"Neo, why, isn't this a wonderful gift! To not only see you alive and,
well, decently healthy, but also helping rebuild Zion! Blessings." The
Oracle smiled, motioning for Neo to come further into her kitchen. "I've
just recently cleaned up this place after the whole ordeal that I've gone
through. How does it look?"
Neo glanced around at the new wallpaper and tiles. "Looks good."
"I'm sure you are wondering why I've asked you to come. Why don't you have a seat, this make take a while." Neo nodded before pulling the closest chair out from the table and sat down, placing his glasses on the table.
The Oracle placed two mugs of something hot down on the table before lighting a cigarette and sitting down across from him. Pausing for a moment, both took in the other, the closed face of the One and the new, warm face of the Oracle.
"All right. Neo, I'm sure you know that some things that happen cannot be undone. Some things happen for a reason and you cannot or should not change them, no matter what you desire."
"What are you driving at?" Neo bluntly asked, furrowing his brow slightly at the Oracle's choice of words.
"Trinity." The Oracle took a drag on her cigarette before pushing one of the mugs towards Neo. "Have a sip. Homemade hot chocolate." The Oracle watched as Neo glanced down into the cup before lifting it to his lips. "I know it's not real, but sometimes what isn't real is needed, even for some time. To help relax the mind, so to speak." Neo placed the mug back on the table, swallowing. "I know you're worried about her, and why I even said her name in the first place. Truth is, there are only two things that you live your life by, Neo. Zion's preservation, and Trinity. You have constantly had to choose between the two in a very small amount of time. Every time it was Zion, no matter what you truly desired. Tell me now, what was it that you wanted at every choice?"
Neo shifted his gaze down to the floor, thinking of what words would best describe his reasons. Looking back up, he locked his eyes on the Oracle's. "I'm not sure what exactly, but I do know that it was always for Trinity. But I knew that love would always come second in this war. It had to if we were ever to survive to have love come first. Every choice I made pained me all the more because I wanted her, more than anything, but to have her, I needed Zion to survive."
"You know that she would've made the same decisions as you. She had been in the war longer than you had even been searching for Morpheus. She knew a long time ago that she would always sacrifice herself if it meant the survival of the last human city. You couldn't, or rather, wouldn't accept that. That's why you brought her back the second time. You wouldn't accept that because just when love could come first, it would be taken from you."
Neo swallowed audibly, his gaze hardening. "What are you saying?"
"Neo, your powers expand into the real world, yes, but that does not, and never will, give you the right to play God. When you brought her back, you caused the first déjà vu ever to occur in the real world."
"I didn't notice one." Neo furrowed his brows, confused.
"She was that déjà vu." The Oracle paused, watching the realization dawn upon his features. "She wasn't supposed to come back. You changed the future."
"Into something bad?" Neo inquired worriedly.
"I can't tell. Not yet at least. Whatever the change's effects, they won't be noticeable for over a century after your death."
"Was I - was I supposed to be with someone else when I died?" Neo looked down at his cooling mug, then back up at the Oracle's face.
"No. You never would've recovered, but Neo, that is not the point. Love is one of the strongest emotions and driving forces in humans. Most need it to survive, but you don't. You need Trinity, and the fact that she wasn't supposed to live and you were had a specific effect on the future. Now, that's all gone to hell. Now, the future is unwritten, and the human race has you at the helm, believing in the one person who shouldn't be standing next to you."
"What does this all mean then?"
"It's hard to look past what most controls your thoughts and actions, isn't it?" The Oracle let out a short laugh before continuing. "Because you made a real choice, one that was unprecedented in every Matrix before this one, everything changes. Now, the future is just as blank now, as it was before the machines ever took control. Now, man once again, must walk blindly, as you know so well, and find his own way. Let's just hope that man's natural imperfections don't get in the way of their future."
Neo noticed this was the end of the conversation and nodded once before standing. Grasping his glasses, Neo was about to put them on when the Oracle placed her hand on his forearm.
"You have never been given a choice that didn't have two already known outcomes in your entire life. For 35 years, you were making choices to become freed, and for another 6 months, you made choices that would ultimately kill Trinity and make peace with the machines. The first chance to make your own choice, and it's for yourself. That is humanity's imperfection."
"What's that?" Neo asked coldly.
"Selfishness. Avarice. Whatever word relating to those two, and you've got what it is." The Oracle replied, watching Neo's eyes widen slightly before placing the mirroring mask over them and exiting without another word.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, cruel? Slightly? I thought so, and perfect. Both you all, and I have no idea what'll happen next...Maybe Neo'll say something to Trinity...I doubt it, but hey, you never know. I know this was technically a short chapter, but I wanted it to focus on the talk with the Oracle. Tell me what you think.
Neo glanced around at the new wallpaper and tiles. "Looks good."
"I'm sure you are wondering why I've asked you to come. Why don't you have a seat, this make take a while." Neo nodded before pulling the closest chair out from the table and sat down, placing his glasses on the table.
The Oracle placed two mugs of something hot down on the table before lighting a cigarette and sitting down across from him. Pausing for a moment, both took in the other, the closed face of the One and the new, warm face of the Oracle.
"All right. Neo, I'm sure you know that some things that happen cannot be undone. Some things happen for a reason and you cannot or should not change them, no matter what you desire."
"What are you driving at?" Neo bluntly asked, furrowing his brow slightly at the Oracle's choice of words.
"Trinity." The Oracle took a drag on her cigarette before pushing one of the mugs towards Neo. "Have a sip. Homemade hot chocolate." The Oracle watched as Neo glanced down into the cup before lifting it to his lips. "I know it's not real, but sometimes what isn't real is needed, even for some time. To help relax the mind, so to speak." Neo placed the mug back on the table, swallowing. "I know you're worried about her, and why I even said her name in the first place. Truth is, there are only two things that you live your life by, Neo. Zion's preservation, and Trinity. You have constantly had to choose between the two in a very small amount of time. Every time it was Zion, no matter what you truly desired. Tell me now, what was it that you wanted at every choice?"
Neo shifted his gaze down to the floor, thinking of what words would best describe his reasons. Looking back up, he locked his eyes on the Oracle's. "I'm not sure what exactly, but I do know that it was always for Trinity. But I knew that love would always come second in this war. It had to if we were ever to survive to have love come first. Every choice I made pained me all the more because I wanted her, more than anything, but to have her, I needed Zion to survive."
"You know that she would've made the same decisions as you. She had been in the war longer than you had even been searching for Morpheus. She knew a long time ago that she would always sacrifice herself if it meant the survival of the last human city. You couldn't, or rather, wouldn't accept that. That's why you brought her back the second time. You wouldn't accept that because just when love could come first, it would be taken from you."
Neo swallowed audibly, his gaze hardening. "What are you saying?"
"Neo, your powers expand into the real world, yes, but that does not, and never will, give you the right to play God. When you brought her back, you caused the first déjà vu ever to occur in the real world."
"I didn't notice one." Neo furrowed his brows, confused.
"She was that déjà vu." The Oracle paused, watching the realization dawn upon his features. "She wasn't supposed to come back. You changed the future."
"Into something bad?" Neo inquired worriedly.
"I can't tell. Not yet at least. Whatever the change's effects, they won't be noticeable for over a century after your death."
"Was I - was I supposed to be with someone else when I died?" Neo looked down at his cooling mug, then back up at the Oracle's face.
"No. You never would've recovered, but Neo, that is not the point. Love is one of the strongest emotions and driving forces in humans. Most need it to survive, but you don't. You need Trinity, and the fact that she wasn't supposed to live and you were had a specific effect on the future. Now, that's all gone to hell. Now, the future is unwritten, and the human race has you at the helm, believing in the one person who shouldn't be standing next to you."
"What does this all mean then?"
"It's hard to look past what most controls your thoughts and actions, isn't it?" The Oracle let out a short laugh before continuing. "Because you made a real choice, one that was unprecedented in every Matrix before this one, everything changes. Now, the future is just as blank now, as it was before the machines ever took control. Now, man once again, must walk blindly, as you know so well, and find his own way. Let's just hope that man's natural imperfections don't get in the way of their future."
Neo noticed this was the end of the conversation and nodded once before standing. Grasping his glasses, Neo was about to put them on when the Oracle placed her hand on his forearm.
"You have never been given a choice that didn't have two already known outcomes in your entire life. For 35 years, you were making choices to become freed, and for another 6 months, you made choices that would ultimately kill Trinity and make peace with the machines. The first chance to make your own choice, and it's for yourself. That is humanity's imperfection."
"What's that?" Neo asked coldly.
"Selfishness. Avarice. Whatever word relating to those two, and you've got what it is." The Oracle replied, watching Neo's eyes widen slightly before placing the mirroring mask over them and exiting without another word.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, cruel? Slightly? I thought so, and perfect. Both you all, and I have no idea what'll happen next...Maybe Neo'll say something to Trinity...I doubt it, but hey, you never know. I know this was technically a short chapter, but I wanted it to focus on the talk with the Oracle. Tell me what you think.