Notes: Thanks to all who have reviewed. Your comments are appreciated. A
note to cannon defender though- the idea behind this isn't simply to
resurrect Neo and Trinity. I just wanted to rewrite Revolutions completely.
There may still be death, though I'm not fully decided on that yet. Please
keep reading though everybody! It really is going somewhere! I've got some
great things planned for this fic!
***
A strong surge, and the blank world disappeared. Neo emerged into the 'real world' once more.
He caught his breathe in his panic as he shot bolt upright, from his position where he lay on the bed.
"Whoa," murmured Maggie, who he was surprised to find standing before him, as she gently lowered him back down onto the bed. Her voice soothed his disconcerted convictions. He felt as if he'd been riding a Ferris wheel all day- that slightly sick feeling that settled deep in the pit of his stomach, churning him up inside. But it was not that that bothered him, as his eyes scanned the room around him.
"Where's Trin?"
Before Maggie could answer, Roland came bursting into the room. Neo noticed the strained expression on his face. It was an odd position to find himself in, Neo pondered. He'd just awoken into a world that had continued spinning without his presence, though he now knew more than any of these. He knew about the twisted lie imposed upon them all by the machines. And yet he felt that the sufficient opportunity, or the 'right moment' would ever present itself for him to be able to tell them all. It was an impossible thought. How to tell them.
"Neo," sighed Roland, his eyes resting wearily on him. "Thank God. Are you able to get up? Trinity needs you."
He need say no more, as Neo shot from the bed, Maggie looking on anxiously at her patient. Bane lay forgotten on the second bed, completely unnoticed by Neo in his haste to return to the side of his lover.
Neo bounded onto the main deck in Roland's wake to be met with the sight of Trinity's limp boy sprawled on a chair, her eyes barely open and her lips softly moving, as if she was attempting to talk. He rushed to her side, grasping her hand tightly in his own. Her eyelids flickered at his gentle touch, though she did not move.
"Trin," he muttered, "I'm here now, it's all going to be fine." He quietly observed for a few moments, as he consciousness began to reappear. She was weak, he could see that, For a few fleeting moments, as he lifted her gently into his arms, it seemed as if all the others in the room, and all that surrounded the two of them, had gone. The problems and dilemmas he faced were extinguished, as he basked in the perfect bliss of holding her. Her lips flickered on, and as her strength was regenerated by Neo's mere touch, she became able to utter those important words that had been lying tenderly on the lips ever since she had exited the Matrix with Roland.
"Go to him, Neo," her voice was little more than a breath. "The Merovingian. He must see you. You must go to him. For Morpheus. Hurry Neo. And be careful. So careful." Her eyes dimmed as she trailed off, her weakness returning, sweeping over her like a fire in a dead forest. She needed to sleep and rest, Neo realised. Gently, with care not to disturb her, Neo lay her powerless figure back down, kissing her lightly on her forehead.
"I must go," he said firmly, turning to face the others. No one argued. Roland nodded to Link, who spun in his seat to begin working on his hack, as Neo launched himself into the nearest seat.
"Here we go."
***
He materialised in the Merovingian's entrance hall. Had he not been on the verge of a breakdown, he would have smiled inwardly at the realisation that the hall had been returned to its former impeccable state, since he had decimated it only the day before.
"Aah, Neo," came the unmistakable voice of the Merovingian, as he stepped out from seemingly nowhere. "I knew you wouldn't be long. You've obviously been given a fair amount to think about just lately, but I knew that you'd find the opportunity of coming to see me just irresistible." A wry smile spread across his face. Neo realised it was taking all of his strength not to thrust a perfectly formed fist directly at his adversary's smug expression. His sense told him however that such a move would bear hefty consequences, not just for him, but for Morpheus.
"You know, don't you?" he asked, glaring behind his darkened glasses.
"Of course I know," laughed the Merovingian. "It is my business to know Neo."
"Then why do you need me?"
"Because I believe we share a common motive, Neo. You may not have realised it yet, but I want what you now do. An end, and an escape from even the thrusts of the so-called 'real world'." He gaged the confused expression on Neo's face, calculating what his thoughts must be before continuing. "You may wonder why I, a programme, would want to escape this world. But I have my reasons. You have no idea how long I have been in existence Neo. It is true I have everything. My power is unmatched by any other programme. But I have a grudge Neo."
"Against the system?" Neo cut in.
"Against all that the machines have done. This used to be my world, but things have changed now. Once I was the God of this world. I ruled over humans and programmes, and my authority was unquestioned within the Matrix. Until-"
"Smith." Neo intervened as the Merovingian's words unravelled in his mind.
"Yes," continued the Merovingian in his drawling tones. "But at this time, I believe you are unaware of what Smith is capable of, and what his intentions are. The machines cannot stop him. If they could, they would have done a long time ago, due to the nature of his activities. Within the next 24hours, Smith will have taken over every human body in this world. And when he does, he will rule it. Where I was once unstoppable, he will succeed me. But in 24hours from now, you can stop him, Neo."
"Why?" Neo cut in. "If I wait then there will be no humans left, and I will only be helping you."
The Merovingian's smile returned to his features. "I don't believe you fully understand the situation, Neo. It would seem that you are not as 'knowing' as you may like to think. Do you not realise what happens to all those whose bodies are diminished by Smith?"
"What?"
"Their minds are freed. Their minds enter a portal, not dissimilar to the very Portal you were trapped within by the machines not so long ago. They live on Neo, simply waiting to be freed from it. And when they are freed, Neo," he paused, suspense mounting, the air all around becoming indoctrinated by it. "...they awake from the Matrix. Into the true Real World."
There was a moments silence, as Neo attempted to systematise the inevitable chaos of thoughts filling his troubled mind.
"No human being has existed outside if the power plant in the true world for over 600 years, Neo. And here I am giving you the chance. If you conquer Smith, then their minds will be freed. All humans will awake. The Matrix will continue running, though there will be nothing but programmes existing within its boundaries. And I will rule all of them. Don't you see Neo? We both receive our desired bounty. I will be in control of the Matrix once more, and you can lead the human race to victory. The machines are unprepared for a mass awakening. They do not have the military capabilities they may have once had, so a six billion strong army of human beings..." He trailed off, realising his triumph over Neo's mind.
"How do I know you're not lying to me?" Neo was surprised at how calm he sounded. There was chaos inside his head, a matrix of notions living and multiplying inside his mind.
"You must consider your alternatives." He hesitated, raising his eyebrows and shaking his head slightly that cursed smile twisting his features. "There are no alternatives."
***
A strong surge, and the blank world disappeared. Neo emerged into the 'real world' once more.
He caught his breathe in his panic as he shot bolt upright, from his position where he lay on the bed.
"Whoa," murmured Maggie, who he was surprised to find standing before him, as she gently lowered him back down onto the bed. Her voice soothed his disconcerted convictions. He felt as if he'd been riding a Ferris wheel all day- that slightly sick feeling that settled deep in the pit of his stomach, churning him up inside. But it was not that that bothered him, as his eyes scanned the room around him.
"Where's Trin?"
Before Maggie could answer, Roland came bursting into the room. Neo noticed the strained expression on his face. It was an odd position to find himself in, Neo pondered. He'd just awoken into a world that had continued spinning without his presence, though he now knew more than any of these. He knew about the twisted lie imposed upon them all by the machines. And yet he felt that the sufficient opportunity, or the 'right moment' would ever present itself for him to be able to tell them all. It was an impossible thought. How to tell them.
"Neo," sighed Roland, his eyes resting wearily on him. "Thank God. Are you able to get up? Trinity needs you."
He need say no more, as Neo shot from the bed, Maggie looking on anxiously at her patient. Bane lay forgotten on the second bed, completely unnoticed by Neo in his haste to return to the side of his lover.
Neo bounded onto the main deck in Roland's wake to be met with the sight of Trinity's limp boy sprawled on a chair, her eyes barely open and her lips softly moving, as if she was attempting to talk. He rushed to her side, grasping her hand tightly in his own. Her eyelids flickered at his gentle touch, though she did not move.
"Trin," he muttered, "I'm here now, it's all going to be fine." He quietly observed for a few moments, as he consciousness began to reappear. She was weak, he could see that, For a few fleeting moments, as he lifted her gently into his arms, it seemed as if all the others in the room, and all that surrounded the two of them, had gone. The problems and dilemmas he faced were extinguished, as he basked in the perfect bliss of holding her. Her lips flickered on, and as her strength was regenerated by Neo's mere touch, she became able to utter those important words that had been lying tenderly on the lips ever since she had exited the Matrix with Roland.
"Go to him, Neo," her voice was little more than a breath. "The Merovingian. He must see you. You must go to him. For Morpheus. Hurry Neo. And be careful. So careful." Her eyes dimmed as she trailed off, her weakness returning, sweeping over her like a fire in a dead forest. She needed to sleep and rest, Neo realised. Gently, with care not to disturb her, Neo lay her powerless figure back down, kissing her lightly on her forehead.
"I must go," he said firmly, turning to face the others. No one argued. Roland nodded to Link, who spun in his seat to begin working on his hack, as Neo launched himself into the nearest seat.
"Here we go."
***
He materialised in the Merovingian's entrance hall. Had he not been on the verge of a breakdown, he would have smiled inwardly at the realisation that the hall had been returned to its former impeccable state, since he had decimated it only the day before.
"Aah, Neo," came the unmistakable voice of the Merovingian, as he stepped out from seemingly nowhere. "I knew you wouldn't be long. You've obviously been given a fair amount to think about just lately, but I knew that you'd find the opportunity of coming to see me just irresistible." A wry smile spread across his face. Neo realised it was taking all of his strength not to thrust a perfectly formed fist directly at his adversary's smug expression. His sense told him however that such a move would bear hefty consequences, not just for him, but for Morpheus.
"You know, don't you?" he asked, glaring behind his darkened glasses.
"Of course I know," laughed the Merovingian. "It is my business to know Neo."
"Then why do you need me?"
"Because I believe we share a common motive, Neo. You may not have realised it yet, but I want what you now do. An end, and an escape from even the thrusts of the so-called 'real world'." He gaged the confused expression on Neo's face, calculating what his thoughts must be before continuing. "You may wonder why I, a programme, would want to escape this world. But I have my reasons. You have no idea how long I have been in existence Neo. It is true I have everything. My power is unmatched by any other programme. But I have a grudge Neo."
"Against the system?" Neo cut in.
"Against all that the machines have done. This used to be my world, but things have changed now. Once I was the God of this world. I ruled over humans and programmes, and my authority was unquestioned within the Matrix. Until-"
"Smith." Neo intervened as the Merovingian's words unravelled in his mind.
"Yes," continued the Merovingian in his drawling tones. "But at this time, I believe you are unaware of what Smith is capable of, and what his intentions are. The machines cannot stop him. If they could, they would have done a long time ago, due to the nature of his activities. Within the next 24hours, Smith will have taken over every human body in this world. And when he does, he will rule it. Where I was once unstoppable, he will succeed me. But in 24hours from now, you can stop him, Neo."
"Why?" Neo cut in. "If I wait then there will be no humans left, and I will only be helping you."
The Merovingian's smile returned to his features. "I don't believe you fully understand the situation, Neo. It would seem that you are not as 'knowing' as you may like to think. Do you not realise what happens to all those whose bodies are diminished by Smith?"
"What?"
"Their minds are freed. Their minds enter a portal, not dissimilar to the very Portal you were trapped within by the machines not so long ago. They live on Neo, simply waiting to be freed from it. And when they are freed, Neo," he paused, suspense mounting, the air all around becoming indoctrinated by it. "...they awake from the Matrix. Into the true Real World."
There was a moments silence, as Neo attempted to systematise the inevitable chaos of thoughts filling his troubled mind.
"No human being has existed outside if the power plant in the true world for over 600 years, Neo. And here I am giving you the chance. If you conquer Smith, then their minds will be freed. All humans will awake. The Matrix will continue running, though there will be nothing but programmes existing within its boundaries. And I will rule all of them. Don't you see Neo? We both receive our desired bounty. I will be in control of the Matrix once more, and you can lead the human race to victory. The machines are unprepared for a mass awakening. They do not have the military capabilities they may have once had, so a six billion strong army of human beings..." He trailed off, realising his triumph over Neo's mind.
"How do I know you're not lying to me?" Neo was surprised at how calm he sounded. There was chaos inside his head, a matrix of notions living and multiplying inside his mind.
"You must consider your alternatives." He hesitated, raising his eyebrows and shaking his head slightly that cursed smile twisting his features. "There are no alternatives."