Horror-struck, Trinity could only stare at Neo as he gazed at her, his eyes
full of intense pain.
"Neo. Neo!" She crawled over to him, cradled his head in her arms. He choked, a drop of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and looked up at her, eyes trying to convey a last message, as they fluttered, and closed. Trinity's mind was recoiling, horror and terror engulfing her mind. This couldn't be.
Neo couldn't be dead.
"Neo" she whispered. He lay still.
"NEO!!!!"
END MINDSCAPE Rain began falling. It was heavy, soaking quickly into the stones and drains of the alley. Runnels and currents began flowing, following the gradient of the slope as they ran in streams to the gutter, bringing with them debris of leaves and rubbish, nature and man. Streams diverted around the still, crumpled form of a woman, eyes open, sprawled on the street. Her pale skin was burned scarlet by the harsh sun, for a night and day she had lain there. And she continued to lie there, rain collecting in her eyelashes, running down her face, washing the dried blood of her wounds away to reveal the injury still fresh, as though forged not a moment before.
And in her mind, Trinity was slowly, surely, being destroyed.
* * *
Neo felt an odd pang of fear as he faced the Oracle's door. What would she tell them? He glanced sideways at Morpheus, broad and commanding, as he knocked sharply, and then stepped back. Morpheus had been extremely quiet since they had first lost Trinity in the Matrix. He had not said anything, but Neo knew he was missing Trinity deeply, and hoping desperately for her survival. Trinity was the longest-standing member of Morpheus's crew, and one of his oldest friends, almost like a daughter. Without Trinity, the old crew of the Nebuchadnezzar would truly be dead.
The door was opened by one of the Oracle's potentials, who ushered them into the kitchen. The Oracles was not baking her trademark cookies, or baking with a child. Instead, she stood at the window, puffing angrily at a cigarette, her oven cold.
"I know why you're here" she said, back to them as she continued to look out the window. Neo and Morpheus exchanged a glance - this was decidedly uncharacteristic of the Oracle. Sighing, she turned abruptly to face them, forcefully stubbing out her cigarette in a nearby ashtray.
"Well. Let's not beat around the bush" she looked at Neo. "You are here because Trinity has been lost somewhere in the Matrix, am I right?" Neo gave her a calculating look.
"Yes"
Her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, kiddo, I truly am. This was not meant to happen. This was not part of your purpose, and I'm sorry for that. For you." Neo was silent. He wasn't sure he liked where this conversation might head.
"Can you tell me where she is? What happened to her?"
The Oracle sat heavily down at the kitchen table, lighting a fresh cigarette. "Her mind program was hacked by a program called the Man. At the present she is lying somewhere within the Matrix, exposed, whilst in the Man plays mind games with her. He traps people in their worst nightmare, until they cannot be sure of fantasy or reality. It is a deadly situation for you, Neo."
"Me? Why, me?"
"Because trapped in her mind Trinity may not know you, or what she's doing, and you may find yourself in a dangerous situation. You are the One. Are you willing to risk your life, and as such the fate of the world, the fate of the war between man and machine?"
Neo was becoming angry. "Yes. If Trinity-" but he couldn't bear to say it and abruptly, turned and left the room, leaving Morpheus and the Oracle facing each other across the table.
"My apologies" said Morpheus, removing his glasses and sitting down at the table opposite the Oracle
"They are deeply in love, those two. I see that love may be the key to the fate of us all, in times to come." Her face was shadowed.
"I hope that fate will not be the destruction of all"
"Neo. Neo!" She crawled over to him, cradled his head in her arms. He choked, a drop of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and looked up at her, eyes trying to convey a last message, as they fluttered, and closed. Trinity's mind was recoiling, horror and terror engulfing her mind. This couldn't be.
Neo couldn't be dead.
"Neo" she whispered. He lay still.
"NEO!!!!"
END MINDSCAPE Rain began falling. It was heavy, soaking quickly into the stones and drains of the alley. Runnels and currents began flowing, following the gradient of the slope as they ran in streams to the gutter, bringing with them debris of leaves and rubbish, nature and man. Streams diverted around the still, crumpled form of a woman, eyes open, sprawled on the street. Her pale skin was burned scarlet by the harsh sun, for a night and day she had lain there. And she continued to lie there, rain collecting in her eyelashes, running down her face, washing the dried blood of her wounds away to reveal the injury still fresh, as though forged not a moment before.
And in her mind, Trinity was slowly, surely, being destroyed.
* * *
Neo felt an odd pang of fear as he faced the Oracle's door. What would she tell them? He glanced sideways at Morpheus, broad and commanding, as he knocked sharply, and then stepped back. Morpheus had been extremely quiet since they had first lost Trinity in the Matrix. He had not said anything, but Neo knew he was missing Trinity deeply, and hoping desperately for her survival. Trinity was the longest-standing member of Morpheus's crew, and one of his oldest friends, almost like a daughter. Without Trinity, the old crew of the Nebuchadnezzar would truly be dead.
The door was opened by one of the Oracle's potentials, who ushered them into the kitchen. The Oracles was not baking her trademark cookies, or baking with a child. Instead, she stood at the window, puffing angrily at a cigarette, her oven cold.
"I know why you're here" she said, back to them as she continued to look out the window. Neo and Morpheus exchanged a glance - this was decidedly uncharacteristic of the Oracle. Sighing, she turned abruptly to face them, forcefully stubbing out her cigarette in a nearby ashtray.
"Well. Let's not beat around the bush" she looked at Neo. "You are here because Trinity has been lost somewhere in the Matrix, am I right?" Neo gave her a calculating look.
"Yes"
Her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, kiddo, I truly am. This was not meant to happen. This was not part of your purpose, and I'm sorry for that. For you." Neo was silent. He wasn't sure he liked where this conversation might head.
"Can you tell me where she is? What happened to her?"
The Oracle sat heavily down at the kitchen table, lighting a fresh cigarette. "Her mind program was hacked by a program called the Man. At the present she is lying somewhere within the Matrix, exposed, whilst in the Man plays mind games with her. He traps people in their worst nightmare, until they cannot be sure of fantasy or reality. It is a deadly situation for you, Neo."
"Me? Why, me?"
"Because trapped in her mind Trinity may not know you, or what she's doing, and you may find yourself in a dangerous situation. You are the One. Are you willing to risk your life, and as such the fate of the world, the fate of the war between man and machine?"
Neo was becoming angry. "Yes. If Trinity-" but he couldn't bear to say it and abruptly, turned and left the room, leaving Morpheus and the Oracle facing each other across the table.
"My apologies" said Morpheus, removing his glasses and sitting down at the table opposite the Oracle
"They are deeply in love, those two. I see that love may be the key to the fate of us all, in times to come." Her face was shadowed.
"I hope that fate will not be the destruction of all"