"Passion. It lies in all of us. Sleeping, waiting, and though unwanted,
unbidden, it will stir, open its jaws, and howl. It speaks to us, guides
us. Passion rules us all, and we obey. What other choice do we have?
Passion is the source of our finest moments, the joy of love, the clarity
of hatred, and the ecstasy of grief. It hurts sometimes, more than we can
bear. If we could live without passion, maybe we'd know some kind of peace.
But we would be hollow... empty rooms... shuttered and dank. Without
passion, we'd be truly dead."
~~~~~~~~~
"Sir, the locks and doors are partially working. We have four bay doors in working order."
"Good. Secure the doors in case of an attack." Commander Lock told the boy.
"Do you really think, after everything that we have seen, Commander, that an attack by the machines will occur?" Morpheus asked, seeming to materialize out of thin air, his hands clasped behind his back.
Lock visibly tensed up at the entrance of his rival. "We can never be too sure. These are machines we are talking about. They are soulless and incapable of human emotions. They could easily attack us again, and possibly defeat us in our injured state."
"Tell me Commander, is there anything you believe in? A God perhaps? Maybe hope?" Morpheus inquired, moving closer. Lock knew there was a reason for this inquisition, but decided to go along anyway.
"I believe in man's superiority. No God, no hope, no other belief. There is no need. If we have made it this far on our own, then I think we should be able to make it in the future without any religion."
"I think Zion should be lucky that your ideas are not law, Commander." Morpheus commented, his voice level.
"Why is that captain?" Lock asked, emphasizing the title.
"If Zion had laws regarding your views, hope and belief, two things that have made humans get up each morning and keep going, would become nonexistent. That is something that, no matter what way you look at it, from any point of view, can never happen. Now, if you don't mind, I must be going. Good day Commander." Morpheus ended the conversation, silencing any argument and moving off- leaving Lock fuming.
~~*~~
"Where have you been? I was looking for you in the infirmary, but Cass said she had no idea where you were." Link asked Zee, looping his arms around her waist.
"I was tending to a few of the bombers who were injured while blowing up the drills." Zee replied, leaning into the embrace.
"I heard you were one of those people."
"I was scared to death doing it, but it made me feel like I was doing some good." Zee explained, not really sure how to.
"I know the feeling. I got it every time Trinity or Morpheus or Neo went into the Matrix. Now baby, when's your next break?" Link asked, kissing Zee's neck softly.
"In a few hours I get off my shift. I'll come home right away, okay?" Zee replied, turning her head towards Link.
"All right." Link smiled gently before capturing Zee's lips in a soft kiss. "I'll see you then."
~~*~~
"Okay, so, where do you want to go?" Trinity asked Neo, her breath tickling the skin on his bare chest.
"I'm fine right now, but later, I'd like to visit Roland and Niobe." Neo replied, his hand stroking her back.
"You sure you want to see him after-" Trinity's question was cut off as the door to their room burst open.
"Guys, get dressed, right now. That sentinel is back. And it's going crazy, screeching and everything. It isn't attacking anything, but Lock is afraid it will. If you don't go out right now, I'm afraid it may be killed." Link burst in, not noticing the state of undress of the lovers.
As Trinity pulled the blanket up further around them, she couldn't help but ask, "And we should care about one sentinel because...?"
"Trinity, it's the sentinel that brought us home. If it's killed, the machines might view it as a breaking of the peace. Come on, let's get dressed. Thank you Link, just hold Lock at bay long enough for us to get out there." Neo looked towards the sound of Link's voice as he sat up.
"All right." Link turned on his heel and promptly left, allowing the pair to get dressed.
As Neo reached out for his shirt where he thought it was, he remembered that Trinity had thrown it across the room.
"Trinity, where's my shirt? Can you get it?" Neo asked, feeling a little ashamed at needing help in just getting his clothes together.
"Yeah." Trinity moved across the room to pick the shirt up. Handing it to him, Trinity noticed the look on Neo's face. "Neo, don't be upset because you can't see. Don't be ashamed because you have to ask for my help. It's okay to ask for help."
"I know, it's just- I feel almost helpless. And aside from using sound, my world is black. It's this whole black abyss that's filled with the sounds of life." Neo answered, sighing as he pulled his shirt over his head.
"Neo." Trinity sat on the side of the bed, next to him. Taking his hand in her own, Trinity lifted it to her face. Neo's puzzled look dissipated as he slowly moved his fingers over the curves and contours of Trinity's face. Sliding a thumb along her nose and allowing fingers to dance on her cheekbone, Neo memorized Trinity's face by touch- allowing the visual memory to burn even brighter in his mind. Dropping his hand from her face, Neo slid his fingers down her arm to her hand, grasping it tightly.
"Thank you."
~~*~~
"Neo! Over here!" Link yelled upon seeing The One and Trinity exit the elevator.
Link noticed that Neo had clasped hands with Trinity upon exiting and was allowing her to guide him over. When Trinity stopped in front of the operator, he only pointed above him to the sentinel flying around.
"Has it done anything?" Trinity asked.
"Not yet. Lock doesn't want to take any chances and has all guns in the area trained on it." Link informed her.
"Tell Lock to have an immediate stand down of arms." Neo implored.
"Tell me what?" Commander Lock asked, moving up behind them.
Neo turned in surprise at the sound of the Commander's voice.
"Stand down your arms. It thinks you're going to destroy it." Neo's calm voice commanded gently.
"Just who do you think you are?"
"I think I'm a regular person, but apparently I'm the One. This sentinel brought Trinity and I back here. Stand down and let me go out there." Neo's voice had an edge to it, one that both Trinity and Lock noticed.
The Commander regarded Neo for a moment before nodding to Kid, who ran to tell the fighters to stand down.
"Go on. You think you can handle a sentinel? Prove it."
~~~~~~
Weeeee! Happy Turkey Day everyone!!!!!!! This was a fun chapter to write! And it's quite interesting that you guys have figured out that I'm a girl... wait, did I put that on my profile? No, I don't think so...hmmm. Oh who cares, you guys like my stuff and I love to write it. The rest doesn't matter.
~~~~~~~~~
"Sir, the locks and doors are partially working. We have four bay doors in working order."
"Good. Secure the doors in case of an attack." Commander Lock told the boy.
"Do you really think, after everything that we have seen, Commander, that an attack by the machines will occur?" Morpheus asked, seeming to materialize out of thin air, his hands clasped behind his back.
Lock visibly tensed up at the entrance of his rival. "We can never be too sure. These are machines we are talking about. They are soulless and incapable of human emotions. They could easily attack us again, and possibly defeat us in our injured state."
"Tell me Commander, is there anything you believe in? A God perhaps? Maybe hope?" Morpheus inquired, moving closer. Lock knew there was a reason for this inquisition, but decided to go along anyway.
"I believe in man's superiority. No God, no hope, no other belief. There is no need. If we have made it this far on our own, then I think we should be able to make it in the future without any religion."
"I think Zion should be lucky that your ideas are not law, Commander." Morpheus commented, his voice level.
"Why is that captain?" Lock asked, emphasizing the title.
"If Zion had laws regarding your views, hope and belief, two things that have made humans get up each morning and keep going, would become nonexistent. That is something that, no matter what way you look at it, from any point of view, can never happen. Now, if you don't mind, I must be going. Good day Commander." Morpheus ended the conversation, silencing any argument and moving off- leaving Lock fuming.
~~*~~
"Where have you been? I was looking for you in the infirmary, but Cass said she had no idea where you were." Link asked Zee, looping his arms around her waist.
"I was tending to a few of the bombers who were injured while blowing up the drills." Zee replied, leaning into the embrace.
"I heard you were one of those people."
"I was scared to death doing it, but it made me feel like I was doing some good." Zee explained, not really sure how to.
"I know the feeling. I got it every time Trinity or Morpheus or Neo went into the Matrix. Now baby, when's your next break?" Link asked, kissing Zee's neck softly.
"In a few hours I get off my shift. I'll come home right away, okay?" Zee replied, turning her head towards Link.
"All right." Link smiled gently before capturing Zee's lips in a soft kiss. "I'll see you then."
~~*~~
"Okay, so, where do you want to go?" Trinity asked Neo, her breath tickling the skin on his bare chest.
"I'm fine right now, but later, I'd like to visit Roland and Niobe." Neo replied, his hand stroking her back.
"You sure you want to see him after-" Trinity's question was cut off as the door to their room burst open.
"Guys, get dressed, right now. That sentinel is back. And it's going crazy, screeching and everything. It isn't attacking anything, but Lock is afraid it will. If you don't go out right now, I'm afraid it may be killed." Link burst in, not noticing the state of undress of the lovers.
As Trinity pulled the blanket up further around them, she couldn't help but ask, "And we should care about one sentinel because...?"
"Trinity, it's the sentinel that brought us home. If it's killed, the machines might view it as a breaking of the peace. Come on, let's get dressed. Thank you Link, just hold Lock at bay long enough for us to get out there." Neo looked towards the sound of Link's voice as he sat up.
"All right." Link turned on his heel and promptly left, allowing the pair to get dressed.
As Neo reached out for his shirt where he thought it was, he remembered that Trinity had thrown it across the room.
"Trinity, where's my shirt? Can you get it?" Neo asked, feeling a little ashamed at needing help in just getting his clothes together.
"Yeah." Trinity moved across the room to pick the shirt up. Handing it to him, Trinity noticed the look on Neo's face. "Neo, don't be upset because you can't see. Don't be ashamed because you have to ask for my help. It's okay to ask for help."
"I know, it's just- I feel almost helpless. And aside from using sound, my world is black. It's this whole black abyss that's filled with the sounds of life." Neo answered, sighing as he pulled his shirt over his head.
"Neo." Trinity sat on the side of the bed, next to him. Taking his hand in her own, Trinity lifted it to her face. Neo's puzzled look dissipated as he slowly moved his fingers over the curves and contours of Trinity's face. Sliding a thumb along her nose and allowing fingers to dance on her cheekbone, Neo memorized Trinity's face by touch- allowing the visual memory to burn even brighter in his mind. Dropping his hand from her face, Neo slid his fingers down her arm to her hand, grasping it tightly.
"Thank you."
~~*~~
"Neo! Over here!" Link yelled upon seeing The One and Trinity exit the elevator.
Link noticed that Neo had clasped hands with Trinity upon exiting and was allowing her to guide him over. When Trinity stopped in front of the operator, he only pointed above him to the sentinel flying around.
"Has it done anything?" Trinity asked.
"Not yet. Lock doesn't want to take any chances and has all guns in the area trained on it." Link informed her.
"Tell Lock to have an immediate stand down of arms." Neo implored.
"Tell me what?" Commander Lock asked, moving up behind them.
Neo turned in surprise at the sound of the Commander's voice.
"Stand down your arms. It thinks you're going to destroy it." Neo's calm voice commanded gently.
"Just who do you think you are?"
"I think I'm a regular person, but apparently I'm the One. This sentinel brought Trinity and I back here. Stand down and let me go out there." Neo's voice had an edge to it, one that both Trinity and Lock noticed.
The Commander regarded Neo for a moment before nodding to Kid, who ran to tell the fighters to stand down.
"Go on. You think you can handle a sentinel? Prove it."
~~~~~~
Weeeee! Happy Turkey Day everyone!!!!!!! This was a fun chapter to write! And it's quite interesting that you guys have figured out that I'm a girl... wait, did I put that on my profile? No, I don't think so...hmmm. Oh who cares, you guys like my stuff and I love to write it. The rest doesn't matter.