Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine.

Chapter 16

The rally did not last long, they never did. It was too risky for a rebel gathering to go more than an hour or so. They stayed throughout the entire thing, listened to Styx speak about his experience joining the New Resistance. He stood in front of the throngs of people and told them about his life inside the Matrix, about the pain and misery people inflicted on one another there. It is the human condition, he now realized, to hurt others, to bring pain into their lives in an attempt to keep it from entering theirs. He saw it everyday, he said, selfishness, despair, war, and misery, and though he was only 12-years-old at the time of his release, he understood the implications of such things very well.

He spoke about his feelings regarding his release, his fear and confusion, his gratitude and excitement. He had a family in the Matrix, in Zion he was just another orphan. It hardly seemed fair. There were times he wished he had never left, had stayed inside and lived the life he knew, forsaking the one he was meant to live. But two years ago, something inside him changed. He was eighteen, old enough to join a crew, old enough to be a rescue worker if he so desired, and save others just as he had been saved. But that was not his mission. And so instead of training with the military as he had always intended, he sought out different avenues.

By that time of course the New Resistance had been long flourishing, but Styx had not taken much notice, burying himself instead in his studies and other teenage interests. It was King himself who had introduced him to the world he was now a part of, though somewhat inadvertently. He had lost his own son some years before and took a shining to Styx because he reminded him of his boy. They shared the same light hair and eyes, same general demeanor, same joy of learning about new things. Above all else, according to King, they shared the same smile, one of hope and virtue, innocence and strength. The two grew close out of loneliness, a boy with no parents, a man with no child. It was only gradually, as King shared his views about the world that Styx became convinced of his place in it.

He stood up in front of all those people and expressed his views, his feelings, told them why he believed the things he did, but never overtly attempted to change the way they thought. He simply shared, and for that Nysa admired him. She was dominant, at times down right defiant, and had never quite mastered the fine art of persuasion. Styx was in many ways just her opposite, gentle and patient, cheerful and sincere. He was light to her dark, a smile to her frown. And as she stood there watching him speak to all those people, she couldn't help but think that he was only talking to her, just as he had been in the back room not an hour before.

When the rally ended Styx begrudgingly agreed to meet them all at the Temple gathering that night. He of course had not planned on going since the Temple represented a part of the problem and held within its walls countless enemies. But Nysa pointed out to him that he had earlier admitted that the institution is separate from the people, and within every seemingly adversarial organization, there were still people enlightened enough to be on his side. He then relented and agreed to go simply so that he would not seem a snob, or so he claimed. In truth, he made his decision based solely on her face, Nysa's that is, and his unwillingness to take his eyes off of it.

"Where've you been?" Trinity asked as she walked in the door.

"Out with Livi and Michael."

"So how is this Michael? He seem good enough?"

"He's nice. Livi really likes him."

"I guess she's smart enough to choose someone worthwhile."

"Yup." Nysa turned to head into her room but stopped short when her mother grabbed a hold of her hand.

"Come here for a minute," she said, encouraging her daughter to sit with her. "The gathering tonight," she began slowly, seemingly unaware of how to proceed. "It…"

"Is a gathering of people?" Nysa tried.

She gave her daughter a snide look. "It is. There will be a lot of people there, some you know, most you don't." She looked down at her hands, which were twisting uncomfortably in her lap. "I know you're not used to being around so many people. I'm not used to you being around so many people."

"Is this about sex? Because I really was just kidding about the whole orgy thing."

"Ha ha. I just want you to be careful is all. And stay where we can see you."

"Where you can see me? There're going to be a thousand people there."

"Just don't wander off. Please."

"Don't worry Mom," she said rising from the table. "Wouldn't want you to get even more wrinkles."

"Smart ass," she uttered smiling.

As Nysa's bedroom door closed, the apartment door opened. Neo lumbered in clearly exhausted after sitting in on the day-long Council meeting. He moved over to the table and collapsed into one of the chairs, Trinity silently snickering all the while. "Have fun?" she asked sarcastically.

He gave her a look and proceeded to double over, head in hands.

"Long day, huh? Missing the Matrix already?"

"Definitely."

"You want some tea?" she offered rising. He sat back and grabbed her arm as she tried to walk by, then pulled her into his lap. She sat there and ran her fingers through his hair, letting his head rest on her bosom.

"It's not good," he mumbled into her chest.

"What? What did they say?"

His face rose and he met her gaze. "Nothing. They talked for hours, but nobody said anything." He paused, shaking his head in obvious disappointment. "They know something's coming, but they don't know what, or when, or how. It's just a bunch of rumors and speculation."

"Why are they so sure that anything's going to happen at all?"

"Because they don't trust the rebels."

"You shouldn't call them that, it's so negative."

"And?"

"And, maybe they're not the one's who should be viewed in a negative light."

From the beginning both Neo and Trinity had been torn on what to believe, who's side to take. Being away from Zion helped their procrastination. On the Neb they need only worry about doing their jobs, nothing more, but at home they were always met with unconscious urgings to make a decision, choose a side. It was not as simple for them as it might have been for others. They were remnants from the last age, a time when the only mandate was to destroy the Matrix, free as many as possible. And they were good at their jobs, the best. It was their purpose in life, their calling. They could not so simply abandon that, let alone speak out against it. Nor did they want to. Everyone knew that it was right to help free those trapped inside the computer, yet it could have considerable consequences. It was now a matter of choosing between all those who deserved freedom or those who now faced the possibility of losing it once again. Should they continue helping those who they were meant to help, or should they placate the machines a bit in an attempt to save the people of Zion? Innocents would be sacrificed either way.

"Do we have to go tonight?" he asked, changing the subject and whining as a small child might.

"We haven't been in years."

"Neither of us even follow the ways of the Temple, not really."

"Neither do most of those who go. But it will give us a chance to be part of the community, to see what it's become."

"I'm not sure that's going to be a good thing."

"Me either." She left his lap and pulled him up as well. "Come on, let's go change," she said pulling him into their room, his heavy feet shuffling along the metal floor.

A couple of hours later the family was heading out the door, already late for the opening prayer. Upon arriving at the Temple they all worked to maneuver their way through the crowd, slowly migrating to where Link stood with a scowl on his face, this presumably from meeting his daughter's new boyfriend. Hushed greetings were offered, hellos and introductions made with whispers. It wasn't until Commander Lock took the stage that everyone became silent, directing their attention to him. Lock had of course given speeches before, though he preferred not to, saying he was a military man, not an orator. But this one he had wanted to give, this one he felt he needed to give.

"People of Zion," he began, voice loud and strong commanding not only attention but also respect. "We gather here today under dire circumstances. Our world is changing and so are we with it. Dark times have fallen on our city once again. Not only do we now fear the machines, we must also fear our fellow man, our neighbors and coworkers, friends, and even family. We are a people divided, as you all undoubtedly know. There are factions rising among us, people who wish to go against what has always been a central dictum in our society, to free all we can and shut down the Matrix. These people, these rebels believe that we should compromise with the machines, find a way to live together with them. I say, we can not do that, we will not do that!"

Cheers rose from the audience, applause and shouts of various unintelligible confirmations. Nysa looked out amongst the masses, one face catching her eye, Styx. He stood alone, leaning against the far wall, watching and listening intently. Surely he was not pleased with what the commander was saying, but he couldn't have been surprised either. Nysa only hoped that he stayed throughout the speech, stuck around long enough for her to find him after, instead of becoming too quickly fed up with these redundant party lines and sneaking back through the crowd desperately seeking an exit.

"They will do anything in support of their position, sabotage ships, kill innocents. They think this is a strength, this desire and ability to do whatever it takes. They think it will help them win. But we too will do whatever is needed to win this fight. We too will make sacrifices, and play dirty if necessary. The machines have been the greatest threat to the people of Zion for as long as any of us can remember, but that is not the case now. A new threat has risen, one far more sinister. These rebels will try to lure you with their false hopes, change your minds and hearts with scare tactics. But you will not be so easily duped, you can not be swayed, for you are men and women of Zion!"

Again applause rose, though Nysa and all those who surrounded her stood silent and motionless. She could not help but think that all that was being said was nonsensical, mere rhetoric meant to inflame and inspire the masses. It was dangerous.

"I stand before you tonight, leader of your armies, fellow patriot of Zion, with but one more thing to say. Against the New Resistance we will prevail. No more will their insolence, their terrorist acts be ignored, nor will they go unpunished. This is the end. This is us putting our collective foot down. We haven't the time for rebelliousness. War may be coming to our home yet again and we must meet it with a united front. Any who are not with us are against us, and if we must, to survive, if we must stamp them all out, we will!"

"Crazy. He can't do that. He can't say that," Trinity uttered, barely audible from beneath the cheers. Lock vacated the stage, walked off and disappeared into the catacombs as the drums began to play. All around them people danced and celebrated as though he had given good news, provided something worth celebrating. Neo turned and walked off, whispering something in Trinity's ear as he did so. She remained, statuesque in an angry and embittered pose, with arms folded across her chest. Nysa looked at her mother, watched her father walk into the darkness just beyond them, and felt a tug on her loose sleeve.

"Come on," Olivia said, tying to drag Nysa even as she was being pulled along by Michael. "Let's go." Trinity glanced up at her and gave her approval with a nod, letting her follow her friends down to the cave floor where the thousands of feet could be heard beating and sloshing in rhythm with the drums. They were pulled and pushed, bumped and grabbed, until the three were lost somewhere in the middle of all the glorious confusion.

Michael and Livi danced, jumped and stomped along with the others as though it were all some sort of catching disease, everyone moving in a different fashion, yet somehow in the exact same way. Like the speech, like the Council in general, the music being played forced all the people to fall into a certain rhythm, to act as one pulse for the greater whole. Resistance, as they say, was futile.

"Hey," she heard from behind. It was loud, close to her ear, as it had to have been in order for her to hear it at all. She turned and found herself face to face with Styx who was smiling brightly.

"Hey," she responded, still barely moving, lost in her own world of trepidation and confusion.

"You're not dancing," he said to her just as she was bumped violently from behind. He caught her as she fell into his chest, lifted her up so she again stood straight, and let his hands drift down to her hips. "It's okay," he said, and she believed him.

They danced and danced and danced. For what seemed like hours they moved in sync, beating their bare feet into the ground, drawing up more mud, slipping at times and steadying themselves on whichever person seemed most sturdy at the time. If someone fell, there was always another there to reach down and help them. When two people collided, apologies and a steadying hand were always offered. It was as though they truly were all somehow connected within those cave walls. Strangers lifted each other into the air, pulsated as one, let their sweat all mingle together on their bodies, the dirt floor, in the air. It was, Nysa couldn't help but think, simply magical.

She had nearly forgotten all about the inflammatory speech, so caught up in the affection and acceptance offered up by the rhythmic beat of the drums. But Neo could not be so easily seduced. He had left earlier in search of Councilor Hamann, who had assured him that day in the meeting that bloodshed would not take place between either side of this conflict. This was what he said, yet he without a doubt had known how provoking and inciting Lock's words would be.

"Enough, Neo," the Councilor finally said after long minutes of questions and accusations. "One might begin to wonder who's side you were on."

"I'm on the side of Zion," he said angrily. "I did not give up my life for these people just so they could kill each other, be given permission to kill each other."

"That's not what happened. All Commander Lock said was that we will no longer simply allow this dissension. We need to be united."

"At any cost?"

"A true warrior would not have to ask that question."

"This isn't right, Councilor. It's not going to lead anywhere good."

"Well, I guess we'll see about that."

"Councilor…"

"Someone had to take a stand, Neo. We figured it should be us. Now if you will excuse me, my family is waiting, as is yours I imagine."

He stood for a moment watching as the Councilor effectively turned his back on him and all of his concerns, then walked the opposite direction, back to where he had left Trinity. By the time he reached her she was laughing with Niobe and Morpheus, Link sulking off to the side. Clearly she had calmed down, began to loosen up once again.

"The perils of fatherhood," Morpheus said chuckling, looking over at the despondent Link. They had been discussing Michael, or more aptly discussing how grown up Olivia had become. Neo could easily understand his plight. As a father it was always hard to see your child grow, amazing, joyous, enlightening, but painful as well. At times it startled him to look at Nysa and see her in a woman's body, to hear her use a woman's voice. She was his little girl, his baby, and though she had matured right in front of his eyes, little by little everyday, the realization that she had somehow grown up seemed to come as a shock. It must be even harder, he imagined, for Link who didn't have the ability to watch it happen, ease himself into it all. One day he would see his child as a child, and when he returned, the very next time he saw her, he was forced to look into the face of a young woman. Neo treasured all the times, good and bad, he had with his daughter as she grew; Link had only a few memories to choose from. For him it was as though he blinked, and his baby was gone.

"Did you find him?" Trinity asked as Neo came up behind her, folding his arms around her waist.

"I found him."

She turned into him and looked into his eyes, solemnly, sincerely. "It won't change anything. What's done is done."

"I always hated that saying." He smiled, halfheartedly, but smiled none the less.

"There they are," said Niobe, finger pointing out into the middle of the crowd. "And they look like they're having more fun than us. Come on," she said grabbing Morpheus by the arm and dragging him away to go dance.

"Who's that? The kid with Nysa, I don't recognize him." Zee squinted over her husband's shoulder, trying to see whom he was talking about.

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe one of Michael's friends."

"Well I hope he's a friend of Nysa too, cause they seem awfully close."

By now the internal rhythm of the dance had slowed for both Styx and Nysa. They were still in sync, still moving in unison, but much slower. The constant jumping and thrashing had worn her out and she was now leaning into her partner, letting his body support hers as they rocked and pulsated. His arms ran the length of hers, pressed against her hot flesh, their fingers intertwined. She could feel his breath on her neck, warm and moist, the tip of his nose barely touching her skin. His hands, on top of hers, with fingers still laced, rubbed soft lines on the tops of her thighs. It was hot in the cavern, sweaty and muggy, with air so heavy it was hard to breathe. She began to feel lightheaded, though uncertain of whether it was due to the environment or something else entirely. It seemed almost as though she were melting into him, this boy, this man she only just met hours before. It was as though she were becoming part of him, and he part of her.

Neo looked down into the mass of people and saw his daughter, her body pressed against this blond stranger. A heat rose inside of him, blood rushed to his head, his face, causing him to do something he was not known to do, blush. But no one noticed this, no one took notice of anything at all in fact until he began to run, pushing through the crowd, trying desperately to make his way to her.

"See," Link said pointing after him and beginning to follow. "I'm not the only crazy overprotective father here."

Trinity and Zee stood watching, one laughing slightly, one not. Trinity knew that there was more than what Link and Zee saw, more than they thought was going on. Neo was protective of Nysa, naturally, but not so much so that he would embarrass her by interrupting a dance that was taking place in front of a thousand people.

Link moved swiftly, trying to catch up but not having much luck. He dodged various people, pushed his way through others and continued to glance up to see Neo doing the same, just much further ahead. It did seem odd to him; Neo was not one to overreact. But now was not the time to question his motives, he simply had to trudge on so that he might rescue his daughter from the sexual awakening he so desperately feared.

Nysa continued to sway in Styx's arms, oblivious to the events unfolding around her. She pulled herself out of her pleasure induced stupor long enough to open her eyes and see Olivia facing her, not more than six inches away. The two girls smiled at one another, genuinely happy for what seemed like the first time in a long time. Livi reached out for her friend, just to touch her, to convey her love, but Nysa shifted suddenly. Styx had let go of her, fallen back as someone came from behind and pushed him away. Nysa nearly fell but was grabbed around the waist, saved, it seemed, until her foot slipped out from under her in the mud. She twisted and fell to one side, the stranger behind her lunging now at air, then falling into her friend. She looked up to see Olivia still reaching for her, reaching, then falling, sinking to the ground with a inaudible moan.

"Nysa!" Was that her father? She could barely tell if she had heard anything at all between the beat of the drums and the blood pounding in her ears. She glanced up quickly to see if she could determine where it had come from. She didn't see her father. Instead she saw Styx hit a man, hard, the man who had caught her. He lost his footing while throwing a second more wild punch and the man took off, shoving his way through the crowd. She looked at Styx, perhaps for an explanation, perhaps simply because he was there, but noticed that he was not returning her gaze. His eyes were on Olivia who, Nysa finally turned to see, was lying in the mud, unmoving, a knife protruding from her chest.

She crawled to her friend, examining her closely, focusing on the blood that spilled from her mouth as she tried to speak. By now those around them had stopped dancing and were looking down at the young girl bleeding to death on the Temple floor. Nysa grabbed her hand, the same one that had been reaching for her not five seconds before. Livi struggled to breathe, gasped and coughed, blood hitting Nysa in the face as she leaned over her.

"It'll be okay," Michael repeated again and again, holding her head in his lap. "You'll be okay." Nysa could say nothing, she only stared at her friend, desperately trying to cover the horror she knew resided in her eyes with something more serene, more comforting. She wanted to tell her what Michael was, but somehow she knew that it was not going to be okay.

None of them even noticed when Neo arrived, having pushed his way through all those people, trying to get to the girls before the man he saw from up above might. But he was too late. He stood there gazing down on the wreckage that lay before him, traumatized from seeing Olivia hurt, relieved however that Nysa was not. Just as his daughter could do nothing but squeeze her friend's hand, try to hold onto her, keep her from drifting away, he too felt utterly powerless and remained motionless.

"No, no, no…" Link murmured to himself as he approached his child. He bent down and kneeled next to her. The world seemed blurry, unreal. Part of him didn't know what was happening, or if any of it were even happening at all. The he looked up at Nysa, her eyes stunned and brimming with tears, her face splattered with his daughter's blood and he knew. He reached down to hold her, take her into his arms just as he had done when she was young and had a nightmare or was ill. He fixed her then, he could fix her now. But as he slowly rocked his little girl, almost in the moment he gathered into his arms in fact, he felt her last breath pass through her. He continued to hold her, rock her, protect her, refusing to admit she was gone.

Nysa knew, though no one around her moved, no one cried out or even seemed to notice, she knew, had felt her go, seen her soul escape through her still open eyes. She dropped her hand suddenly, let it fall lifelessly to the muddy ground, and leaned back on her heels. Looking up she noticed her father standing above her, gazing at her with tears in his eyes. Then she heard screams, even through the music that still continued to play, she heard Zee's screams. Upon seeing her move towards her, her own mother in tow, Nysa jumped up and ran. She pushed her way through the crowd all the people, some of whom seemed to have no idea what had just happened. Had it only just happened? Minutes, seconds, maybe, was how long it took for her friend to die, to leave her forever.

She stopped suddenly, realizing she was alone, deep within the catacombs, alone just as she so often wanted to be. She stood motionless, trying to drown out the beat of the drums that still echoed in her ears, as well as her own heartbeat, which pounded even more violently.

"Nysa?" Her father was there, behind her. He had followed her. "Nys, baby?" He moved closer and she turned, threw up her hands, motioning him to stop, don't come any closer. He acquiesced. The room began to spin and she dropped her hands and reached for something to hold onto, but even the wall was not enough to keep her from falling. Her fingers slowly slipped down the length of the smooth wet rock, clawing as they went searching for a hold. She collapsed to her knees and began to vomit, heave upon heave, emptying her stomach completely. Neo knelt down beside her, held back her hair, and when she was done, he supported her wracked body with his own as she leaned into him and sobbed.