The Matrix: Reverberations
09/02/25
The Bethany's keeping on course. I've run all the checks twice, although I only needed to do it once, and there's not much left to do: think and watch for Machine City's metallic gleam.
I used to ask new recruits why they joined the military. It was always a variation of the same idea: to protect Zion and keep the peace. All of them knew someone missing one or more limbs, someone who woke drenched in sweat, someone who'd never come back, someone who'd lost a baby, a child, siblings, parents; all could recall more names of dead relatives than living ones.
When I was asked, I gave the same reason. When he was present, Webb used to nod in approval. But my foster parents didn't wake with nightmares. I guessed, that they'd never talk about their own families was deliberate: the fewer people who knew about me, the better.
And what does peace actually mean? All the Truce seems to have achieved is that humans and machines live in mutually exclusive zones, which satisfies the cessation of war part of the definition. But have we really learnt anything from the War? If miracles happen and I do get the terms of the Truce, what will the Council do with it?
Webb's final words stick in my mind, "Auf wiedersehen." I wasn't paying much attention at the time, but now I think about it, why not simply say goodbye? Does he really think he's going to see me again? Webb taught me that before the War people spoke different languages but the War brought about uniformity. He also taught me a smattering of phrases from some of the different languages. Some of them I recognised: I guess some phrases just got assimilated.
I look inside my locket. I suspect my journey will end in death: how can it otherwise? After all, if the Machines see that the Truce is working, why would they want to give up the terms? Once the terms are known the Council might start re-negotiations - or worse.
Trinity knew she'd die and she wasn't much older than I am. And Neo? What did he know? Perhaps blinded and in pain, one last heroic mission made sense. She could have plotted the course and left him on the Logos alone, but she effectively chose suicide. Maybe she sensed his doubt and knew that's what it would take to push him through with it. Morpheus believed, she acted, and Neo? Neo gave them something to believe in.
I can see Machine City in the distance. It's dark but there are sparks of light and the shadows alter, suggesting movement. They live in the same atmosphere that we do. We equated Neo and Trinity not coming back with their deaths, the withdrawl of the Machines with Truce, but I briefly wonder if Neo and Trinity are still here.
Machine City's radar will pick me up at any moment. The first test will be how the Sentinels behave. The Bethany is unarmed. I think of the Lazarus story: essentially a sister believed Jesus could raise her brother from the dead and, once he saw her faith, he did. Jesus didn't make rules, he told lots of stories and left his audience thinking about how they'd act in that situation: would they have buried their talents? Would they have walked on by? Would they unload their riches to get through the eye of the needle? No, Jesus did make one rule: love your neighbour. And that's probably the hardest to follow.
I snap my locket shut. Webb had shown me the records that appeared to prove it. But records can be faked. Even if the records were true, it still seems too incredible. How am I supposed to feel any connection to two people whose stories no one can fully tell me? How did they feel as they'd realised they'd made it to Machine City?
Sentinels: search and destroy machines. I can sense them before the radar picks them up. I'm in sight of a landing stage. If I had an EMP, I'd make it. But now, it's a race: me and them. As I switch The Bethany to manual control, I tell myself there will be a tomorrow.