CHAPTER ONE
Disclaimer: I own nothing of any action movie ever created. Damn. Thanks for the reviews! Here 'tis---
Have you ever had something bother you that never used to before? Perhaps you noticed that your teacher had an odd habit of pacing forward and backwards as she lectured…and it never used to aggravate you, but now you want to tear out your hair or vomit all over your desk to get her to stop. Maybe you realized that the faucet in the next room releases tiny water drops just irregularly enough to be truly annoying. Or possibly the gnats that you have experienced all summer just now begin to land on you and suck your delicious blood.
Whatever the case, think of it now. Hold it in your mind. Remember the itching on your skin, the restlessness inside you as you wished passionately for that something to stop, just stop, please, please…
And you will fully empathize with Trinity on that night when she lay in bed, fully and completely awake when she should be sleeping. Staring at the metal wall two feet from her as she tried to ignore it, just ignore it…
Her eye muscles contracted as she tried to close them against their will, opened. Then narrowed.
Was she annoyed? Oh, you have no idea.
He, however, ignored her silent cursing. His mouth still quivered shakily as his eyes, open the tiniest sliver, rolled in their REM cycle. Steadfastly he held to his just-irregular-enough pattern of---
From his nose emanated first the tiniest whistling snort. Then came a noise like low-decibel machine-gun fire (which of course she knew very well), reaching up to a fiery crescendo of "snaaark". Where he would pause just enough so that every time, EVERY TIME, in those few blissful seconds of silence, she would think the ordeal was over.
But alas no. A whistling bottle rocket of a noise concluded that rendition of Neo's Sinus Sonata. Then it would start anew.
Snuffle-snuffle-snuffle----
SNORK---
(pause)
(longer pregnant pause)
She held her breath.
Wheeeeeeeeewwwwwww….
Trinity rolled over and backhanded him violently in the butt.
"Ow. Whajjadodatfor?" he muttered.
"Please—stop---snoring." she hissed through her teeth.
He was silent. Victory. She rolled back up, smiling slightly.
SNUFFLE-SNUFFLE-SNUFFLE---
Trinity clutched at all four inches of her hair in frustration. Finally, she came to a consensus; if she couldn't sleep, she might as damn well be useful. Uncurling, she stepped onto the cold metal floor and opened the door.
On second thought, she pivoted back and seized the scratchy blanket. An uncharacteristic mad giggle escaped her lips as Neo balled himself up and clutched his slightly hairy legs in a somniferous attempt to keep warm. Revenge was sweet. Especially when you're operating on zero sleep.
She walked into the main terminal room, guided by the eerily green glow of the screens and a slightly bitter smell, made obvious to her when she encountered Link sprawled on the floor. She sniffed again.
Yes, her thesis was correct. He had discovered those bottles of Cypher's moonshine they had never "gotten around to" removing….Or so the ship betting pool would be delighted to hear. This night was getting better and better.
She kicked him aside and sat down at the desk.
Idly she watched the code. Whee. What fun. Absolutely nothing seemed to be happening in the area she was focused on now—some giant night city?
She was about to switch the perspective (perhaps a male stripper show in New York would be fun?) when suddenly something in the code flashed at her.
Something moving faster than she could blink.
Was it---
No. Neo was the reason she was HERE, there was no way he could be plugged in behind her, her brain computed. So it had to be someone else. But who?
Nevertheless, her mouth gaped open.
"Well. We will have a new recruit, it seems," said Morpheus from behind her. "Do you want to go in, or shall I?"
Next chapter: Halle Berry and Charlie's Angels guest-star....