a/n: i'm back!  I found my missing half chapter and finished it!  I hope you people are still interested in reading. please read and review!

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It's time to go to the council.

I walk in our line up. Morpheus and Link are behind me, while Mister -- Neo walks out front, leading me possibly to my death, as it seems he has always done.

"I wouldn't talk much if I were you," Morpheus voice sends a cold shiver down my spine.

"I won't," I answer, "you don't have to worry about that."

My voice is empty, no emotion at all, no feeling, as it had been after the fight, but that was different, this time it showed fear.

We walk into a huge room where a row of people sit up front, waiting for us to make our way in. They must be the council.

I walk up with Neo leading me to a single chair in an open spot in front of the council.

They stare as if looking at a ghost. I don't make eye contact, but I can feel them staring at me.

I take the seat when Neo motions for me to, while he moves to stand behind me. Do they still think that I'll kill them?

The middle councilman starts, "You know why you are here?"

"We have explained it all too many times council," Neo answers for me.

"That was not directed to you, Neo," and she looks to me as I look back.

"Yes, council," I was told to address them as if they were one person.

"Then you understand that no one is happy with what you've done, or what you are capable of," she pauses, letting what he has said sink in, and I wish for her to continue.

She finally does, "Then we must ask a question to any who could answer it! Why should we keep this ex-agent alive?"

Everyone shifts, and I start to fear for my future.

Neo's voice comes from behind me; "He's changed. His power, for now, has been cut in half, or maybe even less than that. Not once has he tried to kill us, and not once has he threatened us to do it. He's as harmless as we're going to ever get an agent," I start to wonder if Morpheus told him to say this.

The councilmen whisper and then I hear Morpheus voice, "He knows the codes of the Matrix. He could help us free those who want out!"

At this the council becomes quiet and a paper is passed in from each side, everyone writing something on it as it goes by them. This is my it, my fate in the hands of the council's vote.

When they all reach the middle the one who addressed me earlier looks at the paper's and then look up at me.

"The council has decided on a majority vote that you, Smith, shall be allowed..." I gulp, "... to live."

I nearly fall out of my chair in relief, but Neo catches me by the shoulder roughly.

"You may escort him out, Neo," and then she turns to Morpheus, "but we need a word with you."

Neo keeps his hard grip on my shoulder as I rise. He hisses in my ear, "Bow to them, and thank them."

I do as I am told.

Neo leads me out into the hall where I see the lights are starting to dimly go on, and there is some commotion down below, by the ships.

"Why did you defend me?" I turn to Neo, "Did Morpheus tell you to?"

He sighs and looks at me with a deadly look, "Morpheus told me to stay quiet, but no one else was about to say anything to help you out, I could feel it." His gaze softens slightly.

He then continues to lead me as Morpheus appears behind us.

Morpheus comes to my side, "They have set temporary limits. Until the news is given out today at a gathering, that you are here, you must still not be seen. At this meeting you are to be presented and accepted as one of Zion's own."

He then catches up to Neo and calmly says, "You were supposed to stay quiet."

"He would have been dead by night," Neo answers in a whisper.

"No, he wouldn't, and now all you've done is shown them the attachment that you and Smith had. You were always balancing the other out and now you've saved him, and they'll see that as fear."

"It wasn't out of fear," Neo's eyes flare with a fire from inside.

"Tell them that," Morpheus takes the lead and Neo drops back with me.

I know that they didn't mean for me to hear what was said, or maybe they did. But I heard it either way, and now I know that when they brought me back all they did was bring a terrible problem.

"Ignore what he says. This was the first time I have ever disobeyed him, and he does not enjoy that," Neo chuckles, "I guess that there's a first time for everything."

"But why?"

"Why help you? It goes right with what Morpheus believes, you are still new to this world and I can tell that even though you didn't like it at first, you want to live.

I gape at him for a second and then turn and nod.

We head toward the single place that I can stay, for now, and I head to my room, to rest before my acceptance.

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a/n: well... what did you think?  please let me know!  please review!!!!