(Author's Note: I'm sorry for this being the last chapter. But, I won't
have enough time to put any more chapters after this because I must study
for the dreaded exams. And I'm sorry for this being a little "short" for
some people. But, like I said, I won't have the time to put up any more
chapters for this for the next month and a half. Okay? So, see ya when
the summer comes!)
Chapter 19
The source landed a punch across Neo's face. Some blood flew out of his mouth and landed on the brown dirt. Neo wiped it away and glared at the source.
"Pitiful. But, after all, you are only human," the source said. "I should kill you now, but I'm curious to see how powerful this anomaly really is." He looked down at them. He stared into Neo's eyes.
"You bastard," Nep spit at him. The source laughed.
"You see!? That is what separates the humans from the machines. That is what separates you from me. The humans' abilities to feel and make a choice. Emotion versus reality," the source said arrogantly. "It is the very thing that destroyed the humans and allowed the machines to win." He smiled evilly. Neo punched him. His fist connected with the source's face with a loud smack. He was momentarily surprised. Then, he smirked at him.
The moon poked its silvery face out from behind the clouds on the hazy blue sky. The sky turned darker and darker. Little stars twinkled behind the smokescreen of clouds. Sydney watched as they flew up into the sky, fighting. Neo took quite a beating, but he wasn't going to quit yet. She ran and jumped up the tree. She climbed through the branches until she reached the very top. Her eyes were riveted with attention on them. She watched the source as he blocked all of Neo's attacks, as if it were nothing.
"I am getting bored of this. It's time to end this," the source said. He whipped his cloak aside and drew out a long dagger. He thrust it into Neo's direction. He managed to jump away. He grabbed the source's arm and threw his hand up. It hit the elbow, which made a horrible crackling noise. Then, Neo twisted around and flipped the source over his shoulder. He grabbed the dagger and in one smooth movement, plunged the dagger into the source's chest. The source looked up at Neo in surprise.
A black, silvery liquid started to spread out from the dagger. It crawled up to the source's head and all over his body. He gasped for air as the liquid consumed him. It covered him completely. It hardened and then crumbled into dust. A soft warm breeze blew the dust away. Suddenly, Neo fell to the ground. Sydney clambered down the tree and ran to him. Her hand brushed against his stomach. It was bloody.
"Oh, God...," she said. She looked down and saw a wound on his stomach. She quickly pressed her hands on it. It was bleeding severely. The dagger had slashed across his abdomen. A gentle rain started to fall on them. The light raindrops hit Sydney's face and shoulders. The rain slowly washed away the blood.
Then, Neo started to evapourate. His legs and feet disappeared. Soon, his whole body was gone. Sydney was left kneeling on the ground, in the rain. Suddenly, the same thing started happening to her. Her feet disappeared first. Then, her legs and an invisible cloth started to cover her body. Soon, her whole body was gone and her head was left. Soon, she disappeared altogether.
Sydney woke up, screaming. She found herself on the platform again. She found herself staring into the machine's red glowing eyes. The platform slowly descended back to the ground. The eyes glowed more intensely for a second. Then, the glowing slowly fading away. She remembered Neo and looked over at him. He was lying still. Trinity ran up to him. She spotted the wound and started to press on it.
Neo reached up with a hand and stroked her face. Sydney stood up weakly and watched them. She wanted to help, but she recognized their love for each other and left them alone. Morpheus and the rest ran up to her.
"Are you alright?" Morpheus asked her.
"I am. Neo isn't," she said, pointing at him. Trinity looked pleadingly into Neo's eyes. Sydney glanced over at them. The wound was still bleeding. Neo whispered something to Trinity. She looked over at Sydney and back at Neo. Then, she motioned Sydney to come over. Sydney kneeled down beside him.
"Neo..." she said softly. He opened his eyes, but barely. He smiled weakly. His wound was open and bleeding severely. Sydney put all the pressure she could onto it. He groaned in pain.
"It's okay...It's okay. Please don't die," Sydney pleaded.
"Hey...we all have to die some time, don't we?" Neo said, trying to smile. But, he grimaced in pain. He wanted to get up, but Sydney pushed him back down. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an old, very faded piece of folded paper. He handed it to her. Sydney took it with her bloody hands.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Now, you can finish it. Because it's over," he said. He closed his eyes.
"Neo? Neo?" Sydney whispered. She didn't want to realize the truth. She couldn't. It couldn't be true. She closed her eyes as the tears streamed down her face. As soon as the others heard her wailing, they knew. They stood there, dumbly stunned. Trinity ran to Neo and picked his head up with her hands. She kissed his cheek and softly cried. They sat there, both crying.
Sydney stared at the ground, trying to stop the tears that were forcing their way to come out. She sniffed and lifted her head up, trying to look collected.
"...We shall remember him always, for he is the One and the one who saved us all. We shall remember you, Neo," Councilman Hamaan said mournfully. Several people stepped up to the cold stone table that Neo was laid on. They laid flowers on him. Little children tried to reach up and dared each other to poke him. Sydney walked up after everyone was gone and laid the flower on him. She stared at his face sadly. His face was pale and blank. Trinity walked up to him and kissed his cold lips. Then, she stepped back. One of the other Council members stepped up and lit Neo's body on fire. Sydney stared as the flames licked the air greedily.
That night, Sydney sat in her home in Zion. She lay down on her cot and rolled over onto her side. She heard a small crackling noise. She sat up and reached into her pocket. She pulled out the piece of paper Neo had given her. It was stained with blood from her hands when she had taken it. She walked back to desk and unfolded it. It was the picture of Neo she had drawn before she had been unplugged. A tear rolled down her cheek and landed on the paper. She wiped it away. She took out a pencil and drew Neo's eyes. She smiled. She looked down at the picture. Another tear fell on the paper and she wiped it away. She closed her eyes and remembered what it had been like with him. She didn't regret being unplugged. She didn't regret leaving her home and comfortable life. She didn't regret anything she had done. She didn't regret it because she had done it all to save herself so that she can save others. She put her pencil down and ran her fingers over the paper. It was old and wrinkled. She stared at it. Neo's eyes stared back at her. She got up and opened the door. As she did, she turned the lights off. She closed the door behind her and locked it.
THE END
Chapter 19
The source landed a punch across Neo's face. Some blood flew out of his mouth and landed on the brown dirt. Neo wiped it away and glared at the source.
"Pitiful. But, after all, you are only human," the source said. "I should kill you now, but I'm curious to see how powerful this anomaly really is." He looked down at them. He stared into Neo's eyes.
"You bastard," Nep spit at him. The source laughed.
"You see!? That is what separates the humans from the machines. That is what separates you from me. The humans' abilities to feel and make a choice. Emotion versus reality," the source said arrogantly. "It is the very thing that destroyed the humans and allowed the machines to win." He smiled evilly. Neo punched him. His fist connected with the source's face with a loud smack. He was momentarily surprised. Then, he smirked at him.
The moon poked its silvery face out from behind the clouds on the hazy blue sky. The sky turned darker and darker. Little stars twinkled behind the smokescreen of clouds. Sydney watched as they flew up into the sky, fighting. Neo took quite a beating, but he wasn't going to quit yet. She ran and jumped up the tree. She climbed through the branches until she reached the very top. Her eyes were riveted with attention on them. She watched the source as he blocked all of Neo's attacks, as if it were nothing.
"I am getting bored of this. It's time to end this," the source said. He whipped his cloak aside and drew out a long dagger. He thrust it into Neo's direction. He managed to jump away. He grabbed the source's arm and threw his hand up. It hit the elbow, which made a horrible crackling noise. Then, Neo twisted around and flipped the source over his shoulder. He grabbed the dagger and in one smooth movement, plunged the dagger into the source's chest. The source looked up at Neo in surprise.
A black, silvery liquid started to spread out from the dagger. It crawled up to the source's head and all over his body. He gasped for air as the liquid consumed him. It covered him completely. It hardened and then crumbled into dust. A soft warm breeze blew the dust away. Suddenly, Neo fell to the ground. Sydney clambered down the tree and ran to him. Her hand brushed against his stomach. It was bloody.
"Oh, God...," she said. She looked down and saw a wound on his stomach. She quickly pressed her hands on it. It was bleeding severely. The dagger had slashed across his abdomen. A gentle rain started to fall on them. The light raindrops hit Sydney's face and shoulders. The rain slowly washed away the blood.
Then, Neo started to evapourate. His legs and feet disappeared. Soon, his whole body was gone. Sydney was left kneeling on the ground, in the rain. Suddenly, the same thing started happening to her. Her feet disappeared first. Then, her legs and an invisible cloth started to cover her body. Soon, her whole body was gone and her head was left. Soon, she disappeared altogether.
Sydney woke up, screaming. She found herself on the platform again. She found herself staring into the machine's red glowing eyes. The platform slowly descended back to the ground. The eyes glowed more intensely for a second. Then, the glowing slowly fading away. She remembered Neo and looked over at him. He was lying still. Trinity ran up to him. She spotted the wound and started to press on it.
Neo reached up with a hand and stroked her face. Sydney stood up weakly and watched them. She wanted to help, but she recognized their love for each other and left them alone. Morpheus and the rest ran up to her.
"Are you alright?" Morpheus asked her.
"I am. Neo isn't," she said, pointing at him. Trinity looked pleadingly into Neo's eyes. Sydney glanced over at them. The wound was still bleeding. Neo whispered something to Trinity. She looked over at Sydney and back at Neo. Then, she motioned Sydney to come over. Sydney kneeled down beside him.
"Neo..." she said softly. He opened his eyes, but barely. He smiled weakly. His wound was open and bleeding severely. Sydney put all the pressure she could onto it. He groaned in pain.
"It's okay...It's okay. Please don't die," Sydney pleaded.
"Hey...we all have to die some time, don't we?" Neo said, trying to smile. But, he grimaced in pain. He wanted to get up, but Sydney pushed him back down. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an old, very faded piece of folded paper. He handed it to her. Sydney took it with her bloody hands.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Now, you can finish it. Because it's over," he said. He closed his eyes.
"Neo? Neo?" Sydney whispered. She didn't want to realize the truth. She couldn't. It couldn't be true. She closed her eyes as the tears streamed down her face. As soon as the others heard her wailing, they knew. They stood there, dumbly stunned. Trinity ran to Neo and picked his head up with her hands. She kissed his cheek and softly cried. They sat there, both crying.
Sydney stared at the ground, trying to stop the tears that were forcing their way to come out. She sniffed and lifted her head up, trying to look collected.
"...We shall remember him always, for he is the One and the one who saved us all. We shall remember you, Neo," Councilman Hamaan said mournfully. Several people stepped up to the cold stone table that Neo was laid on. They laid flowers on him. Little children tried to reach up and dared each other to poke him. Sydney walked up after everyone was gone and laid the flower on him. She stared at his face sadly. His face was pale and blank. Trinity walked up to him and kissed his cold lips. Then, she stepped back. One of the other Council members stepped up and lit Neo's body on fire. Sydney stared as the flames licked the air greedily.
That night, Sydney sat in her home in Zion. She lay down on her cot and rolled over onto her side. She heard a small crackling noise. She sat up and reached into her pocket. She pulled out the piece of paper Neo had given her. It was stained with blood from her hands when she had taken it. She walked back to desk and unfolded it. It was the picture of Neo she had drawn before she had been unplugged. A tear rolled down her cheek and landed on the paper. She wiped it away. She took out a pencil and drew Neo's eyes. She smiled. She looked down at the picture. Another tear fell on the paper and she wiped it away. She closed her eyes and remembered what it had been like with him. She didn't regret being unplugged. She didn't regret leaving her home and comfortable life. She didn't regret anything she had done. She didn't regret it because she had done it all to save herself so that she can save others. She put her pencil down and ran her fingers over the paper. It was old and wrinkled. She stared at it. Neo's eyes stared back at her. She got up and opened the door. As she did, she turned the lights off. She closed the door behind her and locked it.
THE END