. The Wiseman smiled. Suddenly, Sydney took her gun out again and shot him in the arm. He dropped his drink and the glass shattered. He yelled out in pain.
"You bitch!" he yelled at Sydney. She shrugged.
"Tell us where the keys are," Neo said.
"Fine," the Wiseman panted. He clutched his arm. "The keys are in a museum in Paris. They're in a safe, along with several other artefacts."
"The Louvre?" Neo asked. The Wiseman nodded.
"The safe is in the basement. The only way to access it is to know the passwords, which I do not know. However, I do know that every hour, one of the museum archaeologists go into the safe to make sure that the artefacts are all there. One minute before the safe is opened, there is a security guard shift change."
"Where is the door?" Neo asked.
"The location of the door can only be revealed once the keys are retrieved by the so-called 'One'," the Wiseman explained. Sydney smiled.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" she asked him. He grunted as he clutched his arm. His hand was bloody. Sydney and Neo turned to leave. But, the Wiseman discreetly took his gun out and pointed it at them. He was about to pull the trigger when Sydney spun around and shot him in the head. The gun clattered to the ground and the Wiseman fell. The music was still going and no one had seen or heard anything.
"That was extravagant," Neo said.
"I had to," Sydney said as she put her gun away. They walked out of the club and to their car. As Sydney was driving to their exit, Neo laughed.
"What is it?" she asked him.
"Nothing...I was just thinking about what you did at the club," he replied. "It just reminded me of what Trinity would have done." Sydney stared through the window.
"I'm not like her at all," she said. She gripped the steering wheel tighter.
Sydney and Neo stood in the middle of the street. It was dark and the sky was cloudy. They looked at each other and walked up to a building. They went inside and the elevator opened as if on cue.
They reached an apartment and Sydney opened the door. They looked around for the Oracle. She was in the kitchen, reading a book. She put it down and looked up at them.
"Well, now, this is a surprise," she said, smiling at them. Neo stepped forward.
"I want to know something," he said.
"Yes...how the sentinels were stopped?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow. Neo stayed silent.
"How did that happen? Was it Neo who stopped them or did they stop by themselves?" Sydney asked. "The latter seems unlikely, though." The Oracle rested her hands on the table.
"Remember how I told you two that the Second One was the bridge between the One and source?" Neo and Sydney nodded. "Well, the sentinels were powered by the machines, which is the source. You felt them, didn't you, when they came close to you? Well, when they came close to him, the source and the One became closer. However, there was still that gap between them. The gap that can only be closed if the Second One is present. When you touched him, Sydney, the gap was closed and that's how he stopped the sentinels," the Oracle explained. Sydney and Neo looked at each other and then back at the Oracle.
"What? But, Neo's powers exist only in the Matrix," Sydney countered. The Oracle took out a cigarette and lighted it. She gave a small puff on it.
"Well, it's like trying to fill a container that's already full. The source is always feeding the One information and the One sends it back. However, when the sentinels came to him, the source was overwhelmed because the information was too much. When that happened, his powers overcame the boundaries of the Matrix and into the real world." She continued to puff on her cigarette. They looked at each other and left the building to their car.
"Link, we need the address of a club called 'Cyberneticks'," Sydney said into her phone.
"Got it. It's on the intersection of Wells and 54th." Sydney hung up and told Neo the address. He stepped on the accelerator and sped away.
When they found the club, they discovered there was a huge line of people waiting to go in. Sydney and Neo pushed their way through the line and stopped in front of the bouncers. They stared at each other through their glasses. The bouncers put a hand out to stop Neo. Sydney took her gun out.
"You let us in, or the last thing you'll see is a bullet from this gun," she said, pointing it at the bouncer's forehead. He looked at the other bouncer and they nodded. They stepped aside to let them in. Sydney smiled and put her gun away.
The club was dark and damp. There were people everywhere. There were flashing lights and the music was blaring. Sydney and Neo pushed people aside as they looked around for the Wiseman. Sydney saw a man sitting alone at the bar. She tapped Neo's arm and nodded in the man's direction. They walked up to him.
The Wiseman was not what Sydney had expected. He was young and Gothic. He had eyeliner smeared all over his eyes and multiple piercings. His hair was short and spiky. It had obviously been dyed several times. It was bright blue and purple with spots of cherry red at the tips. His clothes were covered with pins and accessories. He turned when he saw them.
"Hey, hot stuff," he said to Sydney.
"You know why we're here," she replied. He took a sip from his drink.
"Yes, I do...but a deal must be paid both ways. I give you what you want, and you must give me something I want," he said arrogantly, with a little smirk.
"What do you want?" Neo asked him. The Wiseman searched his brain.
"I want her," he said, pointing at Sydney. Neo and Sydney looked at each other.
"You can't," Neo said. The Wiseman shrugged.
"Well, then, I can't give you what you want." Sydney was outraged. She whipped her gun out.
"Sydney –," Neo started. But, she ignored him.
"Listen, buster. You are going to tell us where the keys are or I will kill you right now," she said. The Wiseman shrugged.
"You can't kill me. You won't know where the keys are if you don't have me." Sydney kept the gun at his head. Finally, she lowered it. The Wiseman smiled. Suddenly, Sydney took her gun out again and shot him in the arm. He dropped his drink and the glass shattered. He yelled out in pain.
"You bitch!" he yelled at Sydney. She shrugged.
"Tell us where the keys are," Neo said.
"Fine," the Wiseman panted. He clutched his arm. "The keys are in a museum in Paris. They're in a safe, along with several other artefacts."
"The Louvre?" Neo asked. The Wiseman nodded.
"The safe is in the basement. The only way to access it is to know the passwords, which I do not know. However, I do know that every hour, one of the museum archaeologists go into the safe to make sure that the artefacts are all there. One minute before the safe is opened, there is a security guard shift change."
"Where is the door?" Neo asked.
"The location of the door can only be revealed once the keys are retrieved by the so-called 'One'," the Wiseman explained. Sydney smiled.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" she asked him. He grunted as he clutched his arm. His hand was bloody. Sydney and Neo turned to leave. But, the Wiseman discreetly took his gun out and pointed it at them. He was about to pull the trigger when Sydney spun around and shot him in the head. The gun clattered to the ground and the Wiseman fell. The music was still going and no one had seen or heard anything.
"That was extravagant," Neo said.
"I had to," Sydney said as she put her gun away. They walked out of the club and to their car. As Sydney was driving to their exit, Neo laughed.
"What is it?" she asked him.
"Nothing...I was just thinking about what you did at the club," he replied. "It just reminded me of what Trinity would have done." Sydney stared through the window.
"I'm not like her at all," she said. She gripped the steering wheel tighter.