"Nobody knows who I am. Not the real me. It's like; nobody cares enough to
find out. I mean, does anyone ever ask me what I want to do with my life?
Or what my opinion is on stuff? Or what restaurant to order in from? No.
Underline. Exclamation point. Exclamation point, exclamation point. No one
understands."
"You think you know... what's to come... what you are. You haven't even begun."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~There are moments in your life when you make a decision, and at first, it seems like a good one. But then...Well, you kind of begin to figure out that the choice you made wasn't such a good decision. For example, you get your first goldfish, or fishes. Seems fun, cute even. Oh look, Pebbles and Rainbow are friends in the same jug...Oh no...Now there are sixty of them. The puppy ruined the rug...again. See what I mean? ~ Neo was broken from his reverie when a soft clank was heard at the door.
Sighing, Neo pulled an extra blanket from the end of the bed around his waist as he made his way to the door. As his hand pressed against the cold metal, it slid down, searching for the wheel. Neo knew it was Rogue. It had to be. The damn thing couldn't stay away. It had a knack for knocking during more intimate events with Trinity. ~Probably because it hears sounds that aren't normally emitted...oh fuck it, it's just a machine. ~
Opening the door, Neo felt the artificial light from Zion hitting his body and heard the now-familiar screech Rogue quietly let out when greeting him.
"Hey Rogue. Something you want?" Neo asked, leaning against the doorframe. A quick screech was its' reply before it gripped his wrist, trying to pulling him forward. "Hold on, hold on. Let me get my clothes on before you pull me out. I doubt Zion wants to see the One's bare ass."
Neo slipped back into the apartment, Rogue moving in behind him and shutting the door. Neo groped his way towards the bed until his hand moved across warm skin. Continuing forward, Neo found the edge of the bed and carefully moved Trinity's arm so he could sit down. Grabbing his shirt from where he had dropped it last night. Standing, he placed the blanket gently over Trinity before grabbing his pants, which were placed next to his shirt. Pulling them up, he heard Trinity stretch and sigh softly.
"Hey." Neo smiled, turning around to her greeting.
"Hey. Rogue dropped by for some reason." Neo placed his hand on the edge of the bed before reaching down to the floor for his boots.
"I can tell. Hey, let me help." Trinity moved forward slightly. Neo sighed inwardly, but lifted himself up, one boot in his hand.
"Trinity, I'm perfectly capable of..."
"I know. Doesn't mean I don't want to help for other reasons." Neo could practically hear the sly smile that crept across her face. "Come on. Onto the bed with you."
"You know how bad that sounds?" Neo grinned.
"Shut up and do it." The smile dropped from his face as he obeyed silently.
Leaning back against the pillows, Neo felt Trinity's hands grasp his foot before pulling one boot on carefully. As she started to pull the other on, Neo sat forward, his hand moving up. When it came to rest upon Trinity's cheek, she stopped. Cupping her cheek in his hand, Neo pulled her to him, his lips sliding over hers before laughing softly against them as Rogue made some sort of "machine" groan.
"Should've left him outside." Neo murmured.
"He's like a child." Trinity exclaimed, watching as Neo finished pulling his boot on before climbing off the bed. "I'll be down at Ghost's, all right?"
"Yeah. Whenever this is done...I'll probably drop by Link's, he wanted some help on this new bookshelf he made." Neo heard Trinity's chuckle as he closed the door. Yes, Link building anything was something to laugh about. "All right, Rogue, what is it that you wanted to show me? Come on, let's go, and don't try to carry me around Zion. I use lifts."
Shaking his head at the attempted innocent screech, Neo trailed his fingers along the wall, finding his way. When his foot bumped into some bag, Neo moved to the left, listening to find his way. He could hear several people talking about fifteen feet off about Rogue. Stopping, Neo cocked his head in their direction before smiling when the conversation came to halt. When he heard the lift's engine, Neo held out his hand, feeling the clamp of a claw around his wrist almost instantly. He could hear a few people inside the lift as he and Rogue moved in.
Rogue had learned the hard way from Trinity that he was to stay as compact as possible when in the lift. His first time in the lift with her and Neo, he made more room by hovering overheard in his attack stance, but everyone else began screaming when he did it. Trinity had motioned for him to come down to her eye level before smacking him upside his metal head. So now, lesson learned, he scrunched into a small ball in the top corner of the lift.
Rogue had pressed the level desired and they had begun to descend. Turning to the others in the lift, Neo held out his hand. One of them gripped it suddenly. Neo knew their eyes were pinned on Rogue, and could feel them shaking from the tightness of their grasp.
"It's all right. He's here to protect me."
"From what?" A man asked, definitely not the one who was clutching his hand.
"The rest of his kind, anything I can't see or hear, I'm not quite sure. He's a rogue sentinel." Neo replied.
"How do you know that it doesn't have a hidden agenda to kill you when you'd least expect it?" The man shot back.
"I don't. That's where trust comes in." Neo replied calmly as the lift slowed to a halt. Feeling Rogue tug on his sleeve, Neo turned to the others, "Goodbye."
"Good day." A woman said as he exited.
~~*~~
"Okay Rogue, what's going on? Not so much as a screech from you since before the lift." Neo stopped walking, suddenly curious. Rogue's reply was yet another tug and a quiet screech.
"Neo, I trust Rogue brought you here without any trouble?" Morpheus's familiar voice filled Neo's ears after just another few steps forward.
"Morpheus? We're at the Hammer? Why?" Neo suddenly noticed where he was. Why his sense of smell hadn't picked up on before, he didn't know, but that didn't matter now.
"We have received a message from the Oracle. She wanted to speak with you." Morpheus pressed a disk to Neo's chest.
Neo's hand flew up, grabbing the disk, moving it in his palm.
"Should you get Trinity?"
"No, this is for you. There should be no trouble." Neo could sense Morpheus smiling and smiled gently himself.
Allowing the strong arm to move around his shoulders, Neo was led up into the core of the large ship. Sinking into one of the familiar chairs, Neo awaited for the ship to leave Zion, knowing it would only take about two hours to fly out, talk with the Oracle, and fly back in. While the ship shuddered to life and began to leave, Neo heard Rogue fly into the core and hover above him.
"Oh Rogue, go find a circuit to play with." Morpheus waved the sentinel away, gaining a loud, obnoxious screech as it left. "How are you feeling today?"
"About as good as humanly possible." Neo replied, shrugging. "Do you know why she asked for me?"
"I'm assuming it has to do with peace with the machines." Morpheus replied, leaning against the chair. Upon hearing a loud bang and an even louder screech after it, Morpheus sighed. "I'll go see what he's up to this time."
~~~~~~~~~~
I know! I know! A LONG wait, but you've (hopefully) been patient. This was more or less just a laugh chapter. After writing a 50,000-word fic that had little sarcasm in it, I needed to get it out. Seemed to fit that Rogue would always be up to something. A well. I'm back, and with a new fic. Go check it out. Oh, by the way, the second Buffy quote before this chapter began is overshadowing...just thought I'd tell you now.
"You think you know... what's to come... what you are. You haven't even begun."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~There are moments in your life when you make a decision, and at first, it seems like a good one. But then...Well, you kind of begin to figure out that the choice you made wasn't such a good decision. For example, you get your first goldfish, or fishes. Seems fun, cute even. Oh look, Pebbles and Rainbow are friends in the same jug...Oh no...Now there are sixty of them. The puppy ruined the rug...again. See what I mean? ~ Neo was broken from his reverie when a soft clank was heard at the door.
Sighing, Neo pulled an extra blanket from the end of the bed around his waist as he made his way to the door. As his hand pressed against the cold metal, it slid down, searching for the wheel. Neo knew it was Rogue. It had to be. The damn thing couldn't stay away. It had a knack for knocking during more intimate events with Trinity. ~Probably because it hears sounds that aren't normally emitted...oh fuck it, it's just a machine. ~
Opening the door, Neo felt the artificial light from Zion hitting his body and heard the now-familiar screech Rogue quietly let out when greeting him.
"Hey Rogue. Something you want?" Neo asked, leaning against the doorframe. A quick screech was its' reply before it gripped his wrist, trying to pulling him forward. "Hold on, hold on. Let me get my clothes on before you pull me out. I doubt Zion wants to see the One's bare ass."
Neo slipped back into the apartment, Rogue moving in behind him and shutting the door. Neo groped his way towards the bed until his hand moved across warm skin. Continuing forward, Neo found the edge of the bed and carefully moved Trinity's arm so he could sit down. Grabbing his shirt from where he had dropped it last night. Standing, he placed the blanket gently over Trinity before grabbing his pants, which were placed next to his shirt. Pulling them up, he heard Trinity stretch and sigh softly.
"Hey." Neo smiled, turning around to her greeting.
"Hey. Rogue dropped by for some reason." Neo placed his hand on the edge of the bed before reaching down to the floor for his boots.
"I can tell. Hey, let me help." Trinity moved forward slightly. Neo sighed inwardly, but lifted himself up, one boot in his hand.
"Trinity, I'm perfectly capable of..."
"I know. Doesn't mean I don't want to help for other reasons." Neo could practically hear the sly smile that crept across her face. "Come on. Onto the bed with you."
"You know how bad that sounds?" Neo grinned.
"Shut up and do it." The smile dropped from his face as he obeyed silently.
Leaning back against the pillows, Neo felt Trinity's hands grasp his foot before pulling one boot on carefully. As she started to pull the other on, Neo sat forward, his hand moving up. When it came to rest upon Trinity's cheek, she stopped. Cupping her cheek in his hand, Neo pulled her to him, his lips sliding over hers before laughing softly against them as Rogue made some sort of "machine" groan.
"Should've left him outside." Neo murmured.
"He's like a child." Trinity exclaimed, watching as Neo finished pulling his boot on before climbing off the bed. "I'll be down at Ghost's, all right?"
"Yeah. Whenever this is done...I'll probably drop by Link's, he wanted some help on this new bookshelf he made." Neo heard Trinity's chuckle as he closed the door. Yes, Link building anything was something to laugh about. "All right, Rogue, what is it that you wanted to show me? Come on, let's go, and don't try to carry me around Zion. I use lifts."
Shaking his head at the attempted innocent screech, Neo trailed his fingers along the wall, finding his way. When his foot bumped into some bag, Neo moved to the left, listening to find his way. He could hear several people talking about fifteen feet off about Rogue. Stopping, Neo cocked his head in their direction before smiling when the conversation came to halt. When he heard the lift's engine, Neo held out his hand, feeling the clamp of a claw around his wrist almost instantly. He could hear a few people inside the lift as he and Rogue moved in.
Rogue had learned the hard way from Trinity that he was to stay as compact as possible when in the lift. His first time in the lift with her and Neo, he made more room by hovering overheard in his attack stance, but everyone else began screaming when he did it. Trinity had motioned for him to come down to her eye level before smacking him upside his metal head. So now, lesson learned, he scrunched into a small ball in the top corner of the lift.
Rogue had pressed the level desired and they had begun to descend. Turning to the others in the lift, Neo held out his hand. One of them gripped it suddenly. Neo knew their eyes were pinned on Rogue, and could feel them shaking from the tightness of their grasp.
"It's all right. He's here to protect me."
"From what?" A man asked, definitely not the one who was clutching his hand.
"The rest of his kind, anything I can't see or hear, I'm not quite sure. He's a rogue sentinel." Neo replied.
"How do you know that it doesn't have a hidden agenda to kill you when you'd least expect it?" The man shot back.
"I don't. That's where trust comes in." Neo replied calmly as the lift slowed to a halt. Feeling Rogue tug on his sleeve, Neo turned to the others, "Goodbye."
"Good day." A woman said as he exited.
~~*~~
"Okay Rogue, what's going on? Not so much as a screech from you since before the lift." Neo stopped walking, suddenly curious. Rogue's reply was yet another tug and a quiet screech.
"Neo, I trust Rogue brought you here without any trouble?" Morpheus's familiar voice filled Neo's ears after just another few steps forward.
"Morpheus? We're at the Hammer? Why?" Neo suddenly noticed where he was. Why his sense of smell hadn't picked up on before, he didn't know, but that didn't matter now.
"We have received a message from the Oracle. She wanted to speak with you." Morpheus pressed a disk to Neo's chest.
Neo's hand flew up, grabbing the disk, moving it in his palm.
"Should you get Trinity?"
"No, this is for you. There should be no trouble." Neo could sense Morpheus smiling and smiled gently himself.
Allowing the strong arm to move around his shoulders, Neo was led up into the core of the large ship. Sinking into one of the familiar chairs, Neo awaited for the ship to leave Zion, knowing it would only take about two hours to fly out, talk with the Oracle, and fly back in. While the ship shuddered to life and began to leave, Neo heard Rogue fly into the core and hover above him.
"Oh Rogue, go find a circuit to play with." Morpheus waved the sentinel away, gaining a loud, obnoxious screech as it left. "How are you feeling today?"
"About as good as humanly possible." Neo replied, shrugging. "Do you know why she asked for me?"
"I'm assuming it has to do with peace with the machines." Morpheus replied, leaning against the chair. Upon hearing a loud bang and an even louder screech after it, Morpheus sighed. "I'll go see what he's up to this time."
~~~~~~~~~~
I know! I know! A LONG wait, but you've (hopefully) been patient. This was more or less just a laugh chapter. After writing a 50,000-word fic that had little sarcasm in it, I needed to get it out. Seemed to fit that Rogue would always be up to something. A well. I'm back, and with a new fic. Go check it out. Oh, by the way, the second Buffy quote before this chapter began is overshadowing...just thought I'd tell you now.