"This place feels strange." Paz looked around at the obviously unlived-in living room.
"Well of course it should, dear! Your parents stood there barely 20 years ago!" The Oracle slipped through the doorway leading to the kitchen and entered the living room. "Back when they came here however, this room bustled with life, now, not so much. Come on, let's talk."
Paz dutifully followed the older woman through the doorway, ducking slightly under the beads. Niobe slid in smoothly behind her, removing her glasses before addressing the Oracle.
"Oracle, Paz has been researching Trinity's death recently, and she's been able to find a few more things out."
"I know dear." The Oracle sat at an old yellow table and lit a cigarette. Exhaling, she cast her gaze upon Paz. "Take a seat, relax a little." Paz did as she was told, aware that Niobe merely leaned against the refrigerator. "Cookie?"
Paz allowed a small smile to appear before shaking her head 'no.' The Oracle glanced at Niobe who also shook her head.
"Well, I suppose there are a few questions to be answered."
"What happened to my mother?" Paz blurted, all manners thrown to the wind.
"Truthfully, I'm not quite sure, but I can give you reasons for her death." The Oracle leaned back in her chair and took a long drag on her cigarette. "The Architect, as I am sure your father told you about, was created to balance equations, as I was to unbalance them." Paz nodded. "Neo, as the sixth 'One,' broke the equation, forever unbalancing it. An affect of this change caused Neo's powers to seep into the real world. The way the Matrix was built causes everything to balance out eventually, but since Neo blocked that balance, in part by shifting to the real world, the Architect was forced to shift too. He decided to shift the real world similarly to the way Neo does to balance out his equation of the sixth anomaly. I would prefer to say that he caused Trinity's death, however his play in the matter is much more indirect. The Architect caused a ripple effect that would eventually affect people, who, in his opinion prefer chaos to perfection, to attack your parents. No one knows the true motivation for the murder, but it was the Architect's doing, albeit it took roughly 10 years, but the case remains." The Oracle paused to take a last drag on the cigarette before extinguishing it in the ashtray.
"So you're basically saying that my mother was killed by someone who- let me get this straight- had their mind influenced by the Architect?" Paz asked after a moment of silence.
"Something like that."
"What does that mean?" Paz replied sharply, her eyes narrowing.
The Oracle smiled softly before replying, "I would like you to know, that some things are not meant to be fully understood or found out. I don't even know the whole story, and I do not wish to. A great woman, who should've died in two instances previous to that, was killed. Don't you by chance think that fate may have played a hand in this? Keep in mind that everything your father did caused a rippling effect through both worlds. When he brought her back in the real world, Neo broke one of the cardinal rules of life."
"And what is that?" Niobe piped up, standing up straight.
The Oracle ticked her glance to Niobe before responding, "That death should not be fooled with. Humanity, as all of life, is a constant cycle. Where one thing begins, another ends. New life can only begin after the end of another life. Neo broke that rule in bringing Trinity back, and you and your brother are the result of a completely unbalanced equation. You and he are not like other people, and it is not just because your father was the One. It is because you were born of two people who didn't fit any equation or life cycle."
"What does that mean?" Niobe asked, her brows furrowing.
"That she is a new equation that forces the machines to keep peace. You think your name was given by chance? Neo knew what you would be and named you fittingly. Most of the still living survivors of the war look towards your brother, don't they? You usually fall towards the shadows." Paz's mouth dropped open before she nodded slowly.
"It is not the truth, however. The One's powers, which took affect after Trinity proclaimed her love to him, were passed on to you. Let me explain before you become too confused. As I said, Trinity and Neo caused the previous equations to be broken, and created two children, one of which had the powers of the One passed along to her through the essence of the woman that caused those powers to work." The Oracle paused, letting what she just said sink in. "Confused yet?"
"A little bit."
"You are your mother with your father's powers. That's what those visions and nightmares you've had mean. Your parents are more a part of you than just DNA."
"Wait, why didn't this happen to Emmanuel?" Paz shook her head, trying to understand.
"Breaking cycles causes everything to flip. Neo was a man, so his powers are given to a woman."
"But I'm not a pod-born."
"I matters not dearie. You are still the only living person who can protect humanity and force the machines to keep their peace agreement."
"Why, are they planning to going back on that?" Niobe interjected, moving forward a step.
"Niobe, Neo was the reason they gave peace. He is dead now, and they are seeking a way to oppress the humans again." The Oracle lit another cigarette. "Which means, that you," she locked eyes with Paz before continuing, "will have to stop them."
"Oh shit." Paz leaned back, her eyes wide. "Well that, uh, will I have to do what my dad did?"
The fear in the question caused the Oracle to smile and laugh softly, "Oh no sweetie, of course not. But you will have to learn how to use your powers before making a visit to the machine city. Now, why don't you two go, you've never even been plugged in before, and I'm sure you will be quite tired when you get back." The Oracle stood, ushering the pair out. "Oh and Paz?"
Paz turned around, feeling Niobe stop shortly ahead of her. "Yes?"
"You will be helped through this, you won't be alone."
"Thank you Oracle." Paz nodded once before following Niobe out.
See? New idea. What do you think?