Since my brain wasn't working much as I wrote this, Tor is basically
getting freed the same way as Neo. (
This is probably the last chapter for a few sections that will be in
Toriye's POV.
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Tori felt the air go out of her lungs. Two ideas levitated in her suspicious in mind. Either... these people were telling the truth and the pills were symbols of some kind or, they were drug-lords.
"What are they?" she asked. The man looked at the back of the box then turned it so it faced him again.
"Do you have any idea what the Matrix is?" he asked. His eyes raised to her. Tori had half known he wouldn't answer.
"It's a computer program." She said. "I don't know what for though... government use?" The words came out before she knew what a stupid suggestion that was. Glance gave an amused smile that didn't fit his stony features.
"Half wrong." The man in the chair said. He looked at Glance. "Go. Get us online." He said. Glance nodded. He looked at Tori momentarily and then left through the doors. Tori looked at the man.
"What do they call you?" she asked,
"Snake." He said, looking directly at her.
"You got a forked tongue?" Tori asked sarcastically. Snake's unemotional face bore no sign of annoyance.
"You want to know?" he asked. She glared at him for a moment and then nodded. "The Matrix is a computer program. No one can be directly told what it is." Tori ran her tongue along her teeth. That wasn't what she'd expected to hear. "Victoria..." he began.
"They call me Tori." Tori said. "I'm not Victoria any more." She corrected. Snake nodded once and leaned back in the chair.
"Tori then... I want you to think. What if someone told you one day the shoes you are wearing aren't really shoes. They're a carefully written computer program designed to be worn on your feet."
Tori stifled a snort. This was ridiculous.
"I say fuck that..." she replied. Snake seemed to smile without moving a muscle. Tori needed a cigarette.
"Now... imagine. What if they said that about all your clothes? What if they said that about the air you breathe? What about if they said the very life you were living was written for the sole purpose of playing your mind about like a hungry animal?" he said, teeth gritted. Tori's eyes narrowed... he wasn't kidding.
"Is that the Matrix?" she asked. "Life is a computer program?" Snake picked the small box up again.
"Almost." He said.
"Then what are you?" she asked. Snake looked up from the box.
"Hackers..." He opened the box and took something out. "If you want to join us... I can show you the lie you've been living in a new light. I can restart your life as it was meant to be." He said. He put out his hands, showing her the blue pill again. "If you take the blue, you can wake up from this dream. You can go back to your pizza-toting job and your 'regular' life. But..." he showed her the red pill. "You take the red one, you can come with us and we can show you, not just notify you of, the Matrix."
Tori stared at the two pills in his hands. Did she want to go back to her regular life? She hadn't been planning to. Her stuff was probably gone already, her mother's journal was burnt and Bug was probably spreading even more rumors about her. She felt a tear leak down her cheek. She didn't want this life... she hated running from her original life, drinking until she couldn't feel the pain of existence, getting high until she couldn't remember anything. She reached for the red pill, not having to think twice.
"Welcome." Snake said. He handed her a glass of water from the table. Tori swallowed the pill dryly and nodded, wiping the tear away. "Follow me." He got up and she did the same. They went through the doors where the others had exited.
The room was filled with computers, all flashing diagrams of strange buildings and schematics.
"Sit down." Snake said, gesturing to a chair. Tori did so. Abry began to place readers on her skin. "Are we online?" Snake asked Glance. He picked up a phone and placed it on a current. The receiver hummed quietly. Glance nodded, and typed something up on a screen.
"What's happening?" Tori asked, but Abry did not reply.
"Coordinates?" Snake asked.
"Got them..." Lara said quietly. Tori was surprised to hear her speak.
"Would someone please tell me-" Tori said, but as she twisted her head something caught her eye. There was a mirror that she hadn't noticed before. Despite the fact that it was just a dusty, cracked old mirror it was by far the strangest thing she'd seen since the messages from SecondSight on her screen.
Tori glanced back at the group, but they seemed to be busy at their monitors. She looked back at the mirror as it began to mend itself. The broken glass became liquid-like and melted into the cracks until the sheet of glass had been fixed. Tori reached out of finger and touched the pane. The metallic substance stuck to her fingers as she pulled it away.
"What is-" she started, looking at the others. They looked back, not speaking. She felt the melted glass begin to course down her arm, goose bumps pricking on her arm. She tried to look at their faces, but they seemed to be blurring. The cold was so intense that she couldn't keep her thoughts straight anymore.
It trickled up her neck, encircling her gave until it spilled onto her cheeks and forehead. It moved closer and closer until she felt it cover her nose, her lips and move into mouth. She let out a scream but all that came out was a high, bubbling cry like a malfunctioning machine.
Tori felt the air go out of her lungs. Two ideas levitated in her suspicious in mind. Either... these people were telling the truth and the pills were symbols of some kind or, they were drug-lords.
"What are they?" she asked. The man looked at the back of the box then turned it so it faced him again.
"Do you have any idea what the Matrix is?" he asked. His eyes raised to her. Tori had half known he wouldn't answer.
"It's a computer program." She said. "I don't know what for though... government use?" The words came out before she knew what a stupid suggestion that was. Glance gave an amused smile that didn't fit his stony features.
"Half wrong." The man in the chair said. He looked at Glance. "Go. Get us online." He said. Glance nodded. He looked at Tori momentarily and then left through the doors. Tori looked at the man.
"What do they call you?" she asked,
"Snake." He said, looking directly at her.
"You got a forked tongue?" Tori asked sarcastically. Snake's unemotional face bore no sign of annoyance.
"You want to know?" he asked. She glared at him for a moment and then nodded. "The Matrix is a computer program. No one can be directly told what it is." Tori ran her tongue along her teeth. That wasn't what she'd expected to hear. "Victoria..." he began.
"They call me Tori." Tori said. "I'm not Victoria any more." She corrected. Snake nodded once and leaned back in the chair.
"Tori then... I want you to think. What if someone told you one day the shoes you are wearing aren't really shoes. They're a carefully written computer program designed to be worn on your feet."
Tori stifled a snort. This was ridiculous.
"I say fuck that..." she replied. Snake seemed to smile without moving a muscle. Tori needed a cigarette.
"Now... imagine. What if they said that about all your clothes? What if they said that about the air you breathe? What about if they said the very life you were living was written for the sole purpose of playing your mind about like a hungry animal?" he said, teeth gritted. Tori's eyes narrowed... he wasn't kidding.
"Is that the Matrix?" she asked. "Life is a computer program?" Snake picked the small box up again.
"Almost." He said.
"Then what are you?" she asked. Snake looked up from the box.
"Hackers..." He opened the box and took something out. "If you want to join us... I can show you the lie you've been living in a new light. I can restart your life as it was meant to be." He said. He put out his hands, showing her the blue pill again. "If you take the blue, you can wake up from this dream. You can go back to your pizza-toting job and your 'regular' life. But..." he showed her the red pill. "You take the red one, you can come with us and we can show you, not just notify you of, the Matrix."
Tori stared at the two pills in his hands. Did she want to go back to her regular life? She hadn't been planning to. Her stuff was probably gone already, her mother's journal was burnt and Bug was probably spreading even more rumors about her. She felt a tear leak down her cheek. She didn't want this life... she hated running from her original life, drinking until she couldn't feel the pain of existence, getting high until she couldn't remember anything. She reached for the red pill, not having to think twice.
"Welcome." Snake said. He handed her a glass of water from the table. Tori swallowed the pill dryly and nodded, wiping the tear away. "Follow me." He got up and she did the same. They went through the doors where the others had exited.
The room was filled with computers, all flashing diagrams of strange buildings and schematics.
"Sit down." Snake said, gesturing to a chair. Tori did so. Abry began to place readers on her skin. "Are we online?" Snake asked Glance. He picked up a phone and placed it on a current. The receiver hummed quietly. Glance nodded, and typed something up on a screen.
"What's happening?" Tori asked, but Abry did not reply.
"Coordinates?" Snake asked.
"Got them..." Lara said quietly. Tori was surprised to hear her speak.
"Would someone please tell me-" Tori said, but as she twisted her head something caught her eye. There was a mirror that she hadn't noticed before. Despite the fact that it was just a dusty, cracked old mirror it was by far the strangest thing she'd seen since the messages from SecondSight on her screen.
Tori glanced back at the group, but they seemed to be busy at their monitors. She looked back at the mirror as it began to mend itself. The broken glass became liquid-like and melted into the cracks until the sheet of glass had been fixed. Tori reached out of finger and touched the pane. The metallic substance stuck to her fingers as she pulled it away.
"What is-" she started, looking at the others. They looked back, not speaking. She felt the melted glass begin to course down her arm, goose bumps pricking on her arm. She tried to look at their faces, but they seemed to be blurring. The cold was so intense that she couldn't keep her thoughts straight anymore.
It trickled up her neck, encircling her gave until it spilled onto her cheeks and forehead. It moved closer and closer until she felt it cover her nose, her lips and move into mouth. She let out a scream but all that came out was a high, bubbling cry like a malfunctioning machine.