Protector Ch 91

It was the familiar white hallway that they were walking through, but there was something again that nagged at her, something that told her this was different. Seraph led them urgently down the hallway and suddenly stopped at a door. He picked out a key from his sleeve and opened the door to the Oracle's apartment, which they all piled into. Seraph locked the door behind them.

"It is not safe here anymore," he repeated after returning the key to his sleeve, "You should not all be here."

"We're not going to," Zandra replied, "This is our last visit."

Seraph nodded and gestured for them to sit down. "The Oracle will be here in a moment. If you need to see Neo, he can be summoned."

Now Zandra nodded. "I need to talk to him first." Seraph gestured for her to get up, and started to lead her into another room in the apartment. Shade moved to get up as well, but Seraph gestured for him to sit back down. Zandra paused, looked to Seraph, and addressed her comrades.

"Trim, Shade, stay in here. I'll try to hurry."

Seraph led her into another room. It was bare, and there was a plain wooden door in the middle of the wall. Seraph knocked three times, and pulled out another key. It again was dark inside, and Zandra could hear the rush of air once the door opened. He gestured for her to go inside, and closed the door after her.

"Hey kids," the Oracle greeted as she sauntered into the living room. Trim and Shade looked to her expectantly.

"Trim, honey, I think Seraph wants you to help him with security," she said, gesturing to the far room where Seraph still stood. "If you can help him out, huh?"

Trim nodded silently and jumped off the couch towards the room. Once he was gone, the Oracle went and sat next to Shade.

"How ya feelin', kiddo?" she asked. Shade didn't say anything for a moment, but then replied with a quiet, "okay, I guess."

"You really have nothing to worry about, kid," she told him, putting a maternal hand on his and wiggling it reassuringly. "Everything will take care of itself, for now."

Shade smiled weakly and moved his hands a little. The Oracle was unconvinced.

"Really, Shade, you've got to understand," she started, "Zandra's not the only one in this battle. She's gonna need help, just like everyone else."

Shade was quiet, following her words.

"Zandra needs to know that you're gonna be there for her. And if you don't firm up and let her know how you feel," she said, knocking him on the shoulder, "She's gonna have a hard time fighting for you."

"What do I have to do?" he finally asked. He kept feeling like he was fighting in the dark, and it was just now beginning to overwhelm him.

"Just tell her you're there for her. You're gonna have to be there for her, or things won't go well."

Shade looked to her questioningly, but she didn't elaborate further.

"Neo?" Zandra asked in the dark, inching forwards every few seconds. There was an eerie light in the room – not so much light, as a feeling that she knew where she was going. She moved a little to the right, and continued walking further into the abyss.

"You're back," a voice whispered from in front of her. Zandra suddenly stopped, and felt hands on her shoulders. It was as if he was sizing her up, but also as if he were a blind man trying to see what a person looked like. Zandra did nothing.

"We're leaving," she told him quietly. He put his hands down, and moved backward, exhaling deeply. "The war is finally coming."

"I know," Neo answered slowly, "I can tell."

"This is the last time we'll be here," she continued, even quieter. The longer she remained in the room, the further his sadness pervaded her being. She lamented the fact that he was alone, and further lamented the fact that when all was said and done, he would probably be worse off than before. The poor man had lost everything, and it was almost as if he was an immortal - stuck in a tragic circle of death that he could not participate in. His loneliness was all but obvious in the black room, and she was going to leave him? But it was inevitable.

"Do you have a plan?" he asked, a bit louder. The tone of his voice had suddenly changed.

"Not particularly. I don't think we'll win anything," she said, voicing something that she had been reluctant even to think about until now. "We're just going to destabilize everything, that's all."

"It might be enough," he said, almost consolingly. Zandra was surprised at the sudden energy in his voice.

"I don't know if we can even do it," she admitted, moving closer to him, "Every time we go in, we have to run back out. Smith… and the agents… they're all over."

Neo paused for a second and breathed in sharply. "Smith…" he whispered to himself, and was silent again. Darkness fell over them again.

"It's a dark world," the Oracle told him, "And things don't always go the way you planned. But don't lose hope." Her voice became very quiet, and she repeated again in a whisper, "Don't lose hope."

Shade again looked at her inquiringly, but she would not respond. She stared at the table in front of her in a daze, and he didn't say anything. Trim walked back into the room with Seraph looking bored.

"Seraph says we're clear," Trim told them, planting himself in a chair next to where Shade sat. There was a very uncomfortable silence. A door clicked open, and Seraph jumped up and ran to the doorway, ready for combat. Trim and Shade stared at him in trepidation, but nothing happened. After a moment he retreated to his position next to the Oracle, and it was quiet again. All of them watched as Zandra reappeared in the room, this time with Neo in tow. He looked only at the ground, and shuffled uneasily into the room as if he didn't know where he was.

"Neo," the Oracle soothed, "I'm glad to see you out again." He looked up for a second, but only to stare down at the ground again.

"I'm going with them," he said. Shade looked to the Oracle in disbelief, but she looked as amazed as he was. The Oracle smacked her lips convulsively and let out a large sigh.

"Well," she said, "If you're sure."

Neo nodded at the ground. He was making a point not to look at her; if he did, she might just tell him what was going to happen. Neo had a feeling that this meant the end, but he didn't want her to tell him that. It was better to let things go… to let it be unknown. The Oracle got up, with Trim and Shade soon following. Seraph led the way to the door.

"Zandra," the Oracle addressed, reaching out and holding her arm, "There's a lot to do. Stick to your original plans, no matter what happens. The rest will fall in a way… well, that I don't know yet."

Zandra nodded, and Seraph opened the door.

"Thanks, kiddo," she continued, "Good luck, and thanks."

And despite all the Oracle had done, all that she had not done, and all that she had made Zandra question, she was sad to leave her. It didn't seem like she was a computer; more she acted like a mother – and now a mother that was seeing her daughter leave for the last time. Zandra nodded again, but didn't say anything. She couldn't think of anything. So instead, Seraph led them out the door and back into the hallway. The Oracle smiled sadly as the door closed, and Zandra suddenly wished it was not their last time to meet. But things still were moving quickly, and soon Seraph was opening the door back into their ghost town. Zandra looked to Neo before going out.

"What are you going to do?" she asked him. He looked into her eyes, and his were full of fatigue, of thoughtfulness, of certainty. He didn't blink as he answered her.

"I'm going to help you," he answered plainly. Zandra sighed and went through the door. They were back in the Matrix, and half of their plan was done. Once the virus was implemented, everything would be finished. Zandra looked to Trim as he emerged, and he nodded, almost reading her thoughts. It was almost done.

Alocin – aw, don't you think Trim seems happier now that he has a job? Maybe he was just itching for something to do.