Neo paced up and down the narrow hallway of the Nebuchadnezzer, Solace's words weighing on his mind like a lead block. She'd sworn him to secrecy, which was probably the worst part about it. He wanted to talk to someone, anyone, just to make sure that he'd told her the right thing. Just to make sure that he was doing the right thing and shouldn't call down the Elders on her to end whatever experiment she was running and drag her back to Zion. Which, actually, wasn't such a bad idea. She looked strung out and worn out, as though she needed a vacation. Maybe a rest from the Matrix wasn't such a bad idea.

Except that it was probably the separation from the Agent that was killing her... and Neo shook his head, wincing at the very idea. In love! With an Agent!! It was enough to make him think in capital letters and more exclamation points than was safe.

"You're going to wear a hole in the deck," Trinity remarked as he passed her for the umpteenth time.

"Just thinking..."

"About what? You've been pacing for the last half hour."

Neo sighed, stopped, and sat down opposite Trinity. "That's the problem. I told ... the person I wouldn't tell anyone. It's sort of an ... embarrassing problem, I guess."

Trinity frowned. This was something new. "Embarrassing?

"I don't think it's dangerous... but it is kind of frustrating... for the person." Neo stumbled around the edges of the details. He wanted to talk to Trinity, but...

"Neo, what's going on?"

"Nothing to worry about..." I think, he added mentally.

"But it's obviously worrying you."

He tried to laugh it away. "Not because of anything dangerous. I'm just worried about her, that's all..." Neo winced. He hadn't meant that one to slip out.

"Her... Solace? Because she didn't come down to dinner the other night."

Neo nodded miserably. "She told me what was going on... with her. It's complicated..." he chuckled wryly, amusement he didn't exactly feel. "She's managed to do the impossible, though. I think. She thinks... we're not sure."

Trinity watched him flounder for words and finally concluded that it was some sort of female problem that Neo didn't know how to describe. It wouldn't be the first time. For all that he was The One (or at least, for all intents and purposes) he was still a human being. And an adorably clueless one at that. "Do you want me to talk to her?"

Neo looked up at her. His expression was not relieved in the slightest. Maybe it wasn't some obscure female thing. "If you think you can help... please. I don't know if there is an answer to this one, though."

Trinity nodded slowly, wondering what she'd gotten herself into.

"She's in her room..." Neo called as the woman climbed down the hatchway to the crew quarters. It wasn't very hard to guess. Solace had been in her room a lot lately.

"Solace..."

"Trinity."

Trinity paused. That voice was definitely strained. "May I come in?"

Long pause. "Sure."

Trinity walked in. Solace was lying curled up on the bed, fetal, arms wrapped around her pillow like a lover. The older woman took a deep breath. This was going to be more difficult than she'd thought.

"So, I hear you've done the impossible?"

Solace sat up instantly, eyes flashing. "Neo told you..."

"No," Trinity held up her hands hastily. "No, he didn't tell me anything except that he was worried about you and that you'd done something impossible. He didn't say what that something was."

"Oh..." she slumped back on the bed, back into her attitude of hopelessness.

"Solace, what's going on? You've been listless and depressed ever since you ended that experiment of yours... the one you still won't talk to anyone about." As though Solace could or would forget, but still.

The younger woman sighed and leaned against a wall. She seemed to be considering her options, and Trinity hoped she would consider telling her what was going on. But then, when Solace finally did tell her, she almost wished she hadn't asked.

"I'm in love with an Agent."

Beat.

"You're what?"

"You heard me."

Trinity had to sit down before her knees gave way. The revelation was not only unexpected, it was shocking. Neo had been right; she had done the impossible. Well, not entirely. It was possible, if improbable, that a human Resistance member would fall in love with an Agent. Improbable, hell, the idea was unthinkable. Except, it seemed, to Solace. She had thought it. She had done it. But the impossible...

"And what does this Agent think about this?"

It was barely a whisper. "He doesn't know."

"Are you sure?"

Pause. "No."

Trinity expelled a deep breath and tried to focus her thoughts. It was still difficult to... "How do you think he feels?" She had to fight just to get the words out. Logic and common sense almost wouldn't let her say it. Solace didn't answer for a few minutes, and Trinity couldn't blame her.

"He .. I don't know. He hasn't said anything. He kissed me... once..."

"Before or after he found out you were Resistance?"

"Before. He only found out a couple days before I ended... the experiment." Solace took a huge, shuddering breath.

"And before that?"

"I don't know. It was just the one kiss."

It was quiet for a minute. Trinity couldn't help it, couldn't look away, and was worried about the answer. "But that's not it, is it?"

"No..." Solace was quiet so long that Trinity thought she wasn't going to explain. Finally she did. "It started out benign enough. I talked. I pushed buttons, as many as I could without being abrasive or tetchy. I tried to make him think... and more than that, to make him react instinctively, to feel. It ... I wasn't sure, at first. I know I was making him think... and, really, it was the same things I was wondering. What, really, is the difference between us and them. If they're designed by us, then how can they be anything but like us? Do they really have the capacity to evolve that far? Because it sure doesn't look like it."

Trinity blinked. She knew Morpheus had to know about this... he'd signed off on the project, after all. But she'd had no idea that it stemmed from what nearly amounted to heresy. And yet, what Solace was saying made sense.

"We met in the park... well, the kind-of park. Virtual park. Whatever... he thought I was a free-thinking reporter, and I pretended to assume he was part of a government agency. We talked about a lot of stuff... I started to make friends even in the Matrix. After a while I even introduced him to some of them. And then... I don't know what happened. A bunch of guys jumped me in the park one day... and if he hadn't been there I'd probably be dead now. He saved my life... the next few days, though. It was just... weird."

Trinity swallowed, licked her lips, tried to unstick her throat so she could speak. Tried to wrap her mind around the concept. "What happened?"

"We had a fight. A big one. Actually, more like a lot of fights strung together. I was nervous, scared, and ... well, you know what I'm like when I get scared." They exchanged wry grins. "He didn't know what to do with me. But for the first time, it seemed like he was ... experiencing emotions. I mean, he already was... look at how much he hates the humans. But it seemed like he was feeling something else, like he was worrying about me. After that it was a lot easier... things just progressed, I guess.

I think he started to look forward to our walks in the park... and we started to go other places. The zoo, the botanical gardens. Museums. One night I took him to the park, where a bunch of us were hanging out, burning fires in trashcans, dancing around, playing instruments. He seemed like he was actually relaxing. It was unbelievable. And... I don't know. It seemed like we could spend hours together, just talking..."

Solace trailed off, and Trinity shivered. And it wasn't because of the usual low temperatures of the Neb. The look in the younger woman's eyes was a lot like the look in Trinity's eyes when she'd first hooked up with Neo... only less bitter, less jaded. The Agent, she supposed, was jaded enough for both of them. Assuming he had enough of an individualistic personality to be jaded. The only one she had encountered like that was Smith. And Neo had killed him... if an Agent could be killed. But did Solace actually think something was going to happen? Did she actually think this could work?

"Solace... what are you planning to do about it?"

Mis-matched eyes blinked at her as though she'd been speaking a foreign language. "Do about it? What can I do about it?"

"I don't know," Trinity admitted. "But there has to be something. Sol, you haven't come out of your room in two weeks except to take your duties and eat. And we have to drag you to the single cell..."

They laughed. Solace made a face. "It's single cell. What do you expect? It has the consistency of snot and the taste of damp cardboard."

"I think damp cardboard tastes better." Trinity laughed. "Hey, at least you're making jokes."

Solace lay back again. "I'm not as bad as it seems. Really. I just... can you imagine talking about this to anyone? Neo knows... how's he taking it, anyway?"

"He's confused. I am too, honestly. But he's taking it pretty good. He's worried about you."

Solace looked a little ashamed. "He found me at a bad point... it's gotten better since then. And it's not really something I can talk to anyone about except Morpheus... and now you two, I guess... but can you really see going to Morpheus with that sort of problem?"

Trinity could, and had. But Solace, who didn't know Morpheus as well, probably wouldn't think so. "Yeah... I see your point."

A couple tears began to trickle their way down her face. Solace wasn't as composed as she wanted Trinity to think. "Besides. I miss him."

Miss an Agent. The only time Trinity had ever heard those words before had been when they were talking about with bullets. "But you're out of the Matrix. You're unplugged."

"Yeah. And worse, I'm Resistance. The very thing he was created to fight against. Romeo and Juliet, only worse. Two species, both alike in dignity."

Indignity was right. Visions of robot nookie swam through Trinity's head. "There has to be something you can do about it..."

"Well, Neo suggested going to see the Oracle."

Trinity blinked. The possibility hadn't even occurred to her. "It's a good idea."

"Yeah. Yes, it is. And I'm probably going to go... as soon as I can get up the nerve to ask Morpheus..." Solace smiled weakly.

With a cracking of knees and another deep sigh, Trinity stood up. "I'll talk to Morpheus, if you want. You probably should go see the Oracle... if for no other reason than to get her take on the whole thing. And... Sol, honey... you are going to have to tell Morpheus sometime."

Solace nodded, looking miserable and crying quietly again. It didn't show in her voice, though. "I know. I'll talk to him after I see what the Oracle has to say."

As incomprehensible as she found the whole situation, Solace was still like a sister to Trinity, at least most of the time. She enfolded the younger woman in a strong hug. "It'll be okay, honey. It'll all be okay, just give it time."