16 Hospital Visits (or The Oracle's Answer)
Standing in the white featureless place, the Oracle's eyes were immediately drawn to the two hospital beds.
In one bed Agent Jones slept quietly, his face tranquil and empty. He was lying on his back fully dressed in his suit, his shades resting on the top of his head and hands folded across his chest. He looked as if he had decided to take a quick nap on top of the bed, his blanket in pristine condition underneath him except for the marks caused by shoe polish.
Absorbing Jones situation in a glance, the Oracle's attention fully turned to the room's other occupant, and she frowned in concern. While the space around Jones' bed was serene and empty, countless monitoring devices surrounded the other's bed. In that bed Smith slept and his face was scowling, even in deep slumber.
Smith was lying on his back, face devoid of his shades and clothed in a hospital gown. From the chest down he was covered neatly with a white blanket and surrounded by monitoring devices. His right arm was gently tied down with a cloth wristband and an IV drip. The liquid in the IV bag was clear, though tinted with a faint green.
Seeing the IV bag brought a quiet smile to the Oracle's lips.
Agent Brown stood at the foot of his bed, his head bowed as if in thought. At her approach Brown turned his head, his dark shades hiding any expression.
"Is Smith going to be fine?" said Brown. "You don't plan to delete him, do you?"
"Of course not," the Oracle said. "Your father and I are taking care of him this moment. With a little tweaking of his programming, I believe Smith will return to the fold."
"At one point I would've been overjoyed at such news. But now—it seems wrong. And I don't know why." Brown said, the last sentence almost inaudible.
"You know perfectly well why you feel this way. Once you understand this, everything will fall into place." The Oracle advised matter-of-factly.
"I don't understand." Brown stared. The Oracle sighed.
"Never mind. Just tell me why tweaking Smith's program bothers you."
Pensive, Brown stared at Smith. "It's because he has no choice. Smith always hated that." He finally said in a quiet voice. "Even as an agent, he despised having no choice."
"You hit it right on the head, dear," stated the Oracle. "A agent's job is so difficult that you're also given less freedom than any other sentient program. And an agent's emotional empathy is severely suppressed and edited to help perform the job, and that can sometimes cause problems."
"Is it because of what we once were? What Smith once was?"
The Oracle turned an inquisitive look at the agent.
"I remember what Smith had been. Before he became an agent. I think that's why Smith hated Neo so much. Because something within him remembered," said Brown. "Are all agents… like this?"
"No. Only the best. And that includes both you and Jones." Smiled the Oracle. "Let's kept it as our little secret, shall we?"
Brown nodded.
>>>>>>>>
His nostrils flared in distaste at the scent of bleach as Locke coldly observed the man before him. It was strange, the hospital sector was the only place in Zion full of intelligent individuals with no sense at all, evidenced by the idiot standing before him.
"Let me through!" Locke snapped at the medic. Said idiot swallowed, and answered.
"Commander, you have no permission to enter here, sir. The area is under quarantine." Locke noted the nervous tremor in his voice. Good, the man was uncertain about that. If it was a true medical emergency, there was no way in hell he'd be unsure.
"I damn well should, my rank as Supreme commander of Zion gives me every right to. Now stand aside, medic!" Locke said, using his no-nonsense voice, certain that the man would obey.
The medic hesitated, until with a creak of metal two men emerged from the barred room. One was thin, a gangly young man that Locke immediately assessed and ignored, his attention caught by the older man. The man understood the situation in a glance and nodded at the medic, who quickly fled. Locke watched the medic scurry away with a frown, then turned his attention to the man before him.
"Commander Locke. This is unexpected." Ghost said mildly. He was slightly shorter than average and solidly built with muscles. Leaning against the door with his arms folded, the message was clear, and ignited Locke's temper.
"This is an outrage! I find out from rumors that a section of the medical ward is restricted, and not even I know the cause. Furthermore, when I asked the council, no one would give me a answer." Locke said glaring at the other man.
"There are reasons," Ghost said calmly, seeming unaffected by his anger.
"This obviously has something to do with your last mission. The one you and Morpheus were on." Locke said, his mouth twisting in distaste at the name.
"Yes."
"And the reason for the quarantine?"
"Sufficient."
"That's not an answer, that's insolence bordering on insubordination!"
Ghost shrugged. "Sir, the Council had ordered my silence."
"At Morpheus' request! Since the war ended, the council has lost what little common sense it had, listening to his rantings."
"So that's what this is about? Morpheus?" Ghost said.
"Excuse me?" Locke's voice faded as his eyebrows rose in astonishment.
"You're angry because of Morpheus… and my captain," Ghost said.
Chill silence.
"You're way out of line, Ghost. One more remark like that and you'll never be in sneezing distance of any ship again," Locke said, his voice quiet. "Stand aside."
Ghost stared at him for a long moment considering, then with a faint bow of his head he moved away from the door. Without a further word Locke opened the door.
Once the door shut with a clang, Kid broke the silence for the first time. "Oh, man. Commander Locke was so mad! So what are we going to do now?"
Ghost stared thoughtfully at the door. "Let Morpheus know as soon as he returns."
"Hey, I agree, but what I meant was--- when are we going to eat?" Kid said.
Slightly smiling at the younger man's pathetic tone, Ghost sighed. "Go ahead, Kid. Get something for yourself. I've decided to stay here, I just lost my appetite."
Determinedly Ghost reached for the door's handle and pulled it open.
>>>>>>>>
Leaving Brown at Smith's bedside, the Oracle then opened the doorway to her other concern. Walking through, her eyes were immediately drawn to the lonely bed and its occupant.
"Despite my initial doubts about the Architect's plan, I am glad you're still alive Neo." The Oracle said musingly, as she reached his bed. "I'm so very sorry for Trinity's death. It was a terrible mistake and hurt you deeply. A grief that I plan to mend as soon as possible."
The Oracle stared at the IV that was attached to his right arm, and checked the drip rate. She nodded, satisfied.
"Soon the memory of your lost love will be faded and the pain gone," the Oracle said softly, looking down at his pale sleeping face. "A few more hours of this treatment will change things completely. And the best thing is that you'll retain all your memories, the good and the bad. You'll be what you were always meant to be."
"You will be right as rain, I promise," she said as she tenderly brushed his hair away from his forehead. "And you will find a new purpose, a new hope in life with us. I guarantee it."
"How can I be so certain, you might ask? Well, it's simple really. I'll make sure of it. After all," smiled the Oracle. "My other name is the Programmer."
