Notes: This is only the first twist. More to come!
Neo couldn't move. His limbs paralyzed in shock and disbelief, his eyes fixed on the Oracle, who remained unmoving, just standing there in front of him.
"Now I know I was wrong," stated Neo, his monotone voice reflecting his inner thoughts, "I trusted you. We all did. But you knew this all along." He paused for a second, narrowing his eyes. "Why are you here?"
"I am here because it is my purpose to be here," she replied, calmly, slowly. "It was originally my purpose to protect the so called 'free-minds' from the truth about the Real World. To reinforce the belief that the Real World Simulation was completely separate from the Matrix." Neo knew that what she was saying was truthful. It wasn't that he had ever doubted what she had said to him before, and technically, she had never lied to him. She had simply hidden the truth. Despite this, he believed all that she said.
"The Real World Simulation," she continued, "was created to ease the curious minds of those who suspected the artificial world of the Matrix. Many people, such as yourself, felt that they were not free, though this was a problem that could never be understood. The solution was this further part of the simulation. Once the doubting minds believed that they had been freed, they felt that there was nothing left to doubt, and so they began to truly believe that they were now living in the Real World. The simulation truthfully showed the towers in the Powerplant, allowed the 'free-minds' to see the fields where the humans were grown, and a city, Zion, was created inside." Neo thought he saw a slight smile creep across her features. "The war between the machines and the humans was even included in the 'Real World' simulation."
For a moment there was silence between them. Neo, lost in his thoughts, waiting for the harsh reality of it all to sink in. He had many questions, though voicing them seemed impossible for the time. Finally, he found his voice, and pulled his thoughts together enough to be able to ask his most pressing question.
"Are there actually any humans at all living in the real Real World?"
"No."
Again, silence. This time, it was longer, more drawn out, and more painful. Neo felt slaughtered.
"There were a small collection of rebels at the beginning of the war. They tried to build an underground city called Zion, which is where the Machines got their idea when creating the Real World Simulation. However, the group was small in numbers, and their numbers dwindled further due to starvation. They didn't have the power or the resources to build a city, and they were far outnumbered by the Machines. Their group was quashed, shortly after the first version of the Matrix was created, and their bodies used in the Plant."
Neo turned away from her. Though behind him there was nothing but a blank white space to stare at. His ears rang with the deafening silence, his heart raced, pulsating in his chest so hard that he thought it might explode. He felt helpless, lost and completely unable to do anything. It was a bizarre feeling- he had become so accustomed to being able to do everything, and to solve his problems, but this appeared unsolvable. Where was he to go from here? There was no way out. A voice screamed inside of him, sending chilling rushes through every nerve, vein and cell in his entire body.
"You must remain here. You cannot go back." The voice behind him hardly stirred him. It seemed to come from a long way away, and the voice of his once trusted Oracle barely penetrated his unsteady body.
For a long time, nothing occurred. Neo remained frozen, almost as if time itself had stopped. After a time, he even stopped thinking. Thinking only led to fear, and it was a fear beyond anything that he had ever known.
He just stared.
After an unspeakable age, Neo turned. But she had gone. He spun around, looking for her.
He was alone. Lost and alone. And utterly helpless in every way.
Neo couldn't move. His limbs paralyzed in shock and disbelief, his eyes fixed on the Oracle, who remained unmoving, just standing there in front of him.
"Now I know I was wrong," stated Neo, his monotone voice reflecting his inner thoughts, "I trusted you. We all did. But you knew this all along." He paused for a second, narrowing his eyes. "Why are you here?"
"I am here because it is my purpose to be here," she replied, calmly, slowly. "It was originally my purpose to protect the so called 'free-minds' from the truth about the Real World. To reinforce the belief that the Real World Simulation was completely separate from the Matrix." Neo knew that what she was saying was truthful. It wasn't that he had ever doubted what she had said to him before, and technically, she had never lied to him. She had simply hidden the truth. Despite this, he believed all that she said.
"The Real World Simulation," she continued, "was created to ease the curious minds of those who suspected the artificial world of the Matrix. Many people, such as yourself, felt that they were not free, though this was a problem that could never be understood. The solution was this further part of the simulation. Once the doubting minds believed that they had been freed, they felt that there was nothing left to doubt, and so they began to truly believe that they were now living in the Real World. The simulation truthfully showed the towers in the Powerplant, allowed the 'free-minds' to see the fields where the humans were grown, and a city, Zion, was created inside." Neo thought he saw a slight smile creep across her features. "The war between the machines and the humans was even included in the 'Real World' simulation."
For a moment there was silence between them. Neo, lost in his thoughts, waiting for the harsh reality of it all to sink in. He had many questions, though voicing them seemed impossible for the time. Finally, he found his voice, and pulled his thoughts together enough to be able to ask his most pressing question.
"Are there actually any humans at all living in the real Real World?"
"No."
Again, silence. This time, it was longer, more drawn out, and more painful. Neo felt slaughtered.
"There were a small collection of rebels at the beginning of the war. They tried to build an underground city called Zion, which is where the Machines got their idea when creating the Real World Simulation. However, the group was small in numbers, and their numbers dwindled further due to starvation. They didn't have the power or the resources to build a city, and they were far outnumbered by the Machines. Their group was quashed, shortly after the first version of the Matrix was created, and their bodies used in the Plant."
Neo turned away from her. Though behind him there was nothing but a blank white space to stare at. His ears rang with the deafening silence, his heart raced, pulsating in his chest so hard that he thought it might explode. He felt helpless, lost and completely unable to do anything. It was a bizarre feeling- he had become so accustomed to being able to do everything, and to solve his problems, but this appeared unsolvable. Where was he to go from here? There was no way out. A voice screamed inside of him, sending chilling rushes through every nerve, vein and cell in his entire body.
"You must remain here. You cannot go back." The voice behind him hardly stirred him. It seemed to come from a long way away, and the voice of his once trusted Oracle barely penetrated his unsteady body.
For a long time, nothing occurred. Neo remained frozen, almost as if time itself had stopped. After a time, he even stopped thinking. Thinking only led to fear, and it was a fear beyond anything that he had ever known.
He just stared.
After an unspeakable age, Neo turned. But she had gone. He spun around, looking for her.
He was alone. Lost and alone. And utterly helpless in every way.