9
All further thoughts of jealousy and envy against the Woman in Red had now completely slipped from Trinity's mind. She hadn't expected Morpheus to want to take Neo to see the Oracle so soon!!
The Oracle will be able to tell Neo if he is The One or not. By the end of today, we'll know for sure. If he is The One, then I suppose I'll have no choice but to accept my feelings towards him as love. But if he isn't...
She felt disoriented and empty, completely unsure of what to think. Part of her was actually a little excited, silently hoping and praying that he was The One. She had never felt love before, so how was she meant to know if what she felt now was love or not? She certainly felt something for him...something that hadn't been evident in anyone else she'd ever met before. But was it love?
The prophecy was her greatest clue. But how could she trust that when she didn't believe in it? Perhaps Neo would be able to change her perspective on this....if he was The One, that is....but did she really want to love him just because of his title? If he was The One, she would just have to accept her feelings for him as love.
Then what? She thought gloomily to herself as she made her way to her room to prepare for jacking into the core after breakfast. Do I just waltz up to him and tell him that I love him? Trinity snorted. Not likely...but what if Neo isn't The One? If he isn't, then I swear I'll never put trust in my heart again.
"No." She said aloud upon reaching her door. "I don't want to think about that."
"Think about what?" Asked a voice from behind her. Turning swiftly, Trinity noticed Switch standing behind her, eyeing her with concern.
"Nothing." Trinity answered meekly, but Switch was obviously unconvinced. However, she said nothing and allowed Trinity to hurry into the safety of her own room to spend some time thinking things over before the hour of judgment arrived.
(o)
"So who is this Oracle person, exactly?" Neo asked Tank when he arrived in the core, leaning against the operator's chair.
"She's this old woman who tells you shit you don't even want to know." Tank replied bitterly, but then fixed his eyes on Neo with a cheesy grin. "Sorry, I'm not really The Oracle's biggest fan."
"Obviously." Neo grinned in reply.
"Morpheus usually takes newbies to see her a couple of months after they've been unplugged because he likes to take them through the basic training programs first and also give them a chance to settle into the real world. But he's obviously just as keen to see if you're The One of not as the rest of us."
"She'll be able to tell me if I'm The One or not?" Asked Neo nervously.
Tank nodded. "She can see into the future. That's why she's called the Oracle. Basically, she tells you your future and helps you to figure things out. Everyone who can jack in has been to see her at least once."
"Everyone?" Neo wondered. I wonder what Trinity's prophecy was...
"Everyone." Tank repeated, stretching back in his chair. "I'm glad I can't jack in. I don't see the fun in knowing what's going to happen to you, it takes all the adventure and excitement out of life! I'd rather just let fate take it's course."
"I don't believe in fate." Said Neo, absent mindedly, staring dreamily over Tank's shoulder to the Matrix code flashing on the three main screens.
What if I'm not The One? What if I let everyone down? What if everything the others went through to get me out was for nothing? I couldn't stand to let them all down...especially Morpheus, after all the faith he's shown in me. And what about Trinity...
He could picture the look of disappointment showering Trinity's face when she found out he wasn't The One as clearly as if it were happening now. Ironically, this mental image was only displayed a small fraction of the disappointment Trinity would feel if Neo wasn't The One.
(o)
"Morpheus, don't you think you're moving too fast?" Trinity asked anxiously, following her captain towards the core a short time later.
"The sooner we find out if Neo is The One, the better." Morpheus replied, catching the look of fear reflecting in Trinity's piercing blue eyes and turning her skin chalk white as she shuffled along beside him. "Is something wrong, Trinity?"
"No, everything's fine." She answered instantly. Perhaps a little too soon, because Morpheus obviously wasn't convinced.
"If there's something bothering you..." He began, unsure of how to complete his sentence. "Remember, you can always talk to me about it."
Trinity smiled kindly. Morpheus had been so nice to her over the years, like the father she never had. She wished there was a way for her to repay him for all he'd done for her over the years.
"I'm fine." She lied as they arrived in the core. The others were already gathered there, all glancing between one another anxiously. All were clearly nervous, but none were as nervous as Neo, who was shifting from one foot to the other, his face a ghostly white.
"Tank, Dozer. Load us up." Morpheus ordered, and both operators obeyed instantly as the rest of the crew found their chairs.
Neo tripped over the ground cables on his way over, his mind too focused on other things to worry about where his feet were carrying him. Feeling his cheeks redden, he leapt into the nearest chair and found himself beside Trinity, who was lying back and awaiting the needle to be jabbed into her head. Catching his lingering gaze, she forced a quavering smile onto her lips in an attempt to make him relax a little.
If he's feeling half as nervous as I am right now, he must be going insane.
"Nervous?" She asked, already knowing the answer herself. Neo nodded vigorously, causing her smile to broaden a little. "I would be to."
Tank approached him, patting him on the shoulder in comfort as Neo shifted back in his chair, allowing Tank to jab the needle into his skull as he closed his eyes into darkness.
(o)
Neo blinked at his own ghostly reflection, pale in the frozen glass of the window. But then again....it wasn't really his reflection, was it? The streets beyond the car were littered with hundreds upon hundreds of people, bustling through the city to reach their destination, their faces pallid against the dim green tinge in the gloomy and seemingly lifeless atmosphere of the computer generated world.
He was still struggling to accept that everything around him was no more than a lie. This was, after all, the very city he had been residing in before he was unplugged. Everything looked so familiar....but really, he'd never seen it before. It didn't exist....he didn't exist....well, his mind did.....this was just so confusing....
"Unbelievable....isn't it?" Morpheus asked from the driver's seat, watching Neo's reaction in the review mirror.
"God..." Neo murmured as they passed an all too familiar setting.
"What?" Trinity asked, looking at him through the darkness of her sunglasses from across the back seat of the car. The first thought that crossed Neo's mind when he reentered the Matrix for the first time after being unplugged was of how sexy she looked in a leather dress clinging to her slender frame tightly against her velvety creamy skin, her eyes hidden beneath dark shades and pieces of her ebony hair sliding into her face.
"I used to eat there." No pointed to a passing restaurant as a strange remark popped into his head. He turned to meet her eyes, his own glittering with a boyish enchantment that so easily enraptured her. "Really good noodles."
She had to smile. How could she not? For the first time in the Matrix after being unplugged (almost fifteen years ago) the corners of Trinity's lips unturned slightly into a quivering smile.
He's beautiful...She thought distantly to herself, admiring the life shinning in his virtual eyes. He truly is...oh God, listen to me! I'm sounding like some love-sick teenager again.
"I have these memories from my life....none of them happened." Neo continued. "What does that mean?"
Cypher, who had been sitting in the front beside Morpheus and growing increasingly tired of Neo's naivety, was about to order him to keep his mouth shut. But Trinity spoke first, cutting him off and answering promptly.
"That the Matrix cannot tell you who you are."
"But an Oracle can?" Neo questioned, suddenly reminded of what awaited him at the end of this car journey.
"That's different." Trinity mumbled, truthfully unsure of what her answer meant herself. She shifted in the car seat uncomfortably, wondering where this conversation would lead.
"Did you go to her?" He asked, wondering if he could provoke her into telling him her own prophecy. He wasn't really sure why he wanted to know so much....probably because everything about her interested him....even something as simple as a movement of her hand.
Trinity sighed, turning to stare out the window so he wouldn't see the red tinge in her cheeks. Part of her had known that this topic would come up before too long. But this didn't make answering his questions any easier.
"Yes." She breathed against the glass, watching his reflection behind her. A mass of messy tuffs of deepest brown hair covered his scalp, so soft and silky, catching the light of the distant sun. She was at once filled with an anxiety to run a hand across his head, and feel his hair between her fingers....to test if it really was as soft as it did seem. Her fingers twitched in her lap, but she clutched her hands together to hold them at bay.
"What did she tell you?" Neo asked with a faint smile, brightening his face in the dim reflection of the window. Trinity swiveled around in her seat of face him again, her body tensing at his question. She forced her previous smile back onto her face, weaving possible replies through her head.
"She told me..." Trinity trailed away, her voice catching in her throat. How could she finish that sentence? Was she meant to say 'she told me I would fall in love with you'? Of course not. Even if Cypher and Morpheus weren't in the car, she wouldn't have been able to bring herself to say the dreaded words....at least not until she knew for certain.
Neo coaxed his head to the side, his eyes glowing in confusion. Her lips were still parted slightly, but she was swallowing heavily, suppressing oncoming words back down her throat. This only filled with him more curiosity and a greater desire to know the answer.
"What?" He prompted, just as the car pulled over with a screech.
"We're here." Morpheus announced, pushing his door open. "Neo, come with me."
Neo obeyed, nodding to Trinity before scrambling out of the car and shuffling after Morpheus towards the scummy and unkempt city building. Trinity undid her seatbelt and relaxed in her seat, beads of sweat collecting on her forehead. She pushed her hair out of her face and let the window dropped, cooling her face in the cool breeze and trying to calm her racing heart with low, strong breathing.
This is it. When he comes out of there...I'll know for sure.
"So, you excited?" Cypher grinned slimily, watching her reflection in the review mirror. She's going to be the one thing I miss after all this is over. Too bad I couldn't take her with me. "Obviously not. Actually, you look a little worried."
Trinity said nothing, leaning out of the open car window and enjoying the sensations of the wind tickling her face, regardless of whether it was real or not.
"Are you scared cause you want him to be famous? So you can take a share in some of the glory once you seduce him?" Cypher laughed mechanically. Trinity said nothing, blocking him out entirely and only causing Cypher greater irritation.
"Why don't we listen to some music to pass the time?" He suggested, his hand moving to the dial.
"You touch that dial and I'll murder you." Trinity stated strongly, but not bothering to give him the courtesy of her full attention.
"Ooh, I'm so scared!" Cypher whimpered sarcastically. "You go around pretending to be so tough, Trinity, but really you're no stronger than a love-sick teenage girl. When it comes to love, you're almost as weak as Neo is."
"What makes you think I'm in love with anyone?" Trinity snapped, turning away from her window.
"That's exactly what I mean, Trinity." Cypher called angrily. "You claim to be a tough, bad-ass chick, and to some, you may appear to be. But really, you're just a scared individual who can't even tell the difference between real love and what isn't. You're weak, Trinity. You're nearly as weak as him."
"Neo is The One." Trinity answered instantly, feeling herself rise slightly in her chair. She forgot to think about whether this sentence was the truth or not. She was far too enraged with Cypher to care.
"You really think that someone like Neo could save the world?" Cypher snorted. "Come on, Trinity. He's even weaker than you are....he can't even tell his right from his left for crying out loud!"
Trinity said nothing, stewing in her own rage and feeling her blood boil beneath her skin. But this was neither the time nor the place to start a fight. Once they were back on the ship and in safety, she'd make him suffer. Cypher grunted in frustration, letting his hand fall to the switch and flicking the radio. Music blared into the car, causing Trinity to jump in alarm.
"Yeah, I turned the radio on." Cypher smiled cynically. "What are you gonna do about it, bad-ass?"
Trinity subconsciously felt her hands clench into fists. This time he'd gone too far. He lunged forward over the top of the front seat and punched whatever inch of skin she could reach, feeling her fist collide with his left shoulder. Cypher cried out in pain, turning around and staring at her in shock as she flopped back into her seat.
"Exactly what I said I would." Trinity retorted sourly. "I'm going to murder you."
"Right." Cypher snarled, but before he could say another word, Neo and Morpheus emerged from behind a door leading to the Oracle's building. He cast her one final look of loathing before swiveling back around in his chair and folding his arms across his chest like a spoilt toddler.
Naturally, Trinity was full of questions. But there was one question she desperately craved an answer to...an answer that would determine her own fate, and his.
"Neo...are you-" She began, but was instantly cut off as Morpheus slid into the front seat.
"Neo." Morpheus commanded. "You don't need to tell anyone what was said between you and the Oracle, remember?"
Neo nodded, taking another bite of the cookie in his hand. This only caused Trinity further puzzlement. His expression was hard to place, a mixture of confusion and uncertainty.
The car ride back to the others was even more silent as the ride there. For once, Neo was thankful for this. He needed time to think without being bombarded with questions he didn't want to answer.
So I'm not The One. My worst fears have become reality. I've let everyone down. How am I going to brake the news to the others? What will Morpheus say when he knows the truth?...what will Trinity say?
Sinking into his own personal state of gloom, Neo finished off his cookie. But unlike the Oracle had promised, he wasn't feeling any better. What made matters worse was worrying about the other things the Oracle had told him. How could he choose between his own life and the life of another human being?
Little did he know, he was going to have to make that choice much sooner than he had expected.
(o)
A/N: I hope that the thoughts of Trinity and Neo about the Oracle were believable, as was the fight with Cypher and Trinity. Unfortunately, I don't have any time to proof read this chapter, so please overlook any spelling or grammar errors.
Thanks for reading and please review!