Thanks for your reviews!
Forgive me for this annoying waiting, but this week I really had to put school first.
Anyway, here the new chapter!
Chapter8: Blood and darkness
Neo grabbed the agent's arm and rolled him over and away, they both scrambled to their feet, without noticing they were coming dangerously near the stairs. The agent tried a violent kick to his face, which yet was blocked easily, then Neo ducked another swing to his head and swung back, but the agent caught his arm in mid-swing and flipped him on the ground. Neo let out a pained breath. Ok, maybe he had to do a little more practise in the anti-agent program, but he was doing well in his first times. When the agent reached down for him, Neo took the advantage and kicked up with both his legs into his stomach, making him fall backward. The force of the attack sent the agent flying over the banister of the stairs and he disappeared from Neo's view.
Neo jumped to his feet and rushed off to the stairs, just as he heard a loud, horrible crash, and looked down. On the ground below was now lying the lifeless body of a man in his twenties; his neck was visibly broken, bent in an unnatural angle, but the poor guy had surely got other lethal fractures. A dark pool of blood surrounded him.
Neo sighed heavily. He hadn't become used to kill people yet, even if it was extremely necessary. Forcing himself not to look again, he quickly headed for the exit of the building.
Wake up, Trinity... wake up...
Trinity slowly regained consciousness. She slowly opened her eyes, but her head was aching, which caused her view to spin. She remained still for a few minutes, blinking until her eyes could see distinctly, and she found herself on the ground, lying on her side. Then she tried to stand up, which was an error. Her body involuntarily started trembling and staggering, obliging her to lean heavily against the smooth and wet surface of a wall that she could barely see. She took deep and slow breaths to re-collect herself and her thoughts, bringing a shaking hand to her face. Her forehead felt sweaty to her fingers, her throat was dry, making her cough painfully almost five times.
Why do I feel so weak?... Where the hell I am? she wondered as she turned her gaze around, her eyes gradually adjusting at the dim light, and memorizing the features of the new place. A dark narrow tunnel. Damp walls. Noise of water flowing in the middle of the tunnel, or dripping from the ceiling. An unpleasant yet still bearable smell. The sewers. Fantastic.
Hypno. "Damn him..." she cursed under her breath.
A loud cracking noise, like of someone biting and masticating voraciously, made her jump. She turned to the direction it came from, the point where the tunnel ramified in other ones, and she caught the form of something lying on the ground, on which were bent a indistinct figures. What the hell is that...?
Trinity approached, hesitantly at first, one cautious step after another, then she had to keep herself from running with the urge to see who it was. Actually, she couldn't even run, her body felt so weak that she was forced to advance with a hand pressed on the wall, her legs unsteady beneath her. As she was just a few metres far, the curved figures revealed themselves as animals, that she could have mistaken for dogs because of their size. One of the animals looked up at her and growled, shoving robust teeth stained with blood, which even dripped from its muzzle. It had a massive head with broad rounded ears and its muzzle was totally black, that slowly melted with the rest of its coat, yellowish maculated in dark brown spots.
Surprised, expecting anything but what she could now recognize as four hyenas, Trinity froze there, her eyes then moving to the lying figure... what she saw provoked a choking sense of vomit in her stomach. The bleeding carcass of a person was being lacerated and massacred... one of the arms had been quite torn, his midsection ripped open, blood pouring copiously from the large wounds, and the head... well, the head was gone.
Trinity swallowed the lump she had got in her throat and, in a swift movement, she backed away from the wall, into the middle of the way, her boot covered feet dipping slightly into the water. Despite herself being used to see blood and corpses, rarely she had seen a body reduced in such a state. She started to withdraw to the opposite side of the tunnel, not taking her eyes off the animals, fearing an attack, but, strangely, they didn't seem to care about her, they just returned to their "meal".
Then, unexpectedly, she found herself falling down, her already distressed body hitting painfully the ground, something rolling to her feet. Damn it, just now I had to trip on... whatever it is.
Trinity propped herself up on an arm, rising with a grimace. Anger boiling inside her, she blindly searched for the cause of her fall, till her fingers closed on something rough and soft. She felt warm liquid slide on her gloved hand and she brought it nearer to take a better look. A pair of vitreous blank eyes stared back at her, blood and scarred flesh around. She couldn't hold back an echoing scream of horror, her hand throwing the ripped head away, while she quickly withdraw until she stumbled back against the wall, leaning heavily on it, her breath coming out thin and hoarse. Wall? It was too soft to be a wall... it moved... a cold hand touched her cheek... oh, no...
"Glad to see you're awake, baby."
"Sir! The program took Trinity away!" Link shouted. His fingers were punching desperately on the keyboard, but there was no sign of the program's or Trinity's code on the screens.
"Get a track on him." Morpheus said, watching the slipping green code from over the operator's shoulder.
"I can't! I don't see where... Shit, Neo's calling!"
"Don't tell him anything until he's back on the Neb, otherwise he won't get out."
Link glanced at him.
"With all my respect, Sir, but I fear he will got angry if-"
The captain interrupted him. " I know, just do it, Link. When we are reunited, we'll decide what to do. Even Neo is impotent, if we don't know where the program got Trinity."
The operator nodded and answered Neo's call, while Morpheus moved to unplug him.
As soon as he rushed out of the Oracle's building, Neo picked up his cell phone and dialled Link. No answer. Another minute passed, and still nothing. Answer, come on, answer! Why the hell is he taking so long? He was worried, and he didn't know why... Trinity...
"Operator."
At last.
"Link, where's Trinity?"
"Ah... she's already out, don't worry. The exit is on the main street, a phone both near a pub."
The operator hung up. Neo was thoughtful.
Link's voice sounded so hesitant... and he closed the communication so quickly... as if he was afraid to talk more... but maybe I'm just being paranoid... He mused as he reached the ringing phone booth. He had picked up the receiver, when it hit him. Wait a moment... if Trinity got out of the Matrix, then the receiver should still be hanging by its cord... of course someone could have used the phone, but it's late, I haven't seen a soul since we have entered and I still don't see anyone around here... so my presentiment was right... Link lied to me.
He firmly replaced the phone. That surely got Link's attention, because some instants later Neo's cell phone started ringing. He answered it.
"Neo, what are you waiting for? Get out!"
"Tell me where Trinity is!"
Link began to sweat. "I've already told you that-"
"You're lying!" Neo yelled, anger raising his usually quiet voice.
"Neo, please, calm down!"
"I'm not calming down, damn it! I'll repeat the question again, where is she?"
"Trinity... she..." Link stammered.
"She what?"
"She's gone! Disappeared! I can't find her anywhere!" the operator finally gave up.
Neo's heartbeat started to race faster, the hand gripping the phone shivering, fear choking his voice.
"How...?! Who..." he could just let out.
"I don't know! She was facing an agent..."
Facing an agent?! Neo' s mind screamed, terror altering the lineaments of his face. He trusted her and knew that she was able to, but for how much time? They always escaped from the agents, so she rarely fought them for more than some minutes. Actually, even if Trinity had been the strongest person of the whole world, he still would have feared for her. He couldn't help it, and he also had the impression she felt the same.
"... when someone else, the program I suppose, appeared and took her away, but I can't find their codes!" Link's voice brought him back to reality.
Neo's fear changed back into anger. Someone else... Hypno... that bastard!... Trinity...
"I'm going to search for her." Neo's tone was icy cold and harsh from the growing rage.
"Neo, wait! It would be better if you get out of there and-"
"No fucking way I'm coming out without her!" he shouted. And without killing that son of a bitch. He added mentally, clenching his hand into fists.
Neo hung up abruptly and put the phone back into his pocket, ignoring its sound when it started ringing again, and he suddenly took flight, not stopping until he was hovering over the roofs of some skyscrapers, his face stony, his eyes scanning every code in view.
I'm going to find you, wherever you are...
"You know, another thing I learned about you... you're so cute when you're asleep." He said, his words cutting the silence and the half-darkness in a whisper, Trinity could almost see his irritating smirk, his chilling breathing above her. She turned to face him and tried to get away from him, but her limpness failed her. She took a step back, eyeing him furiously.
"What have you done to me?!" She yelled, fighting to stay on her feet. He made a fake innocent expression, teasing her.
"Me? Nothing. If you mean the me-touching-you-while-you-are-sleeping thing, then I'm really innocent. Of course, it was a delicious temptation, I have to admit. Too bad I had to make sure the code barrier worked, otherwise maybe..." His predatory smirk grew wider, he was pleased to see her face get red from the anger. She was so gorgeous, especially when she was angry.
"I've just caught you, knocked you out, and given you a sedative to keep you weak for a little while." He continued, explaining it as if it was the most natural thing of the world. Trinity wished she could quarter and tear him in million pieces, literally.
"You... stay away from me... I don't want to have anything else to do with you!" she hissed trough clenched teeth, staring at him, blue eyes flashing.
"What makes you think you're so different from me?" His tone, this time, sounded serious. "You're amazing..."
Trinity rolled her eyes and just continued to stare at him, even if she was confused about his previous question. "Do you say that to all the girls?" she asked sarcastically.
The hint of an ironic smile played briefly on his lips. "No... you're different... affinity."
She frowned. Affinity? What does that mean?
"For a long time I have craved for you... for a creature like you... whose darkness could equal mine."
Darkness...?
She was taken aback as he suddenly stepped forward, his fingers grabbing her chin. His hand caressing her face, his eyes admiring her. She shivered under his touch.
Don't fight me... you know I can feel your hunger...
He put his hand behind her neck, leaning down, to kiss her. Trinity, as if she was in a daze, didn't make anything to stop him, that until she felt his lips brush hers. Her eyes widened, she pushed him away, gasping. He was too damn close for her taste.
"Stay... away... from... me! I'm not like you!"
He laughed. A pitiless laugh.
"Oh, yes you're. You can be. Do you want me to show you?"
She didn't have the time to react. He caught her face in his hands, each of them pressing a finger on her temples, a little hard. Her eyes closed shut as she felt a burning sensation inside her head, she tried to jerk away, but his hold was too firm. Then a lot of images and shots exploded in her mind, lights, noises, people... she felt herself falling down, down... until everything returned black.
When she opened her eyes again, she wasn't in the sewers anymore. She was standing in the middle of an empty street, and it was night, a dark night without stars. But something was wrong, she couldn't say if it was the place or just her view, her eyes saw as if they were looking at an old black and white photograph. She was still trying to understand what had happened when she heard fast steps behind her, someone running. She turned. A young dark haired girl in black leather had just dashed from behind a corner, a gun in her hand, an anxious expression written on her face. Oh, God... that is... me?! Trinity watched her other herself, shocked.
All those years fighting us... you think you know ... what you are ...
A.N. Kinda graphic chapter... sorry I couldn't think of a better title... please, review!