----

He was out of control.

Hacking for money, now, on the side, just to keep busy. To stay sharp, he told himself.

But who was he kidding? He couldn't force himself to do anything else. It was... addiction. But even stronger than the lure of the keyboard was the pull of that elusive idea. He thought of nothing but.

What is the Matrix?

1999. The start of another shitty year. He didn't know how long he could keep this up.

His eyes burned. He squeezed them shut, and heaved himself out of the chair, wincing as blood rushed to his legs. Rubbing sweat out of his eyes, he managed to get into his bathroom, and soon was slipping under the surface of freezing water with relief.

----

Trinity gave the monitors a passing glance as she moved to plot their next course to broadcast depth, and froze, eyes widening.

"Morpheus, I think you should take a look at this," she murmured, pulling up the brain wave analysis and code frame sections for that potential as she spoke.

He was there instantly, peering over her shoulder at where she was pointing on the screen, and she heard him take a deep breath. "Which one?"

"Neo." She looked closer. "Jesus."

"I've seen coppertops bend the rules of outside systems before, but never the rules of their own systems."

"He's slowing down the rate his body uses oxygen... so he can stay underwater longer." She took a deep breath. "Goddamn."

"This one is our new priority. But he's older. We need to watch him carefully, see if he manifests any other abnormalities."

He paused as he was walking back to the cockpit, and turned, smiling a little. "I have a good feeling about this one, Trinity."

She sighed heavily, suddenly exhausted, and went back to plotting their course, trying her hardest not to peek again at his screens.

----

He picked nervously at the hem of his sweatshirt, and scuffed the toe of his tennis shoes along the expensive Oriental rug. Billy had disappeared down the long hallway, shouting something about Nintendo. Thomas hadn't followed.

His mother had dropped him off that morning, despite his protests. In the car on the way over, he'd told that that he was hot. That he thought he had a fever. His mother had reached back and put a warm hand on his forehand. He'd flinched a little at the touch. She shook her head.

"No fever, Tommy. You're nice and cool."

"But..."

She'd braked at the light, and turned to smile reassuringly at him. "You'll have fun, sweetheart. I promise. And if it's awful.... it won't be for long."

He'd swallowed hard and nodded, and when they rang they bell, he'd clenched his fingers in his pockets to keep them from shaking.

He wandered through the large foyer, fascinated with the large mirror running along the length of one wall. He turned back to examine the glossy black and white photographs of a city he didn't recognize.

It was getting hotter.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement in the mirror behind him. He spun, but nothing was there. Must have been his reflection. He turned back to the wall, and reached out to run his fingers along the smooth gilt frame.

The wall gave under his fingertips, melting under them. His breath caught in his throat as small ripples spread out across the wall, as if it were a pond disturbed by a pebble. With a gasp he stepped backwards slowly, and glanced behind him at the mirror.

The wall in the reflection was still.

He turned back, shaking. The wall was still undulating slowly. Thomas choked, and stumbled backwards. Something connected with the back of his knees, and he tumbled to the ground with a yelp.

Billy's mother found him a few moments later, pale and silent, curled in the corner of the room behind an overturned coffee table.

----

The dreams were coming faster, more often. He'd gotten to the point where he'd close his eyes, and he'd suddenly be freezing in an empty street, rain puddling at his feet, green all around him. But, disconcerting as they were, the dreams were oddly comforting. He'd find himself starting to doze off, hoping for that blessed escape from his filthy apartment.

His eyes fluttered open, and as his mind cleared, he realized he was still at his desk. Choi was fucking late.....

The green cursor blinking on his screen caught his attention. He blinked, trying to orient himself.

Wake up, Neo.

----

The music pulsed through the club; he could feel it pounding in his fingertips. He threw back some more of his gin and tonic; it wasn't good liquor, but at least it was cool. His T-shirt was sticking to his back under his jacket, and the scent of sweat hung heavily in the wet, warm air.

He wished he could simply disappear into the wall. He felt exposed, standing on the edge of the dance floor, though he doubted anyone was really paying attention to him, an unshaven guy in ratty black jeans amid this sea of slick black leather and gleaming PVC. Thomas sighed heavily, and crossed his arms. It had just been a dream. Idiot. There wasn't anybody here, and this was definitely not his idea of fun.

He should have just stayed at home.

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and turned.

"Hello, Neo."

--

Her breath was cool on his neck, and his skin prickled in response. He shivered a little as she whispered into his ear. Eyes, like ice, were soothing in the heat of the club.

"What is the Matrix," he breathed into her hair, and was lost.

He'd never felt anything so... real.

When he finally made it back to his apartment, Neo didn't even check his email. Soon he was sliding underwater, lost in thought, lost in sensation.

The Matrix....

Trinity.

That night when Neo shut his eyes, he was no longer standing outside in the storm. He dreamed of green rain, reflected in icy blue eyes.

----

He stepped off the curb, into the flood of pedestrians. Neo glanced at his watch. 10:03. Shit. Rhineheart was going to kill him.

Black business suits and briefcases were all he could see. He stared up at the sky, and realized he was hemmed in on all sides by towering skyscrapers. The people streamed around him and past him, and he watched faces as they pushed by. They seemed closed, somehow blank. None met his eyes, staring forward or at the ground, completely focused on where they were going. Neo's chest constricted, and he suddenly realized that although he was surrounded by people, he was still completely alone.

He doesn't belong here.

----

He couldn't believe himself. Walking towards Adams in the pouring rain, on his way to meet the leader of an international cyber-terrorism cell. He tried flipping the collar of his thin jacket up to keep the rain off his neck. Didn't help. This was crazy. He was a smart guy. Knew how to stay out of the way. Knew how to survive. When had he lost it?

He blinked, trying to shake off the sleep that still lingered at the corners of his consciousness.

Maybe I'm still dreaming. He smirked a littleThatmight explain the temporary insanity.

The bridge loomed ahead through sheets of rain, and he could hear the low rumble of a train in the distance. He hunched over against the rain, and made a dash.

10 minutes. He was beginning to think they weren't coming. The rain was pouring off the ends of the bridge in thick sheets, so thick he could hardly see the street. He shuffled, ran his fingers through soaking hair.

Maybe I should just...

Bright light in his eyes, and he squinted. A black car rolled through the sheet of water, slowing to a crawl. The engine whined as they slowed, and the door swung open. Neo peered into the dark interior. Leather creaked, and he caught a flash of green.

She leaned forward. "Get in."

He hesitated, and looked back. Back down his street.

He could see nothing but the rain. So he bent, and shut the door behind him.

----

Bright lights hummed on overhead, and Neo squinted against them, bringing a hand up to unstick his face from his pillow and to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He flipped over on the tiny cot, and his legs tangled in the sheets. He'd passed out with his boots on. Fantastic. He heaved himself up, trying to ignore the pounding in his head. He felt like shit, and his jaw was still aching from his impact with the blacktop in the Construct.

As Neo pulled his sweater off over his head, he caught the refection of his back in the polished metal walls. There was a neat line of metal plugs where the bumps of his spine used to be.

Pale skin broken by the shining edges of the metal....

His stomach heaved, and he didn't even notice when he knocked over the small food tin on the floor next to his bed. The next thing he knew, he was on his knees, bent over the Neb's metal toilet in the cold, tiny lav, emptying his guts. His forehead slipped down to rest on the lid, and he tried to slow the heaving breaths that refused to stop coming. The door creaked open, and Neo looked up. Apoc. He raised a quizzical eyebrow, and wordlessly, he offered Neo a clean rag.

When he managed to raise his head again, Apoc was gone.

----

His mother strode ahead down the long medical center corridor, and he had to skip a little to keep up with her. She looked back at him anxiously as she pulled open the door to her office. The lettering on the glass inlay in the door was cracked and faded.

Mary J. Anderson, M.D.

John T. Burton, M.D.

Kevin S. Tessier, Ph.D.

Child Psychiatry.

Thomas followed her tentatively into the office, and took the puzzle she gave him as she ushered him to a chair in their waiting room.

"We're just going to do some tests, sweetheart. Nothing to be scared of. I want to make sure that you aren't getting sick, that's all."

He nodded slowly.

"I'll be right back. You just play with the puzzle for a minute." She ruffled his hair, and disappeared through a heavy black door that clanged shut behind her. The sound echoed in the empty, sterilized room.

He could hear her voice, muffled through the door. She was talking to one of the other doctors.

"He keeps telling me about things that he sees, and I just don't know what to think. I'm worried it's some sort of pyschotic disorder. Visual and auditory hallucinations."

"It could just be an overactive imagination. He's very bright."

"I know, it's just.... this is close to the age that we see schizophrenia start to manifest. Late childhood, early adolescence. We don't have any family history but... He was at a friend's today and... I got a call from the mother.... It was just awful." She sounded like she might cry. "I'm just so worried about him."

"We can run a PET scan, and see if his brain activity fits any patterns typical of the psychotic disorders. And even if it does, medication has gotten so much better lately. He probably wouldn't have to be institutionalized."

She sniffled a little, and her voice was unsteady. "Thanks so much, John. I'll go set up."

Thomas blinked hard, but he couldn't stop the tears from rolling silently down his cheeks. Then and there, he made up his mind. His mother had too much to worry about already. None of this was real... just his mind playing tricks on him. He would keep anything else that happened to himself. She didn't have to know; he didn't want to hear her crying anymore.

----

Neo looked up from his breakfast as the mess hall door squealed on its hinges. Morpheus nodded a greeting as he sat down heavily across from him.

"There's been a change of plans. I have to conference with our Fleet commander this morning, so one of the others will be handling your training today.

Neo stirred whatever it was that was in the bowl that Dozer had placed in front of him earlier that morning, and sighed quietly to himself. "How long is training going to last?"

Morpheus's lips curved upwards. "As long as it has to." He pulled the bowl away from Neo and passed it to Switch, who was scrubbing dishes in the small sink. The small smile remained. A glint of teeth, as he cocked his head towards the door. "Go on. Trinity is waiting for you."

When Neo reached the Core, she was already in the program. Tank helped him settle into the chair wordlessly, and Neo clenched his teeth as the spike scraped into his head plug. He felt a gust of wind against his face, and opened eyes that he hadn't realized he'd squeezed shut to the familiar skyline of the Jump program. Trinity stood on the edge of the skyscraper, sleek and dangerous in her usual black leather and combat boots. She was looking out silently over the simulated city, a virtual breeze tugging at the ends of her gelled black hair.

She turned smoothly to face him. He awkwardly shoved a hand in his pocket, and twisted the other in his hair.

"Haven't I done this one already?"

She regarded him through dark lenses, her mouth tightening minutely. "You still haven't made the jump. We can't risk taking a crew member into the Matrix before they've made it. Inside, you have to be able to keep up with the group if we have to run."

He watched his own brow furrow in the mirrored lenses of her shades. "Do you have to run often?"

She turned away again, back towards the city. "Tank, just keep resetting until he gets it."

Neo frowned at her back and kicked petulantly at the gravel, hands jammed in his pockets. She stepped back to the edge of the building. "Come on." And without a backwards glance, she leapt easily, gracefully. Neo watched as she soared across the gap, tucking into a roll on the opposite ledge. As she stood and turned to face him, simulated sunlight flashed off her sunglasses. Neo took a deep breath as he backed up a few steps, and tried not to remember the sting of yesterday's impact with the asphalt.

He didn't even make it halfway across. Almost immediately after he cleared the edge of the building, he was hurtling downwards.

"Oof." His face connected with the asphalt. "Fucckkk."

He cracked open an eyelid, but his vision was swimming. Before he could clear his head, Neo felt a tugging at the pit of his stomach, and a wave of vertigo washed over him. He blinked, and found himself faced again with his reflection in black lenses, back again atop the skyscraper. He could see blood trickling from his lip. He watched the skin above the bridge of Trinity's nose crinkle.

His knees buckled. She caught his arm, and pulled him upright, bracing him. Her palm was cool against his bicep.

"Jeez." He tried to breathe steadily. "What was that?"

"Tank reset. We're going to keep doing this until you can make it."

"That was so weird." He finally found his balance, and straightened his knees again.

Trinity folded her arms, and regarded him evenly. He couldn't ignore the way her shoulder muscles moved under the pale skin. "You looked down."

"What?"

"You looked down. You can't make the jump unless you know you can do it. No hesitation."

He shook his head, bewildered. "How can I know I can make the jump if I haven't actually ever made it?"

The corner of her mouth twitched. "What do you think Morpheus means when he talks about bending the rules of the Matrix?" She spun, running to the edge of the building, combat boots nearly silent on the concrete, and she jumped smoothly through the air, landing lightly on the other side.

He shook his head, and followed.

On his fourth try, he thought he'd made it. He was nearly across. But then a sports car roared down the street a mile beneath him, and he slammed into the side of the skyscraper he'd been aiming for. He slid down a story before tumbling limply to the ground.

He swore when he was reset, and ran again determinedly for the edge of the building. His next two jumps only made it half across the gap.

"Dammit!" he growled as his eyes opened after another unsuccessful jump, and kicked angrily at the ground. Something warm trickled into his eye and he swiped angrily at his face. His fingers came away red. Trinity materialized beside him, lips pursed, holding a small black case in one hand. She stepped close to him, and bent to unlatch it.

"You're frustrated, which isn't helping. Let's take a break, and you can calm down." She reached up towards his forehead, but he flinched away unconsciously. Stepping back, she exhaled hard out of her nose and raised both hands so he could see them. As an afterthought, she tugged off her dark sunglasses. Neo could read the exasperation in her eyes, and suddenly felt a bit foolish. "I'm going to clean up that gash over your forehead, alright? You can't concentrate on the jump with blood running into your eyes." He nodded, and she stepped in close, her hip nearly brushing his as she reached up to dab just above his eyebrow with sterile gauze.

Her cool breath tickled his chin, and all of a sudden, he was having trouble swallowing. Was it just him, or were her eyes a lot greener here than on the ship? She glanced upwards, and he quickly away. He turned his head, trying to look at anything but her.

After a few minutes and several bloody strips of gauze, she stepped back. His hand drifted up to rub at the back of his neck, and he looked down awkwardly. "Thanks."

"Ready to try it again? He nodded, eyes on his boots. "Don't try so hard this time. Just let it happen." He looked up uncertainly, and just caught a flicker of amusement in her clear eyes. "Free your mind." And with that she was sailing again over the gap.

He squinted across at her, and watched her her lips tilt upwards as she turned back to face him. His breath caught a little; he couldn't help it. He'd never seen her smile before.

Without thinking about it, he was running towards the ledge, and throwing himself into the air. Their eyes stayed locked. He landed hard on the other skyscraper, and was so surprised to feel concrete under his feet that he tripped over himself and pitched forward, landing hard on his stomach, the fall knocking the wind out of him.

He rolled slowly to his back, pressing a palm to his forehead.

"Ow."

Trinity's face appeared above him, her lips still curving upwards a little. "Eight attempts. Not bad at all. The average is around fifteen."

Neo moved his jaw experimentally; it felt hot and squashy where he'd fallen on it. "How many times did it take you?"

Her eyebrow rose. "Five attempts. Morpheus only took three." Neo grimaced, and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Don't worry about it." The curve of the lips became a smirk. "Cypher had to do it twenty-seven times. A Fleet record." She held out a hand, and after a moment's hesitation, he grasped it firmly.

She heaved him to his feet, and he wobbled a little. For an instant he could feel her breath on his neck, and he gasped a little.

And then they were both stumbling apart, looking everywhere except each other. A long-fingered hand drifted up to rub at the back of his neck.

When Neo finally dared to sneak a glance at her, Trinity's eyes were already hidden away behind dark shades.

Tank's voice boomed out over the cityscape. "We've got trouble, guys." Trinity spun on her heel, her back to Neo as she once more surveyed the cityscape.

"Pull us out."

----

She'd practically ripped his plug out, and was nearly up the ladder before he'd even managed to sit again. An alarm was wailing shrilly somewhere overhead. He blinked, disoriented as she faltered, and her hair whipped around as she turned back to him.

"Come on!" and she was up the ladder, heavy boots disappearing. He heard them land on the deck above, and pound down the corridor. Utterly confused, he rolled out of the chair to follow, but his legs buckled. He still wasn't used to coming out of the loading program. The ship jerked, throwing him forward into the ladder. Blinking, he tried to will the rungs to come back into focus as he began heaving himself up after Trinity, listening to eight pairs of urgent footfalls clanking above on the hollow deck.

----

"Shhh."

Neo was attempting not to breathe (or at least to breathe quietly), which was difficult considering he'd just sprinted up several decks. He wished vainly for a blanket. God, it was cold here. Cold like he'd never felt before, except...

He snuck a glance at Trinity. She was pale, fingernails digging into her elbows. Blue eyes flicked towards him, and then focused again on Morpheus, but in that brief glance, Neo caught something in her eyes that he'd never seen there before. She was afraid.

For the first time since he'd woken in this world, a cold sliver of fear wormed itself into his gut.

Slow breaths.

In. . 1..2..3..

Out.

In. 1..2..

He heard Trinity's quick intake of breath from the shadows beside him.

And then something silver, gleaming in the dim light of the sewers, slithered past the cockpit windshield.

And Neo stopped breathing.

----

Someone touched his forearm, and he blinked. Morpheus.

"You should sleep." Neo nodded, not really processing what his captain had said. "Trinity.."

She stepped forward, met Morpheus's eyes. Then she put her hand on his shoulder blade, and guided him carefully out of the cockpit.

Death. Neo nearly shuddered. That was what the sentinel made him think of. In his mind, he could still see the shining body of the squid, the sharp edges, buzzsaws and claws meant for tearing a ship and its crew to pieces.

He could die.

He had barely noticed that Trinity had led him into the Mess until she shut the door carefully behind them. She pulled a tin cup from a shelf, and filled it with stale water. He watched her sip carefully. Then she offered it to him. He felt disconnected from everything, and his tongue was like sandpaper.

His fingers trembled a bit as he accepted the cup, and she motioned for him to sit. She did the same, taking a place across the long table. He touched his lips to the metal rim. It was still warm from her lips, and he felt like he was snapping back into his body. He drank deeply.

She was watching him silently, and she looked like she understood.

Neo started to wonder if he should say something, but his train of thought was interrupted by Cypher's entrance. He plopped down next to Trinity, and took the cup that Neo had placed in the middle of the table.

"Rough night, eh guys? But then when are they not?"

She sighed. "Not tonight, Cypher."

He grinned. "Trin, if you need some company, you know you can always come to me."

She stood abrubtly. A stiff "Goodnight," and then she was gone.

Cypher turned back to Neo, idly scratching his moustache and smirking. "Don't let her fool you. She pretends to be distant, but she comes to me when she needs to."

----

He wandered into the Core, looking for something to do; he'd finished helping Cypher scrub down the mess, and had wanted to get away from the man as soon as possible. It wasn't that he didn't like Cypher... there was just something about him that made him uncomfortable.

Tank was at the Operator's station, clacking away at the keyboard. Trinity was jacked in at the loading station closest to the Operator. He moved forward to stand by Tank, fascinated. As many times as he'd been in the Construct for training, he'd never actually seen someone else plugged in.

"What's she doing?"

Tank looked up at him, his lips quirking upwards a little. "A drop in the Matrix. She's leaving information for another crew to pick up later." He glanced at the code. "She's making it right now. We're lucky... no Agents in sight."

Neo was watching her face. "She looks like she's sleeping," he murmured, and there was something in his voice that made Tank look sharply up at him. His eyes, however, were glued on her still form. The console beeped.

"Operator." He was silent for a moment, and turned back to the keyboards. "Exit is Lake and Fifty-third-- oh SHIT!"

Neo jumped a little, and turned to Tank, confused.

"You've got an Agent two blocks south and closing fast. Get out of there as fast as you can!" Tank punched the button to end the call. "Goddammit." He bent over his keyboard, pulling up maps and building schematics for the next few blocks.

After a long tense moment, Neo spoke. "Is she going to be ok?" His voice was tight.

No answer. Tank was typing furiously.

Trinity's heart rate monitor started beeping frantically, and Neo nearly tripped over a wire in his hurry to get to her side.

"Fuck," Tank murmured. "The Agent's in her sightline. This is going to be close." He was instantly on the phone again, giving her directions. Neo's fingernails bit into his palms

"Shouldn't someone go in to help her?"

Tank shook his head. "Not any other phone lines we can use close by." He turned back to the screens. "Holy Fuck. She just... she just..." He looked up at Neo, who was frozen, eyes wide and afraid, and nearly laughed with relief.

"Chill man, she made it. She's in the Construct. I'm pulling her out now." Tank moved towards the chair to unplug her, and Neo stepped reluctantly out of the Operator's way.

Trinity gasped a little as she came back into her body. She grimaced as the data port slid out of her head plug, and then Tank's grinning face was hovering over her, and he was pulling her up, holding her steady with a firm hand on her shoulder.

"How'd you do that? That was amazing."

She shrugged a little, and rolled her head to work the stiffness out of her neck.

"You really had Neo worried there for a minute, right man?" He chuckled a little, and they both looked to the other side of the Core, Tank grinning, Trinity a little surprised.

But Neo had disappeared.

----

He'd never seen anything like it. He tried to take it all in, brown eyes wide, head swinging back and forth as his mother led him up the walk to the house she'd grown up in. Everything was white and still, and the air was light. Crisp. Not like at home. It reminded him of a dream he'd had, something that lingered in the back of his mind but that he couldn't quite remember.

The door to the little Tudor cottage swung, light streaming out over the snow blanketing the sidewalk. His grandmother smiled out at them, and reached to help his mother with their luggage.

"It's so nice to finally have you both here, Mary." She reached down to ruffle his hair. "Merry Christmas, Tommy. Go in and say hello to your grandfather while I get you some nice hot chocolate."

----

He couldn't feel his legs anymore. It was like he'd been running forever, sweat trickling into his eyes. He'd tossed away the cell phone, and now all he could hear was the dull echo of his boots thudding against the ground in the dingy hallway. He had to get back. Had to get back. They were waiting. His elbow connected with the wood as he barreled through the door of room 303.

He found himself faced with his own reflection, mirrored in square dark sunglasses.

Pain. There was blood on his fingers when he drew them away. He stumbled back, and then the sound of gunfire filled his ears. His chest was on fire.

----

His mother and grandmother were having their annual good-natured holiday argument over the turkey they were stuffing.

"Mary, I don't like that you have him in daycare... you should be staying home with him. It's better for a boy to be with his parents when he's young."

"Mom, honestly. He's fine in daycare. It's a very nice preschool, and Tommy can play with other children his own age. The people that run it are fabulous with kids, and they really know what they're doing..."

Thomas padded down the hallway, past the open door of the kitchen. His grandfather had dozed off in the middle of their game of checkers, and he'd decided to go exploring. It was too hot inside, especially with the bulky knitted reindeer sweater his mother had insisted he wear. His grandmother had sent it last Christmas, and it had hung in his closet, untouched, since he'd opened it. The sweater went up, over his head as he got to the door, and it dropped to the floor as he wrapped small fingers around the ornate knob. The heavy door swung open, and Thomas stepped out into the cold in his t-shirt and jeans.

He liked how the snow felt, crunching under his bare toes. The sky was black, and everything was silent. For the first time in his life he breathed deeply, letting the chill seep into him, down to his bones. His knees folded, and then he was squatting in the deep snow, running his hands through the wet softness. So cold. So right, like the way it was when he dreamed. He sighed contentedly, and let himself fall back into it. A gust of wind stirred the banks, and soon snow had drifted to cover him like a blanket. He let his mind wander as he watched the grey clouds drift past the sliver of moon.

The cold was numbing. He couldn't feel his feet anymore, but he felt so peaceful. He didn't ever want to move again. His eyes slowly drifted shut, and soon he was back in his dreams, flying above the clouds into a looming blackness that he couldn't see through.

----

Neo slid down the wall, fists clenched, as the hall before him started to swirl. He pitched to the side, and his face hit the floor, hard. All he could think was that the Oracle had been right. The Oracle had been right. He'd saved Morpheus, and now he had to die. As his vision slowly faded into black, the last thing he saw were Smith's polished black shoes, inches from his face.

----

It was Everything, and it was Nothing.

Neo...

A whisper, like so many times before.

And then something was pulling at him in the darkness, pulling him back, back....

It was Her.

----

He knew he was the One. The Oracle was right. He knew it, the same way that he knew he was in love.

His eyelids fluttered open, and everything he could see was green.

----

There was something there. It was warm and wet, and he could hear the crackle and hum of electricity. But he couldn't move, something was holding him in. He was paralyzed.

And then it was gone, and something pressing down on his chest. He felt the cold seeping back into him, through his skin to muscle and bone. But for an instant, it had been gone, and he hadn't quite been anywhere. Lights were flashing against his eyelids, red and blue, and suddenly the sounds around him snapped back into his focus. Sirens wailed in the distance, and voices were buzzing anxiously. His arms and legs felt heavy. He was soaked.

"Tommy? Tommy, can you hear me?"

He gritted his teeth, and forced his eyes open. The lights were too bright, and he couldn't quite breathe. Red, then blue, red, then blue.

"Mom?" He could just make her out, her face much too pale, framed by black hair that faded into the night sky above them. She gasped, and threw her arms around him, squeezing much too tightly. Wrapped in her embrace, Thomas slowly realized that he was surrounded by a crowd of people and several ambulances. He could make out snatches of conversations... "letting him outside like that"—"had to restart his heart"—"what were the parents thinking..."

He'd never seen a real ambulance up close before; he'd wanted too look inside one ever since his dad had given him a model ambulance for Christmas. He craned his neck to look, but his mother just pulled him closer.

His hands found her shoulder, and he shoved, prying himself away.

----

Her hands were shaking so badly that she nearly dropped the wrench. Her eyes fell shut, and she clenched her fingers into fists, feeling her nails biting into her palms and focusing on the pain. Pull it together. Her body slowly relaxed, and she finished tightening the bolt, fastening the control panel in place.

Trinity had spent a tense two hours after the EMP blast helping Morpheus to staunch Tank's bleeding. After far too much blood, they had finally gotten him stabilized and sedated. Morpheus was watching him now. He'd sent her to reroute auxiliary power to the communications array. The EMP had fried nearly all of their systems, and though they'd managed to broadcast a distress signal before the Sentinels had made it into the Core, there hadn't been enough time to transmit their coordinates to Zion.

Neo had hardly been able to stand, weak from the internal bleeding. She'd managed to get him into her cabin, the closest to the infirmary. He'd seemed dazed, had allowed himself to be supported, led through the ship and lowered onto her small cot.

Trinity hugged herself tightly. The temperature had to have dropped twenty degrees, and it was likely to get colder. The ship was always freezing, and without the warmth the engines provided this close to the surface...

Well, she just hoped that this was going to work. Muttering the closest thing to a prayer she'd even thought of for years, she flicked the power on. The system shuddered, and then the communications system crackled to life. As she reached for the headset, a button on the console flashed red, indicating an incoming transmission. She slipped the set on, and patched the message through.

"Trinity."

The words came through in a rush, a verbal torrent that only one member of the fleet had ever been able to manage. "Jesus. Trinity, it's Sparks. We've been trying to get the Neb for hours. Got the distress signal you sent, but could only trace it to Iota sector. We need your co-ords to send a ship." He paused. "You do need a ship?"

Trinity sighed. "Yes. 80-22 and 175-38."

He was all business, and that relieved her. "Not any ships near you. The Gnosis can be there, five hours minimum. Power?"

"Only enough to power communications. EMP blew all the main systems."

"Injuries?"

The question was routine, but Trinity knew its significance. They would have pulled up the feed from the Matrix by now. They knew. She was glad that it was Sparks, if it had to be anyone. If it had been Jax, god, he'd have her going over the thing top to bottom. Sparks wouldn't ask.

"Four crew, one injured."

Silence for a long moment, and the static crackle in the empty Core made Trinity's throat constrict.

"Ice is on her way. You take care of your crew, Trinity. Ghost is hovering, and told me to tell you some Zen mumbo-jumbo. But it sounds like bull, so I'm exercising my veto."

She sat, heavily. "Thank you, Sparks."

"I expect a fruit basket next time I'm in Zion."

The connection buzzed, and then was silent.

----

Neo had been falling in and out of consciousness ever since Trinity had left him. Fragments of dreams from his old life played before him: green rain in an empty street, and men that became code that became men again. He felt as if all the heat had been sucked out of him; he couldn't remember what it felt like, being warm.

The heavy door creaked as she pushed it open, and he started, not at all sure anymore of where he was.

"Take these." She helped him sit, and he looked at her questioningly. "Iron supplements. It's too cold to put you on an IV. The blood would freeze." He nodded, and chased the caplets with the water she offered him.

He heard her sigh; she touched his hand, and she froze.

"Jesus, Neo, you're freezing." And he was shaking. She squinted at him in the dim light, and (shit) his lips had a blue tint. "Fuck." He was much too thin to deal with temperatures this low; he had no natural insulation. If she didn't get him warmer, she wasn't sure he would last the five hours before the Gnosis got to them. "I'll find more blankets."

He couldn't be sure of how long she was gone, whether it was minutes or hours. But he was brought back to the ship from his half slumber by strong hands on his shoulder.

"There aren't any more." He already had both his and hers. She regarded at him for a long moment, and then resolutely, she pulled her sweater over her head. He blinked, confused for a moment. She wore a thin tank and he could see her plugs along her arms, and when she turned, he saw the long line of them beginning at the base of her neck. Pale skin, broken by metal, but this time he felt no revulsion. They were beautiful.

She bent over him, tugging her sweater over his head, and pulling it down over his torso. "Try to rest." He nodded, and she moved to tug the blankets closer around him, but he reached out. A quick breath hissed through her teeth as his fingers brushed her upper arm, traced the uppermost plug.

"Will you be alright?"

She swallowed against the tightness in her throat, and touched the side of his face.

"Trinity!" Morpheus. Oh god, Tank. In an instant, she was gone.

--

Code flowed around him, clinging to his skin like raindrops. The street was empty, but he was running from something. It was too cold, too cold, he needed that warmth. This wasn't an escape. He couldn't make his legs move; the muscles were stiff and his movements sluggish. His clothes were sopping and heavy, and then he tripped, was falling...

"...Neo!" His vision cleared, and he was on the ship again, her hands gripping his arm. He felt numb, frozen. Clenched his jar to try to keep his teeth from chattering. His lips still looked blue.

"What happened?"

Her lips tightened into a thin line. "Tank went into arrest. We managed to restart his heart. But we need a real medic." Her hand reached down, touched his own. "You're still too cold."

She bit her lip, wondering what else she could possibly do. And struck upon an idea.

Trinity drew back the blankets, and to his surprise, lowered herself onto the bed next to him. She wrapped them hurriedly in blankets, and began rubbing Neo's arms, desperately trying to create some friction.

Her hands were so warm. He sighed, and gradually his teeth stopped chattering and his skin didn't feel as much like ice under the palms of her hands. She curled herself around him, determined to keep him warm. But she couldn't help her lips from curving upwards as his arms lifted to wrap around her waist.

Her hair was tickling his face, and he could feel the heat from her skin through his clothes. Warmth spread though his body, and for the first time in his life, Neo welcomed it. He liked it.

For the first time in his life, with Trinity's warm breath tickling his neck, Neo was content.

"If our lives are indeed the sum total of the choices we've made, then we cannot change who we are. However, with every new choice we are given, we can change who we are going to be." ----The Outer Limits

-end

spin
2004