SOMEWHERE I BELONG - Part Three: Into the Darken Abyss
"Do you have any idea who I am when you've been living in the world full of lies your entire life?" -Eclyptyk Neo
Neo opened his eyes and found himself in an alley underneath a fire escape. The rain crashed down in bigger distributions, drenching him instantly. His black attire stuck to him like glue, making him feel heavy with every step. He felt cold instantly, as the rain ran down his face and clothes like pulsating veins. He shivered, walking forward. The water ran down his shielded eyes making his vision blurry. He knew why Morpheus and the others wore sunglasses in the Matrix. It acted like a barrier between the real and the fake. It was a shield into the eyes of the soul, between the freed and the controlled.
He peered out of the alley, watching the formation of buildings, cars, people, etc as the code seemed to disappear beyond it. He knew in the back of his mind, all he saw was the binary code to form images of every day objects. But, now it didn't seem to matter. It was second nature.
Yet, he couldn't avoid it. He knew what was exactly before him. The lies.
The people around him went about their business, evading the rain under jackets, umbrellas, or newspapers. Cabs came and went to transport people to their destination. Dogs barked in the distance. Honks came from frustrated drivers at pedestrians or other vehicles.
Neo walked up the sidewalk, slowly. His past–the lies–played slowly through his mind as he passed through the familiar buildings where he had ate, talked, hung out, bought stuff. But it was lies. It wasn't real. It wasn't necessarily a dream when you couldn't wake up from it.
He looked into the street. Saw the road rage. But it wasn't really there. These people thought it was real. But it was the work of the Matrix, of the machines deciding how that person acted. How this person acted. Where to put that building.
Neo shuddered again. He was freezing. But not in the depths of his mind where he knew the truth. This was the dream world. He was only asleep. But he could die here and never wake up in the real world. It happened once. It almost did. But in the comfort of the Neb, he was dry. Warmer. In the real world, he never felt so numb. Cold. Alone. Mentally exhausted.
He walked into the closest building, into the lobby and into the elevator. The floor drenched by every step he took. But no one really took notice in the mess he was making. He went up to the 27th floor and exited, finding his way past the busy bees he once called his co-workers. He found his way to the lone cubicle he called his own. But there was nothing real special about it. It was clean. It was organized. But only because he wasn't there much and made no big deal to make his area stand out.
He shook his head. "No. That was me. That's who I once was. That was Thomas Alan Anderson. And now, he's dead. He was killed the day I thought I died. But, now I'm alive. My name is Neo. It always was. And I am here to save the human race from total annihilation against the machines that control this world."
Someone walked passed the cubicle, but stopped short seeing the man occupying the seat in it.
"Thomas?" the man said slightly confused.
Neo looked up, the rain ran down his face like it was sweat. He got to his feet, but said nothing.
"Man, Thomas. Where have you been?! Rhinehart has been riding all over our asses for your absence." He raised his eyebrows. "That's a new outfit." Neo held up a hand, silencing the man. "That's my business, Jeff. Why did you even bother to watch my back?"
"Well, after those crazy sons of bitches took you out of the building, Rhinehart's been interrogating all of us about it, thinking we'd know something. We thought it was all a set up, but it's been a week now, Thomas."
Neo nodded. "I know. Long complicated story."
"What are you gonna do?" Jeff seemed worried.
Neo shrugged. "Go talk to him."
He walked off and headed up to the top floor where the boss was. When he always had to see the boss, he was so hesitant to go, feeling it was the day he'd get fired. Not today. Not anymore. He could head the voices inside, arguing. He pushed the door open and peered in.
"..so, you admit you've been covering up for Mr. Anderson and his absence?" Rhinehart stated abruptly.
"No. Well, yes. But that's not the point." The other man tried to defend himself.
"Then what is the point?" Rhinehart snapped.
The man was stuck on words. Neo cleared his throat as the two men turned to look at him. "Well. Well. If it isn't the half-wit that's making my company go down the drain after that stunt you pulled a week ago, Mr. Anderson." Rhinehart growled, glaring at the man in the sunglasses.
"I'm sorry for not explaining my absence, Mr. Rhinehart, but my visit won't be long."
"Well, I don't want to hear it, Thomas. You're fired!"
"Now, you didn't let me finish." Neo stated, dismissing the last statement made by his former boss.
The other man saw the stern, stiff movement of his fellow co-worker, but didn't stay to think what would happen. He left without saying another word. Neo turned to the door, making sure that it was shut before turning back to his former boss.
"Just because those agents were after you doesn't mean it will save your job, Mr. Anderson."
Neo held up his hand, knowing what he was going to say. It made him chuckle. "Than I guess you didn't get my message, Rhinehart. I quit days ago, so you can't necessarily fire me if I don't even work for you anymore." He paced the room and collected the baseball-sized metallic ball from one of the file cabinets meant as decor. He looked back at his boss, seeing the worried look on it. Neo chuckled again as he walked over to the elder man in the room.
"Stay back, Thomas." Rhinehart huffed, taking a step back.
"Are you scared of me now, Rhinehart?"
"No." Rhinehart huffed again.
Neo slammed the ball into the desk, making the small man jump. He pulled it away to reveal a dent on the table. "Did I do that?"
Rhinehart swallowed deeply. "What do you want, Thomas?"
"Nothing." He shook his head. "I just want you to know that there is a new authority in town. And his name is Neo. Thomas died days ago."
He turned and left the room without saying anything else. But before he left, he tossed the ball into the air, as it came crashing down making a huge hole in the boss' desk.
Neo made the walk back to the elevator with on-lookers looking at him in fear. Confused. Shock. Worry. But no one risked going up to him to talk to him. They noticed the different content in his character. It frightened them.
Neo ignored it. He left the building just as he came in. No one really stopping him or recognizing he was there. He stopped, looking up at the building. "Good-bye, Thomas. You were only a dream, but there are some things I'll never forget."
To be continued.....
"Do you have any idea who I am when you've been living in the world full of lies your entire life?" -Eclyptyk Neo
Neo opened his eyes and found himself in an alley underneath a fire escape. The rain crashed down in bigger distributions, drenching him instantly. His black attire stuck to him like glue, making him feel heavy with every step. He felt cold instantly, as the rain ran down his face and clothes like pulsating veins. He shivered, walking forward. The water ran down his shielded eyes making his vision blurry. He knew why Morpheus and the others wore sunglasses in the Matrix. It acted like a barrier between the real and the fake. It was a shield into the eyes of the soul, between the freed and the controlled.
He peered out of the alley, watching the formation of buildings, cars, people, etc as the code seemed to disappear beyond it. He knew in the back of his mind, all he saw was the binary code to form images of every day objects. But, now it didn't seem to matter. It was second nature.
Yet, he couldn't avoid it. He knew what was exactly before him. The lies.
The people around him went about their business, evading the rain under jackets, umbrellas, or newspapers. Cabs came and went to transport people to their destination. Dogs barked in the distance. Honks came from frustrated drivers at pedestrians or other vehicles.
Neo walked up the sidewalk, slowly. His past–the lies–played slowly through his mind as he passed through the familiar buildings where he had ate, talked, hung out, bought stuff. But it was lies. It wasn't real. It wasn't necessarily a dream when you couldn't wake up from it.
He looked into the street. Saw the road rage. But it wasn't really there. These people thought it was real. But it was the work of the Matrix, of the machines deciding how that person acted. How this person acted. Where to put that building.
Neo shuddered again. He was freezing. But not in the depths of his mind where he knew the truth. This was the dream world. He was only asleep. But he could die here and never wake up in the real world. It happened once. It almost did. But in the comfort of the Neb, he was dry. Warmer. In the real world, he never felt so numb. Cold. Alone. Mentally exhausted.
He walked into the closest building, into the lobby and into the elevator. The floor drenched by every step he took. But no one really took notice in the mess he was making. He went up to the 27th floor and exited, finding his way past the busy bees he once called his co-workers. He found his way to the lone cubicle he called his own. But there was nothing real special about it. It was clean. It was organized. But only because he wasn't there much and made no big deal to make his area stand out.
He shook his head. "No. That was me. That's who I once was. That was Thomas Alan Anderson. And now, he's dead. He was killed the day I thought I died. But, now I'm alive. My name is Neo. It always was. And I am here to save the human race from total annihilation against the machines that control this world."
Someone walked passed the cubicle, but stopped short seeing the man occupying the seat in it.
"Thomas?" the man said slightly confused.
Neo looked up, the rain ran down his face like it was sweat. He got to his feet, but said nothing.
"Man, Thomas. Where have you been?! Rhinehart has been riding all over our asses for your absence." He raised his eyebrows. "That's a new outfit." Neo held up a hand, silencing the man. "That's my business, Jeff. Why did you even bother to watch my back?"
"Well, after those crazy sons of bitches took you out of the building, Rhinehart's been interrogating all of us about it, thinking we'd know something. We thought it was all a set up, but it's been a week now, Thomas."
Neo nodded. "I know. Long complicated story."
"What are you gonna do?" Jeff seemed worried.
Neo shrugged. "Go talk to him."
He walked off and headed up to the top floor where the boss was. When he always had to see the boss, he was so hesitant to go, feeling it was the day he'd get fired. Not today. Not anymore. He could head the voices inside, arguing. He pushed the door open and peered in.
"..so, you admit you've been covering up for Mr. Anderson and his absence?" Rhinehart stated abruptly.
"No. Well, yes. But that's not the point." The other man tried to defend himself.
"Then what is the point?" Rhinehart snapped.
The man was stuck on words. Neo cleared his throat as the two men turned to look at him. "Well. Well. If it isn't the half-wit that's making my company go down the drain after that stunt you pulled a week ago, Mr. Anderson." Rhinehart growled, glaring at the man in the sunglasses.
"I'm sorry for not explaining my absence, Mr. Rhinehart, but my visit won't be long."
"Well, I don't want to hear it, Thomas. You're fired!"
"Now, you didn't let me finish." Neo stated, dismissing the last statement made by his former boss.
The other man saw the stern, stiff movement of his fellow co-worker, but didn't stay to think what would happen. He left without saying another word. Neo turned to the door, making sure that it was shut before turning back to his former boss.
"Just because those agents were after you doesn't mean it will save your job, Mr. Anderson."
Neo held up his hand, knowing what he was going to say. It made him chuckle. "Than I guess you didn't get my message, Rhinehart. I quit days ago, so you can't necessarily fire me if I don't even work for you anymore." He paced the room and collected the baseball-sized metallic ball from one of the file cabinets meant as decor. He looked back at his boss, seeing the worried look on it. Neo chuckled again as he walked over to the elder man in the room.
"Stay back, Thomas." Rhinehart huffed, taking a step back.
"Are you scared of me now, Rhinehart?"
"No." Rhinehart huffed again.
Neo slammed the ball into the desk, making the small man jump. He pulled it away to reveal a dent on the table. "Did I do that?"
Rhinehart swallowed deeply. "What do you want, Thomas?"
"Nothing." He shook his head. "I just want you to know that there is a new authority in town. And his name is Neo. Thomas died days ago."
He turned and left the room without saying anything else. But before he left, he tossed the ball into the air, as it came crashing down making a huge hole in the boss' desk.
Neo made the walk back to the elevator with on-lookers looking at him in fear. Confused. Shock. Worry. But no one risked going up to him to talk to him. They noticed the different content in his character. It frightened them.
Neo ignored it. He left the building just as he came in. No one really stopping him or recognizing he was there. He stopped, looking up at the building. "Good-bye, Thomas. You were only a dream, but there are some things I'll never forget."
To be continued.....