Horizon was lying on her bed, thinking of the strangers' visit. She
was so intrigued by them. She knew one of them, Morpheus, from stories on
the internet. She couldn't remember why the police wanted him, but she knew
he was the leader of something... and then there was the other man. He
looked just like her father for some strange reason, but didn't act a bit
like him. He had kept eye contact with her the whole time, which just sent
shivers up her spine.
She was listening to Depeche Mode and burning incense. It all combined to be very hypnotic. She couldn't believe it when she heard a knock on her bedroom window - three stories up and opened her curtains to find that strange man floating outside! She opened up her window and looked down. "How do you do that?" She asked.
"Let's just say I'm Superman," he replied.
"Umm... okay. You want to come in?"
"Yes, that would be nice."
He stepped in through the opened window. He sat on her computer chair as she sat on her bed. "My parents aren't home, so it's okay."
"This late at night? Where are they?"
"Business trip to Chicago. Left an hour after you left."
"Oh. Your parents aren't home much, are they?"
"No. They don't care. They would have rather never had a kid at all."
"So I see. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Neo."
"Just like my father. That was his hacker alias before he met my mother."
"Yes, I know. You see, I come from a parallel world."
"I've heard of those, but mainly in science fiction movies."
"Anyways, I used to be a hacker. I was contacted by Morpheus and his crew. They showed me that the world was just a computer program created by machines. The real world was destroyed around 2099 due to a battle between the humans and the machines that still continues to this day.
"I was freed from the Matrix, and there I saw the real world for what it was. It was horrible. Humans lie in comatose states, grown to be a battery. I was picked up Morpheus's ship, the Nebuchadnezzar. He put me through training programs, and I visited the Oracle. She gave me advice, and that's who I visited today, and she told me that I was supposed to save someone in this other world, a world where I did not go and be part of the real world, but instead I stayed in the Matrix and had a family. I have come to the conclusion that the person I'm supposed to save is you."
"That is pretty damn freaky."
"Watch your mouth. I am sort of like your father."
"Fine then. What are you going to do about me?"
"I have a feeling you realize how fake this world is. You have been searching for some way out. I am ready to take you down the rabbit hole, if you want to go."
"I will have to leave all this behind... but that is much better than living in a place where everything I do is just something made-up by machines. I do not want to live here, and I do not want to die here."
"That is a very wise thing to say."
"What, did you think I was just a dumb little girl?"
"No, not at all. Let me call my ship."
He took out his phone and called the Nebuchadnezzar. Tank picked up. "Operator," Neo said.
"Yes? Neo, Morpheus is fuming. Expect hell when you get back to the ship."
"I want to talk to him."
"Fine then." Tank called for Morpheus and they switched places. "Neo..."
"I know you're angry. Look, I went back for Horizon. I told her about the Matrix. She wants out. What should I do? I need to get her someplace safe."
"Take her to the Oracle. I will meet you there."
"I'll do that. How long do I have?
"Window of hour, at the most."
"Okay," he said as he hung up the phone. "Get whatever you need. We are going to see the Oracle."
"I don't need anything if you are going to free me, right? Everything I have is just made up, nothing."
"You catch on quickly, with the 'everything is false' thing, but you don't seem to realize that we may not be able to free you immediately and you'll have to stay at the Oracle's until we can."
"How long? We must not let my family know."
"I know, but just do as I say. Trust in me. Now get some belongings together,"
"I understand," she began to put some things in a backpack, nothing much, though. "Is the Oracle nice?"
"Yes, she takes care of a lot of kids called the Potentials. She will be happy to take care of you as well."
"Oh... well, I'm done packing." She slipped her backpack on to her shoulder and stood there, waiting. "Well?" she asked.
"Well what?"
"Aren't we going to go?"
"Yes."
"What are you waiting for? Let's do your Superman thing and be on with it!"
"I can't, it will attract attention. We must take the elevator."
"Okay...."
Neo and Horizon left the apartment. She locked the door and threw away her key. She wouldn't need it anymore. They got on the elevator and went down to the ground floor. She pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt again so no one would see her face and tell the police, when they investigated her disappearance, about her leaving with Neo. It could possibly harm him more.
"I hope Morpheus will be able to free you tonight. We are short on time, and we are supposed to reach Zion in a few days," he said as they walked on the sidewalk.
"What's Zion?"
"It is the last human city, built at the center of the earth where it is still warm."
"Have you ever been there?"
"No, this will be my first time. I was awakened only a short while ago. I'm not sure how long, though."
They walked the rest of the way to the Oracle's apartment. Outside, Neo told Horizon. "She knows all, you can't hide anything. Believe me, you will be intimidated. I was."
She was listening to Depeche Mode and burning incense. It all combined to be very hypnotic. She couldn't believe it when she heard a knock on her bedroom window - three stories up and opened her curtains to find that strange man floating outside! She opened up her window and looked down. "How do you do that?" She asked.
"Let's just say I'm Superman," he replied.
"Umm... okay. You want to come in?"
"Yes, that would be nice."
He stepped in through the opened window. He sat on her computer chair as she sat on her bed. "My parents aren't home, so it's okay."
"This late at night? Where are they?"
"Business trip to Chicago. Left an hour after you left."
"Oh. Your parents aren't home much, are they?"
"No. They don't care. They would have rather never had a kid at all."
"So I see. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Neo."
"Just like my father. That was his hacker alias before he met my mother."
"Yes, I know. You see, I come from a parallel world."
"I've heard of those, but mainly in science fiction movies."
"Anyways, I used to be a hacker. I was contacted by Morpheus and his crew. They showed me that the world was just a computer program created by machines. The real world was destroyed around 2099 due to a battle between the humans and the machines that still continues to this day.
"I was freed from the Matrix, and there I saw the real world for what it was. It was horrible. Humans lie in comatose states, grown to be a battery. I was picked up Morpheus's ship, the Nebuchadnezzar. He put me through training programs, and I visited the Oracle. She gave me advice, and that's who I visited today, and she told me that I was supposed to save someone in this other world, a world where I did not go and be part of the real world, but instead I stayed in the Matrix and had a family. I have come to the conclusion that the person I'm supposed to save is you."
"That is pretty damn freaky."
"Watch your mouth. I am sort of like your father."
"Fine then. What are you going to do about me?"
"I have a feeling you realize how fake this world is. You have been searching for some way out. I am ready to take you down the rabbit hole, if you want to go."
"I will have to leave all this behind... but that is much better than living in a place where everything I do is just something made-up by machines. I do not want to live here, and I do not want to die here."
"That is a very wise thing to say."
"What, did you think I was just a dumb little girl?"
"No, not at all. Let me call my ship."
He took out his phone and called the Nebuchadnezzar. Tank picked up. "Operator," Neo said.
"Yes? Neo, Morpheus is fuming. Expect hell when you get back to the ship."
"I want to talk to him."
"Fine then." Tank called for Morpheus and they switched places. "Neo..."
"I know you're angry. Look, I went back for Horizon. I told her about the Matrix. She wants out. What should I do? I need to get her someplace safe."
"Take her to the Oracle. I will meet you there."
"I'll do that. How long do I have?
"Window of hour, at the most."
"Okay," he said as he hung up the phone. "Get whatever you need. We are going to see the Oracle."
"I don't need anything if you are going to free me, right? Everything I have is just made up, nothing."
"You catch on quickly, with the 'everything is false' thing, but you don't seem to realize that we may not be able to free you immediately and you'll have to stay at the Oracle's until we can."
"How long? We must not let my family know."
"I know, but just do as I say. Trust in me. Now get some belongings together,"
"I understand," she began to put some things in a backpack, nothing much, though. "Is the Oracle nice?"
"Yes, she takes care of a lot of kids called the Potentials. She will be happy to take care of you as well."
"Oh... well, I'm done packing." She slipped her backpack on to her shoulder and stood there, waiting. "Well?" she asked.
"Well what?"
"Aren't we going to go?"
"Yes."
"What are you waiting for? Let's do your Superman thing and be on with it!"
"I can't, it will attract attention. We must take the elevator."
"Okay...."
Neo and Horizon left the apartment. She locked the door and threw away her key. She wouldn't need it anymore. They got on the elevator and went down to the ground floor. She pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt again so no one would see her face and tell the police, when they investigated her disappearance, about her leaving with Neo. It could possibly harm him more.
"I hope Morpheus will be able to free you tonight. We are short on time, and we are supposed to reach Zion in a few days," he said as they walked on the sidewalk.
"What's Zion?"
"It is the last human city, built at the center of the earth where it is still warm."
"Have you ever been there?"
"No, this will be my first time. I was awakened only a short while ago. I'm not sure how long, though."
They walked the rest of the way to the Oracle's apartment. Outside, Neo told Horizon. "She knows all, you can't hide anything. Believe me, you will be intimidated. I was."