"Sometimes you have to do things no one else wants to."
"Sometimes you must take the tasks others are afraid of."
"Sometimes you need to make others see."
"Sometimes you simply breathe." Her voice came back to her softly, each echo building on the last. Timeless in it's design, the simulated landscape made her understand better the minds of those who could not bear to go back into the false world. Outside, the cold would bite at her skin, the wind tangle in her hair, the animals hide from her sight. She took a step out, face lighting with a smile at the intricacies.
"I'll miss the winter." She sang, remembering that she had heard the song inside on a recent mission.
"A world of fragile things." The girl who had been listening to it had died. They had failed.
"Look for me in the white forest." Taking a red pill was dangerous.
"Hiding in a hollow tree, come find me." Something moved, she looked left.
"I know you hear me." Her feet stilled, the smile falling as her eyes gained focus.
"I can taste it in your tears." Cutting the last note short, she followed the shadow.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Morpheus, she's been in there a long time."
"Link, she is a seasoned warrior, she knows her limits."
"Sir, her vitals are starting to fall."
"How much?"
"Not enough to really worry. But she's cold."
"What do you mean?"
"Morpheus!" His voice was choked.
"Yes Neo?"
"Something's wrong with Trinity."
"What?"
"She's cold, her hands, her face, even her hair."
"I see. Link, I think it's time we brought her back."
"Sir, the timer is still going."
"Then something is out of place."
"I'll go in."
"No Neo, she'll be all right."
"Ok, I'll get some blankets then."
"Good idea." The two dark men turned back the screens and made adjustments, keeping her safe.
"He isn't going to fight you on this?"
"He is making another plan." The Operator cast a glance at the captain's face. Nothing was revealed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Operator."
"Link, how much time do I have left?"
"About ten minutes or so."
"Bring me out now." Protocol needed to be followed.
"Sure, are you ready?"
"Yes."
"All right, I'll see you in the Real World." She hung up, waiting for the cold to vanish. Slowly the world disintegrated, a very different occurrence to normal. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. They became heavy, leaden, sticky. She was tired. A yawn forced her lips apart and she opened her weighted lids to see the face of Neo above her. Frowning, she tilted her head slightly to the side, the fabric brushing against her ear.
"You failed to distance yourself from the program entirely. Your body felt the cold."
"Are you sure it isn't the heating unit?" She retorted, sitting up once the jack was removed.
"Yes."
"Did anyone re-route power from the lower decks?"
"I did, to get the screens up so we could double check the location." The Op was unaffected.
"That's the problem, the heating unit doesn't work unless you turn it off before changing flow."
"Then why are you the only one cold?" Neo asked, slightly confused.
"Because I wasn't moving so I wasn't generating heat. I'll be fine, there's nothing wrong with the program."
"I don't believe that."
"Why?"
"Because it wasn't just your skin Trinity, it was all of you, you were freezing."
"Neo, that's not true."
"Then explain this." He raised her hand to her hair.
"Jesus."
"See Trinity, I know something's wrong."
"No, there is nothing wrong with the program. There is nothing wrong with anything." She left.
"Trinity?" His face contracted into a mask of confusion but he didn't get the chance to discover the truth, the timer revealing that they had little time to prepare as it was. And all three going in had to be entirely alert. Mind focused more on the task he wanted to complete; the One felt the warm liquid run down his hand. There was a small trickle, nothing more. But as he went to wipe it clean, nothing was beneath his fingers. Cold dread seeped into his bones and he clearly remembered her words from so long ago. 'It happens when they change something.' He shook his head. The Matrix had not effect on the Real World. The memory of cold black hair ran across his palm, reminding him he lied. The two were irrevocably intertwined and he had the momentous task of untangling them. Starting with the Keymaker.
~*~
A/N: Sorry I took so long, again. But here is the next chapter. Just a note to make you think while you watch the movies, if the Keymaker was called something else, would Morpheus have said, "They are guarding all the doors, they are holding all the keys."?
Cinn: Con-tin-ue is a good word, I'd love a list of the stupid characters in order and if you hadn't figured out that Trinity was mad when Persephone kissed Neo, you're missing something. There's a line that the Merovingian says in Revs that fits perfectly with her being so crazy as to jump out a window and try to shoot an Agent, but I can't remember what it was. Never mind, I'll know when I see it again. Hope you liked.
Da Buffster: Hello! I rule the world and you can't! It's as simple as this, I am the Protectress of Dalidon. Until such a time as I return to Dalidon, I rule this world and keep it semi-safe from evil, unless I really can't be bothered and I need to write another chapter on my stories. Got it? Good. You can rule rambles, I don't want them. I need an attention span, that way I remember what Lou was talking about in Form and Function last class (that's horse anatomy btw). Second person is cool! I meant chapter 8, but I got confused somewhere. I bet I look much more evil in my black crushed velvet hooded cloak than you do in your hooded jumper. Mind you I can scare people just by looking over my glasses and smiling. I'd love to read the stones idea, sounds interesting… I'll send you another reply for Melody because I have a new chapter for that too. Yay!
SeleneZana: I'm guessing you mean 'Behind Her Melody'. That's my fav at the moment, since I am singer. I meddle with melodies but they're just for fun. I like to make people think, which is why I love this story because the reader has to think, I'm not telling them what they see. Neo is a little harder in Revs and I felt such a loss when I saw that side of him die. I wish he could just stay his Reloaded Real World self forever. I hope this update met with your expectations.
Divamercury: I'm getting better and the story is reaching a sort of end soon so I think that it won't be too far away when I post the last chapter. I crossed the point of no return and I refuse to take this slowly now, things have to move along. When I get to see Reloaded again, I'll definitely be on the way to finishing. I hope you get better and that this chapter makes you smile.
Trineo4life: What do you think she's up to now? Was she up to anything in the first place? What do you think?
Angeline: Go to Register and sign up as an author, follow the prompts and I can't wait to see what you put up first! Don't be jealous, be envious, it's much healthier. That way you can work towards getting your desire. Jealousy is specific, envy is wider, like wanting to write my story, for example, and wanting to a good story of your own. Hope you enjoyed!
Sci-freak GrodySpork: I saw you on the Hardline the other day and I was like, 'Yay!' Sorry, just thought I'd put that in. Trinity is fun to write, it's much more interesting if she has emotions. What did you think of this chapter?
Trinity Euthilrin: Hiya! Glad to see what I think is a new reviewer! Please forgive me if I'm wrong. I'm so glad you like my story. I've written a lot of Matrix stories, but my personal favourites are "To find a Traitor", "Behind her melody" and either "Bring him home" or "Bring him back", the last is the prose version of the song fic. I'd love to hear from you on any of my stories. I hope I don't disappoint. And you are very welcome for the stories, I want to thank you for taking the trouble to review. Thank you!