A/N: In regards to my reviewer, Alex, this story is going to lead right up until the exact moment Reloaded takes over, which means there are plenty more chapters to come! Unfortunately, I will not be able to update between Monday, 30th September and Thursday, 7th October because I will be away on vacation. Before I leave, I hope to get out a couple of chapters, but I am just warning you that I won't be able to update for about a week.

11

"You're going to kill him?" Trinity uttered in disbelief, turning to face her crewmate and close friend, her eyes widening in pure shock. "Kill Morpheus?"

"We don't have any other choice." Tank answered sadly.

Trinity shook her head in denial. This couldn't be happening! She'd already lost so much today, including one of the two people she only really knew as a friend. Morpheus was the closest thing she'd ever had to a real father. He'd taught her the truth and helped her to become the woman she was today. If it hadn't been for Morpheus, she would still be living in the Matrix. She wouldn't have ever been able to discover her hidden potential as a warrior. She would never have made any friends at all.

She would have never met Neo....

Shooting a glance to Neo from across the room, she silently enjoyed the sensation she received as her heart fluttered. She would no longer look at him in the way she had done before....now she knew for certain that this was real love. She wanted to tell him. She had to tell him. But now definitely wasn't the time.

She knew that what Tank was saying was right. Morpheus would want them to pull the plug, for Zion's sake. If they didn't, it would mean the end for every other human being in both the real world and the Matrix. She couldn't let that happen. But this knowledge didn't make it any easier.

No matter what happens...I'm going to see this through. There's nothing I can do to save him, so I may as well accept his death. But I want to be here when they do it...............I won't cry.

Tank was still awaiting an answer, but Trinity's voice seemed to have drifted away with her happiness and joy in finally admitting her love. She moved to stand beside Neo, wishing she had the courage to take his hand in her own so that they could share the comfort they both desired. But Neo would never love her in return. He was so perfect, and she wasn't anything at all.

Tank's strong voice broke her train of thought suddenly as he rested a hand on Morpheus's head. "Morpheus, you're more than a leader to us, you're....a father. We'll miss you always."

As Tank's hand traveled to Morpheus's plug, Neo's mind whirred and a near forgotten segment of his talk with the Oracle was suddenly remembered in an instant.

No, this can't be happening. Morpheus can't die, he can't...Wait, didn't the Oracle tell me that Morpheus would sacrifice himself to save me? Didn't she say I'd have to choose between his life and my own? The only reason Morpheus sacrificed himself was because he believed I was the One. But I'm not the One...I'm nothing special...so does it really matter that I die? I have nothing to live for, and at least death would save me from my own embarrassment...

"Stop!" He cried, causing Tank and Trinity to spin round and give him their full attentions. "I don't believe this is happening."

"Neo, this has to be done." Tank argued.

"Does it?" Neo shook his head, unsure of how he could explain himself. Eventually, he decided simply to speak what was on his mind, no matter how crazy it sounded. "I-I don't know. This can't just be coincidence. It can't be."

"What are you talking about?" Tank questioned in confusion.

"The Oracle." Neo continued, his eyes swerving from one solider to the other. "She told me this would happen. She told me...that I could have to make a choice."

"What choice?" Trinity wondered. He isn't making any sense!

Without another word, Neo proceeded to his jack-in chair, unsure of how he could fully explain himself anyway. Startled, Trinity perused him in an attempt to find out what he was talking about. She heard Tank hurrying behind her, also in a state on uncertainty.

"What are you doing?" She asked his retreating back. Neo didn't dare look at her....he couldn't, because he knew that she would be the one reason he would want to stay.

"I'm going in." He told his monitor.

"No you're not!" Trinity cried in alarm. She hadn't expected this at all! Why does he want to throw is life away like that? One or not, there is no way he could withstand an army of Agents without proper training!

"I have to." Neo sighed, finally tearing his eyes away from the monitor to face her, and immediately wishing that he hadn't.

"Neo, Morpheus sacrificed himself so that we could get you out." Trinity ordered sternly, hoping he would see sense and abandon his ridiculous plan. If he was the One (which he most certainly was), she couldn't put his life at risk. Not only for the sake of herself, but for the sake of all mankind.

Neo sighed heavily. The moment of truth had come. There was no other way he could convince her to let him go. He would have to tell her. "Morpheus did what he did because he believed that I'm something I'm not."

"What?" Trinity questioned, her voice a mere whisper. His cryptic sentence could only have one explanation. But the answer wasn't one she wanted to hear.

"I'm not the One, Trinity." He said boldly, sadness mixed with each word. "The Oracle hit me with that, too."

Trinity struggled to hold in a gasp. It couldn't be true! He had to be lying! She now knew what Neo meant when they talked during his first night concussions on board the ship. How could the one thing she'd been sure about throughout the entire course of her life be a lie? This had to be some sort of trick! The Oracle had to be lying!

"No." She shook her head firmly. "You have to be."

"I'm not, I'm sorry." He said, giving her a deep and meaningful stare. He disappointment in her eyes was stronger than he could ever have imagined. "I'm just another guy."

"No, Neo...that's not true. It can't be true." She retorted weakly, although part of her knew his words were true. The Oracle never lied. Perhaps it was her heart that was lying....perhaps she wasn't in love...

"Why?" He replied, trying to convince her of the obvious truth. He couldn't have known the awkward situation he had just put her into.

Because I'm in love with you. It was the first thought that ran through her head, but she didn't dare speak it aloud. What would that have looked like? Even if Tank hadn't been in the room, she wouldn't have even tried to speak her mind. Instead, she swallowed and remained silent, coming into dreaded acceptance. He wasn't the One.

Tank began to try and talk him out of it, but Neo had already made up his mind. Trinity hardly listened to the conversation, too absorbed in her own sadness. Even if she scarcely paid attention to what was going on, she could almost feel the power radiating off what Neo said when he told her that he believed he could bring Morpheus back. There was a power hidden in the flames of his eyes, swelling in his spirit. It was a power that could be unlocked if it was provoked to. All someone had to do was awaken it....

When he began to prepare to jack-in once again, sudden realization swept over her. The One or not, Trinity still felt something for him, a feeling burning beneath her skin. Regardless of whether he was the One or not, the flames masked behind his eyes still seemed to be the key to unlocking her heart. She didn't need anyone to tell her she was in love. Not Tank, or Switch, or Morpheus, or the Oracle, or even Neo himself. She felt it herself. She knew it. Which meant that the Oracle was wrong.

Neo may not be the One, but she would still love him. Not for his title, as she feared she would have. But for him. She didn't love the One. She loved Neo. No one would ever be able to take that from her, just as no one could tell her if she was in love or not.

But I can't let him fight and die alone...

In an instant, Neo heard Trinity move up beside her and prepare to jack-in herself. His stomach fluttered when he came to realize what she was doing because he knew he couldn't let her do it. He couldn't and wouldn't let her die.

"What are you doing?" He questioned, although he already knew the answer.

"I'm going with you." She replied simply, as if the answer was something of little importance.

"No, you're not!" He ordered, forgetting to note that she was of a higher rank. He couldn't let her die...no matter what....he would make sure that she lived to see better days than these. A word without her would be....empty.

"No?" Trinity turned to face him, danger lurking in her eyes. She may have loved him, and he may have been able to provoke feelings from her that none other could, but she still stuck to her morals- she took no one's shit. All her life she had refused to take orders from anyone bellow her, and she wasn't planning on starting now. She sauntered towards him, her arms folded defiantly across her chest. "Let me tell you what I believe. I believe Morpheus means more to be than he does to you. I believe that if you are really serious about saving him, you are going to need my help. And since I am the ranking officer on this ship, if you don't like it, I believe you can go to hell. Because you aren't going anywhere else."

Neo was slightly taken aback, but still had to grin inwardly to himself. There it is again...that spark, that flare she has that no other woman can muster. It's amazing just to watch her get angry, let alone be the victim of her rage.

"Tank," She commanded. "Load us up."

Tank jumped to the controls immediately, deciding that now simply wasn't the time to argue. When Trinity used that tone of voice, he knew that to disagree with her would be to basically sign your own death sentence. Despite his inward turmoil, he silently loaded Neo into the construct, followed closely by Trinity.

"So what do you guys need?" He asked Neo over the phone, muttering under his breath. "Besides a miracle."

"Guns." Neo answered after careful thought. "Lots of guns."

As soon as the words had left his lips, thousands upon thousands of assorted riffles appeared, whooshing around him and blowing his messy hair and dark clothes in the breeze it created. Trinity stood opposite him, clad in black leather and wearing a frown of uncertainty. He selected a gun from the rest, doing his best not to look at her, because he knew that when he did, he would try to convince her to turn back while she still could. Remembering that it was her decision to be here and not his, he refocused on the task at hand.

"Neo," Trinity whispered, voicing her fears aloud. "No one has ever done anything like this."

Neo turned to her, and saw the fear masked behind the harsh ice prison around her eyes. The pale tinge in her skin did not go unnoticed, nor did the way her slender frame trembled against her tight fitting leather, causing a single strand of ebony hair to slide over her ear and escape the rest.

"That's why it's going to work." He replied sternly while loading his gun, hoping that the words would give her hope and comfort.

He couldn't have known it then, but something as simple as his steady breathing gave her all the comfort she would ever need.

(o)

In her eleven years of being unplugged, Trinity had never experienced a fight quite like the one she took part in that day in the lobby of the government building. This was most likely because she hadn't ever tried to get inside a military controlled center with only a handful of guns before. Or it could have been because of Neo.

Even she had to admit that the quadruple kick her performed in the final stage of their fight was impressive. He was already doing things in the Matrix that she herself hadn't even considered trying until much later in life. If he wasn't the One, he was still a damn good fighter, and she was more than proud to be in love with him. Even if she thought her love would never be returned.

Before they had begun their shooting spree, Trinity had looked to Neo at the exact same time that he had looked at her before they darted to opposite ends of the room. In that split second, she somehow knew that everything would be fine. She knew that they would come out on top and defeat this small army, regardless of whether they were outnumbered or not.

After the fight, Trinity skidded across the floor and snatched up the bag they had bought with them, containing the plastique and napalm bomb. Silently, they proceeded into the elevator, leaving the lobby in pieces behind them.

Neo caught Trinity lowering herself to the elevator's floor, tossing her trench coat aside to reveal startling white shoulders and slender bare arms. This was his first time wearing a pair of sunglasses in the Matrix, and his eyes were still adjusting to the dim light they created. But even so, he made out enough of Trinity's outline to realize what she was doing, and pressed the emergency stop button causing the elevator to shudder and come to an abrupt halt. Reaching above him, he pulled down part of the roof and clambered atop the elevator, holding out a hand to help Trinity followed once she had wired the bomb.

Trinity stood in silence while Neo ratcheted a clamp down onto the elevator cable. He locked himself onto it slowly, while Trinity moved to do the same. Seeing no other way for them to travel up the cable together, she moved towards him and cautiously wrapped a shivering arm around the back of his neck, half expecting him to pull away from her. However, Neo only pulled her closer, wrapping his lower arm around her waist and marvelling at the fact that she would allow him to touch her in this way. Her body felt even more beautiful against his fingers than it did seem in real life, and he clutched her tightly, wishing he would never have to let go.

"There is no spoon." Neo whispered, staring into the dark throat of the building and taking a deep breath. Although she didn't at all understand the meaning of this comment, Trinity chose to ignore it for the time being.

As the pair secretly rejoiced in being so close, Neo pulled out a gun and pressed it to the cable, lower than where they had attached themselves. The cable bellow them snapped, and the counter-weights plummeted, yanking them through the shaft as the elevator fell away beneath them, distending space and filling it with the sound of whistling metal as they soared to the top. Somewhere bellow her, Trinity heard the elevator fall back into the lobby and the bomb explode and shuddered, tightening her hold on Neo and accidentally pulling him closer to her.

They arrived on the government rooftop, which was littered with policemen awaiting them in greeting along with a giant black helicopter whirring in the distance. At once, the pair separated and attacked with both guns and fists in a frenzy, killing every policeman they came in contact with.

Neo was fighting diligently. So well in fact, that he almost had Trinity convinced that they could really do the impossible. That was, until, she saw the agent. She tossed the knife into a policeman's forehead, knocking him back in death only to reveal what awaited them from behind. Agent Jones was making his way towards them, his eyes fixed souly on Neo's back.

Neo could see from the fear in her face that something bad lay behind him. He turned away from her, firing relentlessly at the Agent who neatly dodged each bullet until none was left. Defenceless and alone, he dropped both his guns and cried out for assistance.

"Trinity!" He shouted as Jones loaded his gun. "Help!"

Trinity watched in horror as bullets spilled from his gun. The air sizzled, and the attacker advanced, leaving her powerless to save the victim. Her horror transformed into amazement almost instantly, as he bent back further than humanly possible, twisting into a limbo position to avoid the attacks by mere millimetres. This skill was one that she had only seen Agents use, but Neo's abilities seemed to stretch beyond anything she had ever seen before. But perhaps he wasn't quick enough, as one of the bullets grazed his thigh, leaving a red groove. He cried out in pain, falling backwards and collapsing onto the cemented surface.

She acted quickly, seizing one of the guns owned by a fallen policeman. Carefully, she snuck up behind Jones and aimed her weapon at his temple, preparing to fire.

Neo blinked into the eyes of his enemy, still recovering from the shock of what had just happened. How he had been able to perform such an impossible bending act, he was not sure. All he knew was that he had somehow managed to do it by finding and unleashing something within him, and it had come from thinking about Trinity while in battle.

"Only human." Jones muttered, preparing to fire the fatal blow, but before he could, a second gun was placed at his temple.

"Dodge this."

A gunshot rang across the government rooftop as Jones fell back several feet and transformed back into the body of his now dead host. Chocking in surprise, Neo caught sight of Trinity standing with her legs slightly apart, still holding the end of the smoking handgun at where Jones's temple had only just been. He grinned to himself, not bothering to stand up but basking in the moment instead.

God, she is sexy...

He firm hand was held out to him and Neo grasped it, allowing it's owner to pull him to his feet.

"How did you do that?" Trinity asked curiously.

"Do what?" Neo replied as he removed his trench coat and tossed it aside.

"You moved like they do," She nodded to the limp body of the dead host. "I've never seen anyone move that fast."

Neo inspected the light graze to his side. "I wasn't fast enough." He scanned the roof, wondering how he would be able to make his way back down to find Morpheus now that the elevator was out of operation. He spied the helicopter and an idea came to mind. "Can you fly that thing?"

"Not yet." Trinity said, taking her phone from her belt and dialling Tank, demanding a pilot program be uploaded into her head. Moments later, Trinity rewound the new knowledge in her mind before proceeding to the helicopter and beckoning Neo after her. "Let's go."

She leapt to the controls, Neo sliding in behind her and taking to the large helicopter machine gun in the back bay. The engines reeved, and soon the helicopter was soaring through the sky, gliding down the side of the building. Neo peered in through the windows, searching the empty rooms for any sign of his captain, finally coming upon the correct frame. Trinity braked the helicopter aloft in the sky, glancing over her shoulder to watch the scene that was sure to follow.

Neo fired, and the bullets exploded through the windows in a cacophony of crashing glass, as the three Agents reached for their weapons. But he was too close, the machine gun too fast, and the bullets were everywhere, perforating the room. Eventually, all three Agents were struck and fell to the ground. But Neo was certain that they would not have time to waist. The Agents would already be finding a new host.

When Neo realized that Morpheus wouldn't make the jump from the government building into the helicopter after freeing himself from the chains that held him to his seat, he had to act quickly. Seizing the end of a rope attached to the helicopter, he lunged forward, colliding with the captain before hurtling towards the ground. His rope stiffened, and Morpheus slipped away from him until all that held them was a single hand.

Trinity froze in amazement for less than a moment before pulling the helicopter away from the government building. She couldn't believe that they had really pulled it off! But perhaps she celebrated a little too soon, because a single bullet targeted by Agent Smith smashed into the fuel tank and punched the rear hull full of holes.

"Shit!" Trinity cursed, as warning beeps and signals flashed onto her screen. She guided the helicopter to the roof of the nearest safe building, hoping that Neo would see that he and Morpheus would have to drop so that she could land the vehicle. By some miracle, Neo managed to sense what was happening inside her mind and allowed Morpheus to fall onto the roof.

Neo followed, toppling onto the roof and rolling free as the rope behind him fell slack. He took in a large portion of the virtual air, relaxing now that the danger was over. It was only then that he saw the helicopter swoop over him and tumble over the edge of the roof, hurtling towards the earth, bringing death to whoever was still inside it.

"Trinity..." Neo whispered, snatching the rope in his hands once more and swinging it like a lasso, hoping that this movement would take Trinity's attention and she would cut it free so he could use it to pull her to safety. He fell to his back with the weight of the helicopter and allowed himself to be dragged across the rooftop after it, blind faith being the only thing holding him together.

Trinity can't die...she can't. I won't let her. I swear here and now that I will not and cannot allow her to die in this world or any other world. I am going to save her, even if it costs me my own life.

Inside the helicopter, Trinity noticed a fierce tug on a nearby rope amongst the warnings and beeps the machine was giving to her. Remembering that this was the same rope Neo and Morpheus had been hanging from, she scrambled from her seat and shot it free, swinging from the helicopter and praying that someone was still holding onto the other end.

She felt a rush of air sting her face as she swooped away from the helicopter, which clashed with the glass against the building behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the glass ripple before it blew out of the windows, barely missing her skin. She banged into the lower window against the opposite building, cringing as the shards of glass made painful contact with her bare arms. Clutching on to the rope with every ounce of her strength, Trinity felt herself being pulled up until she was over the edge of the building, and nestling safely in the arms of none other than Neo himself.

So he was the one who saved me. Trinity thought happily to herself as he pulled her over the building's edge after him, still not even trying to loosen his tight grasp on her arms, holding her close to him. She could see something in his eyes, as if he was connected to her in a way she couldn't explain. Almost as if the hidden power she had seen before was threatening to reach its full potential. It was then, nestled in against his arms that she did come to a powerful realization. It wasn't my prophecy that the Oracle got wrong, it was Neo's. He is the One, I know it. How else would he be able to save me? How else could he move in the same way the Agents do? Why else would I be in love with him? Fuck the Oracle. Neo is the One. I know he is.

Neo held Trinity, not daring to let go. He almost feared that if he did, her life would be at risk again and she would die. He didn't even want to think about that...all he wanted to think about was right now, and how wonderful it felt to have her so close to him, to run his fingers across her skin and to loose himself within her eyes. He knew that his thoughts sounded corny and stupid, but right now, he couldn't care less. She was his enigma, his 'dark angel'....and he loved her. He knew it for certain right then, atop that rooftop as he held her. He was very much in love with her.

But does she love me?

"Do you believe it now, Trinity?" Morpheus questioned as he approached the pair. Trinity fixed her eyes on him, the hidden smile on her face being the only answer he needed in reply.

"Morpheus, the Oracle...." Neo sighed, deciding there was no better time to tell his captain the truth. "She told me-"

"She told you exactly what you needed to hear, that's all." Morpheus smiled kindly. "Neo, sooner or later you're going to realize just as I did, that there's a difference between knowing the path...and walking the path."

Trinity smiled secretly to herself as Morpheus dialled Tank and requested an exit. There was a deeper meaning behind his words, or at least to her there was. So maybe she knew that Neo was not meant to be the One. But that did not mean that he wouldn't become a hero and take the path the One is meant to take....and it certainly didn't mean that she couldn't be in love with him.

It's too late, anyway. She thought to herself as she walked alongside Neo towards the subway station. I already am.

(o)

A/N: Hope you liked the chapter! Please review and tell me what you think!