Rachel burst out the door of Thomas's apartment building and sprinted down the street as fast as she could. The words 'Do not be late' echoed through her head. They were words that belonged to someone she had only talked to on the internet. Though she couldn't hear the voice behind the words, they sounded like they belonged to someone she didn't want to disappoint.
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Member 13077 has entered private chat
Guest 1764: Welcome Trinity.
Member 13077: How do you know that name?
Guest 1764: I know more about you than you think.
Member 13077: Like what?
Guest 1764: It's not important now. I need to make this as brief as possible.
Member 13077: Well I'm here. What do you want?
Guest 1764: I want you to be free.
Member 13077: What?
Guest 1764: How do you know that you are typing at a computer right now?
Member 13077: Because I can see it. If it's there, it's real.
Guest 1764: Appearances can be deceiving Trinity. What if I told you that your mind has deceived you for the past 17 years and will continue deceiving you until the day you die?
Member 13077: I'd say you were crazy.
Guest 1764: Quite the contrary. It is all a part of what you have been searching for, for quite a while.
Member 13077: The Matrix?
Guest 1764: Exactly.
Member 13077: Fine. Then prove it.
Guest 1764: Meet me tomorrow in the lobby of the hotel on 42nd street at 4:45 PM. Do not be late.
Guest 1674 has left private chat
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Rachel threw open the door of the hotel. She heard the cocking of a gun being aimed at her head, and a voice at her side. "The rabbit finally makes it."
Rachel turned her head slowly to look at who the voice belonged to. It was a woman with spiked black hair, black lipstick, and was dressed in all black leather. "What is this?" Rachel asked. Her fear channeled through her voice, making it shaky. She had been set up. It wasn't Morpheus that was online the day before.
"This is the beginning of the rest of your life," the woman answered.
She pushed Rachel lightly on her back so she started to walk foreword, still keeping the gun to her head. Rachel went were the woman led her. They passed down the hall and through a door and into one of the hotel rooms. When inside, she was met with a man dressed similar to the woman. Black leather, black sunglasses. "Thank you Jade." Jade nodded and walked away. Morpheus turned to Rachel. "Hello Trinity. My name is Morpheus." He extended a hand out, and Rachel let out a sigh of relief. She shook Morpheus's hand as he led her toward a table with two ratty red leather chairs facing each other. A cup of water was sitting in the center of the table. "Please sit down." Rachel sat, and Morpheus took the seat across from her. "I see that you're afraid. You're trying to hide it, but it's there. There's no denying what's there, especially when it's right in front of you. You know about it. It's there in your hand, but you can't grasp it. And most people can't. They have to see it."
"See what?"
"The truth." There was a long pause. Rachel said nothing. She stared at her own reflection in Morpheus's glasses, knowing that his eyes were staring back. "Do you know what truth I am talking about?"
"The Matrix?"
Morpheus gave her half a smirk before beginning again. "Have you ever felt that you don't belong? That life just passes you by, making it impossible to believe that this is the life you're living? That it's all an illusion?" Rachel gave him a small nod and he continued. "It's all a dream Trinity. It's a program designed to enslave the senses and to put you in a dream world where you can't tell whether you're awake or not. The truth is you're not awake. Do you want to wake up?"
The curious look on Rachel's face got more intense. "Yes."
"Good." Morpheus opened his hand to reveal two pills. One red and one blue. "You have a choice. You can take the blue pill, which will take you back to where you were and you can believe whatever you want. But the red pill will wake you up to the truth. Once you make this choice you cannot reverse it. Once the pill is swallowed you cannot go back." Rachel's mouth went bone dry. A shiver shot up her spine as she extended her hand and took the red pill out of the palm of his hand. She put it in her mouth, and swallowed it with a gulp of water. She looked at Morpheus. This time she didn't try to mask her fear. She didn't know what she had just done. Morpheus stood up. "Come with me." He led her to a door, where Jade was standing. She opened the door and the three of them went inside.
When they were inside, Morpheus walked over to another woman at a computer. "How's she doing Flare?" he asked her.
"The effects should start kickin' in in a few minutes," she replied, never looking up from the computer.
"Effects?" Rachel asked, looking up at Morpheus.
"Just relax," came Jade's voice at her ear. Her voice was much softer than when she had spoken before. She led her to a chair where her arms and legs were bound to it. Electrodes were placed on her neck and arm. "What's this for?" Rachel asked.
"So you don't go running off." That comment made Rachel even more nervous. She looked around at the room. There were more people around, sitting at computers, occasionally looking at her and then back to the screens. Rachel felt a chill shoot up her spine and spread out through her entire body.
Rachel heard the meow of a cat in the next room. It nudged open the door, revealing its long gray body. It meowed again and leaped up onto Rachel's lap. There, it curled itself up in a ball. Rachel stared at it, and after a while, it seemed to collapse. It's body turned into a silver liquid that dripped slowly down her legs. It crept up her body, covering it as it moved up. She could feel it numbing her skin as it continued up her neck. She looked over at Morpheus and Jade, but their faces and everything around them seemed to swirl together. She could feel it creeping up her face, gluing her lips together so she couldn't scream. She felt it on her eyes, slowly closing them. She knew that as soon as her eyes were closed she wouldn't see this world again for a long time.
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