Part 2: Jump
"I'm worried about Neo."
Link looked up at Morpheus, and tried to act like he hadn't known. He had, of course, because everyone close to Morpheus did.
"What do you mean?" he asked neutrally, from his position at the control console.
"There is something..." Morpheus paused, considering his next words. "Different about him. Something's changed."
"Yeah, his eyes," replied Link with a snort. "That freaky blue color takes some getting used to." At Morpheus' vaguely disapproving look, he sighed. He'd hoped he could lighten the mood a little. "Look, Morpheus, the guy's been through a lot," he said. "Nobody's gonna come back from that exactly the same as they went in. Especially after losing Trinity." He shook his head sadly. "This morning, when I went to tell him the jump program was ready, I found him looking at her picture. Just staring at it. I don't even think he heard me come in, until I was standing right in front of him."
The other man's eyes narrowed slightly. "He's going to use the jump program today?"
"He's in it right now, but he didn't want anyone else going in with him. The doctors said he's OK for it, right?"
Morpheus didn't answer. His expression was noncommittal, but to Link he looked a little uncomfortable. "Is there something you're not telling me?" the operator asked. "Because if he hasn't recovered enough to go in—"
"The doctors assured me he's fine."
"So what are you worried about?"
There was another pause, while Morpheus gathered his thoughts. "I'm worried about what happened to him in the Machine city," he finally confessed. "And something did happen to him there. He's been so reluctant to go back into the Matrix, or even use any of the training programs. Ever since he came back, I can't stop wondering -- what if the Machines did something to his mind when they gave him his vision back? That would be just like them. To plant something in his subconscious to make him doubt himself, or make him less effective would be exactly what a Machine might do."
Link had to admit that he had a point. "But the doctors checked for all that after he came back," he said. "All those brain scans they did, all those examinations and tests? They didn't show any abnormalities. There was no evidence that his head had been tampered with...apart from the new set of eyes. Sure he's a little different -- hell, anyone would be, after all that. And you said yourself he was different after that other fight, remember? When it looked like he'd killed Smith the first time?"
"That was when he finally realized he was the One. That definitely changed him."
"Maybe it's the same sort of thing," Link offered. "Maybe it's all about change. Maybe he's finally realized that the war is really over, and he's got a new job to do." He shrugged. "That must be weird, going from the only person who could fight the Machines to the only person who could make peace with them."
"It can be hard to let go of the past," Morpheus agreed. "When all you're used to is fighting, peace can be even more frightening than war."
Link knew what Morpheus was referring to. From what he'd been hearing, a lot of people in Zion weren't happy with the new treaty. They didn't trust the Machines to keep their word. There was even talk of replacing some of Zion's governing council with representatives more 'in touch' with the concerns of the people.
"We don't need problems like this," Morpheus said gravely. "After all we've worked for, after all these years of struggle, we can't afford to have people like Lock pushing us into another war."
"You really think Neo can do this? Keep peace between us and the Machines?"
"I do." Morpheus had that calmness about him that he always had when discussing the One.
Link hoped the other man's faith wasn't misplaced. "It's good he's in the jump program, then," he declared.
Morpheus peered down at the console's row of monitors. He would respect Neo's wishes, of course, and not enter the program with him; but there was nothing wrong with keeping an eye on his progress with Link. "How'd he doing?" he asked. "Is he jumping?"
Link grinned and waved a hand at the readouts. "He's not just jumping, Morpheus. He's flying."