8

Trinity awoke rather late yet again the next day. It hardly surprised her anymore, since she had been needing plenty of extra sleep since Neo was unplugged. She smiled to herself- so much had changed since she'd met Neo, it was hard to believe she was the same person she once was. But was this such a bad thing? Perhaps she was changing for the better...

After spending some time lying curled up in her bed, Trinity decided it was time she got up. Stretching and pulling her over-shirt and pants over her under-shirt and underwear, she stuffed her feet into her boots before making her way down the corridor and towards the core, with intentions of watching Neo train. The sight of him after waking up often made a good start to her day.

"Trinity!" Tank exclaimed when she arrived in the core. "Great, I could use some company."

"What program is he doing?" Trinity asked as she moved behind him and rested her hands on the back of Tank's chair, peering at the screens over his shoulders.

"Agent training program." Tank grinned slyly, tapping several keys. "Mouse was outraged when he found out that Neo hadn't taken the program yet, so he marched right up to Morpheus and requested he take it straight away."

"How long have they been in there?" Trinity asked, gesturing to the limp bodies of Morpheus and Neo reclining in their jack-in chairs.

"I just jacked them in a few minutes ago." Answered Tank, resting his elbows on the edge of the keyboard and putting his chin in his hands. "I should probably get Mouse. No doubt he'll be excited to see his lady lover in action."

"She's not real, Tank." Trinity scowled.

"Try telling him that." Said Tank, adding excitedly, "Hey look, here she comes!"

Trinity remembered the time Morpheus had taken her through the agent training program. It had been a complete disaster because Trinity hadn't given a second glance to the attractive young man who breezed past her in a crowd of bustling people, eyeing her seductively. When Morpheus had asked her if she was looking at the man, she had replied with a definite and truthful 'no'. She could still see the expression of shock on Morpheus's face clearly....as if it had been imprinted into her mind.

Perhaps the male equivalent of the Woman in Red wasn't as attractive as it's female opposite. Or maybe women were much more immune to desire than men. Or perhaps it was just Trinity who had managed to build a barrier around herself, blocking other men (real or not) from ever touching her heart. Whatever the cause, the others had marveled at her ability to brush of emotions like removing a loose thread from her shirt. She laughed inwardly to herself as she wondered what the original crew of the Nebuchadnezzar would think of her if they could see her now...

Trinity didn't know what she expected from Neo when he encountered the Women in Red. Surely, she couldn't have expected him to be able to block off all sexual impulses as she had been able to. But still seeing the lustful glare he gave her as he passed sent a twang of envy coursing through her veins.

She's not real...she's not real. Trinity thought bitterly to herself as Neo turned back only to see an agent simulation instead. Goddamit, why did Mouse have to invent that program anyway?

"Is something wrong?" Asked Tank tearing his eyes away from the screens. When Trinity didn't even bother to look away from the scene in front of her, loathing dancing in the depths of her eyes, Tanks smirked knowingly, his own eyes shimmering with delight. "Hey, I know what it is! You're jealous, aren't you?"

"Of course not!" Trinity lied, still not looking away from the screens. "Why would I be jealous of a program, especially when I'm not seeing the man it's trying to tempt?"

"Nice try, Trinity." Tank laughed. "But I think you and Neo already are together. You just haven't realized it yourself yet."

"How can that be possible?" Trinity spat in disgust.

"Well," Tank said thoughtfully. "Let's just say we unplug a new guy who has the hots for you -hey, just hear me out, ok? As I was saying...he has the hots for you, but I doubt he'd try anything if he saw the way you two look at each other. That's what I mean. You're seeing him, you just haven't admitted it yet."

Trinity was about to retort when an alarm sounded overhead.

"Shit." Tank cursed, typing insanely quickly on the keyboard, brining up a screen reading sentinels. The blinking neon red lights flashed across his face, illuminating the fear in his eyes as he pulled his headpiece on and dialed Morpheus.

"Get to the cockpit!" Tank hollered, but Trinity firmly shook her head.

"Get them out first." She commanded in a tone to match her status on board the ship. Tank had no choice but to obey.

"We've got trouble." Was all he had time to say before he typed the appropriate sequence of keys to bring both men out of the program and back into the real world. Trinity rushed to Neo's chair, wrenching the needle from the back of his head and helping him to his feet, leading the way to the cockpit.

"What's going on?' Neo asked in confusion as Morpheus pushed past the pair, ascending the ladder that would take him to the cockpit.

"I'll explain once we get up here." Trinity answered hurriedly, standing aside to let Neo climb the ladder first as the rest of the crew gathered around the base. There was only room for four in the cockpit, so Trinity followed Neo up quickly before any of the others could.

"Did Zion send a warning?" Morpheus asked Dozer, taking the seat beside him.

"No, another ship." Dozer answered, brining up an image on a screen. Neo peered at the crystallized blue light with interest and trying his best to ignore Trinity's fear-filled breathing beside him.

Trinity? Afraid? Hmm...whatever's happening must be something pretty bad if it can get that affect from her.

"Shit." Muttered Dozer. "Squiddies sweeping in quick."

"Squiddy?" Asked Neo to none in particular, but only half expecting an answer in return. Everyone seemed to be in a state of deep concentration....far too preoccupied to want to answer a newibe's naïve question. This was why Trinity's automatic response came as such a shock to him.

"A sentinel." She answered out of instinct. "Killing machine designed for only one thing."

"Search and destroy." Dozer finished, not bothering to tear his eyes from the ship's front window.

"Set her down right over there." Morpheus ordered. Dozer nodded and took to the controls, causing Neo to gasp slightly as the ship shuddered and zoomed towards the location Morpheus had directed. Trinity jerked her head to Neo briefly, smiling as she read the reaction in his face.

"How're we doing, Tank?" Morpheus spoke into the intercom.

"Power offline." Tank's voice cackled in reply. "E.M.P armed....and ready."

"E.M.P?" Neo asked inquisitively, this time looking directly to Trinity in the hopes that she would again deliver him the answers he craved for. She didn't disappoint him.

"Electro Magnetic Pulse." Trinity informed him, folding her arms across her chest. "Disables any electrical system within the blast radius. It's the only weapon we have against the machines."

Neo nodded quietly, the view beyond the ship's front window catching his attention. The world that lay beyond was bleak and gray, mist swirling amongst the depths of metallic pipes and tubes, mingled with dirt and decay. With all that had been going on inside his mind, the location of the ship hadn't even occurred to him.

"Where are we?" He asked.

"There are old service and waste systems." Trinity answered promptly.

"Sewers?" Neo continued, glad to have his questions answered instead of being brushed aside for a change.

"They used to be cities that spanned hundreds of miles." Whispered Trinity. "Now these sewers are all that's left of them."

"Quiet!" Morpheus interrupted, brining an abrupt end to the conversation.

Seconds after the word had left his lips, three sentinels streamed down upon them. Neo stared, open mouthed, at the sight before him. The mechanical beasts were a faded shade of sapphire blue, blended with a vibrant red and eyes of burning fire. Their long tentacles swirled behind them, propelling them forwards and through mid air. The leader, the largest and obviously the fiercest of them all, closed in against the ship. Neo heard Trinity draw in her breath and hold it beside him and felt his own body quiver with fear as the beast spread it's tentacles, gnashing and grasping air as if it were searching for something it couldn't see. After a moment of struggling, the sentinel moved on, leading the others with it.

Trinity exhaled deeply, closing her eyes to calm her racing heart. Morpheus and Dozer drew back in their chairs, shaking their heads in dismay, whilst Neo breathed a strong sigh of relief, his face a ghostly white after the sentinel encounter.

"Are you alright?" She asked him anxiously.

"Not really." Neo smiled lightly. "T-Those sentinel things are disgusting."

"Well get used to looking at them, Neo." Morpheus stated, getting from his chair. "They'll be your new enemy. Now come on, you have several more training programs to run through before the end of today."

"Right." Neo answered gloomily, following Morpheus out of the cockpit. Trinity moved to follow them once he had disappeared from view, but was stopped when a hand shot out from seemingly nowhere and tightened around her wrist.

"He likes you, you know." Said Dozer, jerking his head down the hall. Trinity blinked in shock- Dozer rarely addressed her like this. In fact, he wasn't one to start a conversation, especially on this level.

"....oh...." Trinity mumbled, truthfully unsure of how to reply.

"You don't need to say anything. I'm just telling you what I've seen." Dozer shrugged. "He likes you."

"Right." Trinity moved carefully towards the door. "Well...um...I-I'm going to finish working now. See you at dinner."

"See you, Trinity." Dozer sighed, resting back in his chair and the silence that instantly filled the cockpit after Trinity had left.

(o)

Neo awoke the following morning and was surprised to find he had an appetite. Perhaps it had something to do with sampling his first drink of alcohol last night when he ran into Cypher in the core, or maybe it was simply because his stomach was finally feeling up to digesting solid foods. Whatever the reason, Neo found himself joining the rest of the crew in the Mess Hall for breakfast for the first time.

"Morning, Neo!" Tank said cheerily as Neo scrambled into the Mess Hall, wearing a woolen hat to bring warmth to his near to bald scalp. "Good sleep?"

"Yeah right." Cypher snorted. "It's impossible to get a good sleep in the real world."

"I was wondering...." Neo stuttered, taking the only remaining empty chair beside Mouse.

"Ah! So you've got your appetite back!" Mouse assumed. "Takes longer than you think it would, doesn't it?"

"Yeah." Neo smiled. He knew everyone found Mouse's energetic conversations irritating, but Mouse's friendliness made a nice change to the sullenness of the rest of the crew, minus Tank and Trinity of course...

"I better get you something then." Tank stood, taking an empty bowl and filling it with some strange substance from a nearby tap and sliding it back across the table before moving back into his own seat. "Here you go, buddy. Breakfast of champions."

Neo had been expecting something a little more appetizing. The thick white liquid was littered with large chunks and lumps, sloshing about in the bowl. He stared at the food blankly as the others around him began to shovel it into their mouths.

It reminds me of my mother's oatmeal in the Matrix. Neo thought to himself, lifting his spoon and toying with the chunks of....actually, he had no idea what they were.

"If you close your eyes, it almost feels like you're eating runny eggs." Mouse suggested, a childlike eagerness to his voice.

"Yeah, or a bowl of snot." Dozer scoffed as several lumps dripped of the edge of Neo's spoon. He let the rest of the mixture fall back into the bowl and pushed it aside, now having completely lost his desire to eat.

"You know what it reminds me of?" Asked Mouse rather randomly (as it was in his nature). "Tasty Wheat. Did you ever eat Tasty Wheat?"

"No." Switch said irritably in a voice that indicated her obvious desire to have him shut his mouth. "But technically neither did you."

"That's exactly my point. Exactly!" Mouse cried with a boyish excitement, blinded to Switch's tone of irritation. "Because you have to wonder now, how did the machines really know what Tasty Wheat tasted like, huh? Maybe they got it wrong. Maybe what I think Tasty Wheat tasted like actually tasted like, uh..oatmeal, or tuna fish. That makes you wonder about a lot of things. You take chicken for example, maybe they couldn't figure out what to make chicken taste like, which is why chicken tastes like everything. Maybe they couldn't-"

"Shut up, Mouse." Said Apoc.

"It's a single celled protein combined with synthetic aminos, vitamins and minerals." Dozer explained knowingly, although both Neo and Trinity couldn't see why this information should matter to anyone. "Everything the body needs."

"It doesn't have everything the body needs." Mouse muttered under his breath so only Neo could hear him, pulling a face at both Dozer and Apoc before leaning in towards Neo to continue conversation. "So I understand you've run through the agent training program....you, uh, you know I wrote that program." He stated proudly.

Neo was rather thankful for Mouse's desire to uphold conversation, having had grown up in a house with two brothers and TV dinners where meals were never a silent affair. If it hadn't been for Mouse, he would have had to sit in awkward silence, which would have felt unnatural to him. However, it was obvious that the others didn't feel the same way when Switch rolled her eyes tiredly.

"Here it comes." Apoc sighed, smirking slightly into his bowl.

"So, uh, what did you think of her?" Mouse asked excitedly.

Trinity, who had hardly been paying attention to the conversation us usual, now looked up in alarm, her forehead creasing into frown lines. She knew that Mouse would never miss an opportunity to talk about his 'famous' creation, but secretly she had hoped that he wouldn't bring her up around Neo.

"Of who?" Neo asked naively, truthfully unsure of what Mouse was talking about.

"The woman in the red dress!" Mouse cried incredulously, unable to believe Neo didn't know what he was talking about.

Oh. Neo thought to himself. Her.

"I designed her." Mouse continued proudly. "She...um...well, she doesn't talk much. B-but if you'd like to meet her." He lowered his voice to a loud whisper, jabbering in Neo's ear. "I can arrange a much more personalized milieu."

"Digital pimp hard at work." Switch joked, smirking as well despite the darkening scowl lingering on the face of her close friend from across the table.

It's a program, for god's sake! Why are all men on this ship attracted to something that isn't even real? Trinity thought bitterly to herself, before jumping at the sudden realization. My god! Am I actually jealous of the Woman in Red? Tank said earlier today that Neo and I were already seeing each other but hadn't realized it yet...maybe he was right. I mean, I'm actually feeling jealous of a program!

Neo stared at Mouse as if he was mentally retarded. Is Mouse into porn or something? He's trying to hook me up with a program for crying out loud! I have to admit...the Woman in Red is beautiful...but compared to Trinity...

"Pay no attention to these hypocrites, Neo." Mouse scowled, casting Apoc and Switch a shifty glance from across the table. "To deny our own impulses, is to deny the very thing that makes us human."

Trinity bent further towards her bowl, now only toying with the remaining food in her bowl with bitter rage. Although, Mouse did raise an interesting point.

Maybe I should just stop trying to deny it. I certainly feel something for Neo...but is it love?

Before she could dwell on this any longer, Morpheus burst into the Mess Hall, causing the entire crew to look up in surprise.

"Dozer, when you're done, bring the ship up to broadcast level." Morpheus ordered, a smile playing on his lips as he turned his gaze to Neo. "We're going in. I'm taking Neo to see her."

"See who?" Neo asked nervously, glancing around the crew anxiously.

Tank rose his head from his bowl, his dark eye flashing with seriousness for once.

"The Oracle..."

(o)

A/N: Suspenseful place to stop it, I know. But I didn't want to make the chapter any longer. Please review and tell me what you think!