23
Neo stood in front of the grubby, minute bathroom mirror hanging over the basin that was suspended on the right wall of the toilet cubicle, rubbing the last few drops of shower water off his bare chest with a tattered towel, before tossing it limply to the cold, metal floor. He sighed, inspecting the feeble muscles of his biceps that were yet to feel the strain of more physical work before they would be brought back to the strength of the average male, before rummaging through the bathroom supplies he'd brought with him in search of shaving cream and a shaver.
The reflection of the man in the mirror was hardly recognizable to him anymore. He figured this was simply because his skin was much paler and subtle in the real world, having been denied the rays of the sun. Or perhaps it was because of the blemish fading gradually on the right side of his neck, although he was sure that it would completely disappear in the course of the next two days. It may also have been because of his figure, which was limp and fragile compared to how it had been in the Matrix. Though he supposed this would change with time as his muscles strengthened, and the last remnants of the bruises Smith had marked on his lower stomach had completely evaporated – though these injuries were now rarely noticed, let alone felt. At least his hair seemed to be growing back well, as it appeared to grow at least half an inch each day, increasing the length of both the jolts of hair atop his head, and the small stubble that had gathered around his chin.
When he compared the shavers in the real world to those in the Matrix, they seemed very primitive, as if all it was, was a sharp piece of metal someone had thought would be a good enough substitute. But as he didn't have any other option, he applied the shaving cream, gasping as the cold substance came in contact with his skin. Taking the shaver in hand, and studying himself carefully in the mirror as he did so, he ran the blade along his neck and up his chin, removing the stubble and the cream it had been saturated by.
Easy. He thought cheerfully to himself. I guess because my mind was trained to do this in the Matrix, I didn't need to learn how to do it again here. He had only just finished when a voice cackled over the intercom positioned just outside his cubicle door, causing him to jump with a start. The shaver slipped, slicing his jaw, and a fine line of blood trickled down his chin, only to fall into the basin.
"Shit." He cursed to himself, turning on the cold water tap. He cupped his hands to draw water to the thin cut that had formed on the right side of his jaw, listening to the words that were spoken over the intercom as he did so.
"Neo, Trinity, get both your asses to the core now." Tank's voice ordered, the sound echoing throughout the ship. "You're going in. Morpheus has found someone new."
Neo had little time to dwell on this before he heard Trinity reply over the intercom from somewhere else within the ship. "We'll be right there."
Snatching up the navy, cotton under-shirt and over-shirt he'd tossed to the floor upon entry after his shower, he kicked the door open, revealing the stretch of corridor between the toilet cubicles and the shower blocks. He darted down the hall, boots thudding on the iron floor as he ran, and allowed his thoughts to carry him to the core.
Morpheus has found someone new...what does that mean? Does he plan to unplug a new person now? But we still need to worry about sending proof to the Council to show them that I'm the One, not to mention finding out exactly what I'm supposed to do. So why worry about unplugging others? Morpheus himself said that I needed to focus on myself for now, and not other people...
His train of thought was broken by the sound of another approaching as he neared the core. He skidded to a halt, swiveling around only to see an obviously exhausted Trinity scramble up the last rudders of the ladder that descended to the lower deck, hair disheveled and eyes still bleary with sleep.
"Neo," She ordered when she saw the state he was in. The last thing she needed to do was give Tank another excuse to taunt her. "Put your shirt on."
Neo stared at her quizzically, briefly forgetting that his top half was still naked. He had been wondering why he'd been feeling so cold. Feeling his cheeks redden with embarrassment, he tugged on both shirts silently, only further ruffling the wet tuffs of short, dark hair atop his head, causing Trinity to smile briefly before she continued to lead the way to the core.
"Where were you?" Neo asked her quietly, scurrying to keep up with her long and even strides. "I couldn't find you when I woke up."
"I was taking a shift." Trinity replied, trying and failing to stifle a yawn. "Tank had only just arrived to take my place, and I was almost asleep when he said we needed to get to the core."
"Oh." Neo commented lamely, tilting his head downwards to bring his attention to his arms, which were folded across his chest. He didn't bring his vision back to Trinity until they'd reached the core, only to notice the dark rings around each of her eyes, the slight flush apparent in her cheeks, and the fact that both her cotton clothes and unwashed ebony hair was equally unkempt. He was instantly reminded of the sensation of exhaustion that had claimed him when he'd first awoken that morning, after taking on two separate shifts and only gaining a few hours sleep.
"Are you alright?" He whispered in her ear just before they were noticed by Morpheus and Tank.
Trinity merely nodded curtly in reply, though she longed to tell him just how exhausted she felt. In truth, her shifts had been a little longer than his, and the time she'd spent with him in the core only last night when she was meant to be sleeping had resulted in a severe loss of sleep. But her own physical state was hardly what bothered her now. She was more concerned about what Tank had told her only moments before by means of the intercom.
Morpheus can't be considering unplugging anyone new, can he? She had thought to herself once she'd recovered from awaking after only three minutes sleep to the sound of Tank's voice blaring throughout her room. Not when we still need to decide how we are going to prove that Neo is the One to the Council. It's simply unreasonable...not like Morpheus at all. Maybe Tank misheard him...
"There you are." Morpheus beamed, catching the immediate attention of the pair. "Sorry if I woke either of you, but I think I've found someone new for you to work on."
"What do you mean?" Trinity questioned uncertainly, unable to understand why Morpheus would consider such a thing. "Morpheus, what about Ne-"
"I've decided on a plan of action we can take in order to prove that Neo is the One." Morpheus explained, eyes darting between his two crewmembers. "I believe it would work best if we chose not to try and force Neo to come to the full extent of his powers, but simply challenge him by carrying out our duties as always and recording all of his movements and actions inside the Matrix. Sooner or later, his abilities as the One will be forced to be exposed, and we'll be able to send the recording back to Zion."
"But Morpheus, what about..." Neo trailed away, unsure of how to phrase his statement without sounding impertinent. He shook his head, feeling all eyes upon him and once again stared downwards at the floor. "Sorry, I just...I feel as if I need to figure out what I'm meant to do. You know...as the One."
"I know as much about your purpose as the One as you do, Neo." Morpheus replied, the tone in his voice causing Neo to meet him squarely in the eye. "I believe it would be wise to await contact from the Oracle. She'll be able to tell you what needs to be done from now on."
"Why not just take Neo back to the Oracle, sir?" Tank wondered, leaning back in his chair in front of the consol. "Instead of just waiting for her to contact us?"
"Why do you think the Oracle chose not to tell us what needs to be done when he was brought to see her before?" Morpheus asked rhetorically. "The Oracle will know when it is time for Neo to know his purpose, but until that time arrives he needs to focus on perfecting his abilities, and convincing the Council that he is the One." He turned on his heel, beckoning both Neo and Trinity after him. "Now come on. I'd like you to meet Raven."
The gathered around Tank's chair in front of the consol screens as he tapped several keys to bring up a sharper image of a young boy, only about fifteen years old, who was sitting, cross-legged on a double bed in a small bedroom covered with various posters of rock bands and famous actresses, with a laptop resting on his lap in the early hours of the morning. Neo could instantly see why he called himself 'Raven'. He had a dark, African complexion, dreadlocks of raven black hair that swung freely around his ears, piercing dark eyes, and wore dark, gothic styled clothes. He was bobbing his head in tune with the music apparently coming from the radio that was holding his bedroom window open, his dreadlocks literally bouncing around his head.
"The only information we've been able to obtain on him thus far is that he's an African-American male approximately midway through his teenage years, who lives in the penthouse of an apartment with his parents, and no siblings we've been able to find." Morpheus explained, not tearing his eyes away from the screen as he spoke. "As you can see, we still need to gather much more information on him than we already have before we can unplug him. I've done more than enough searching for him in the hacking network. Which means that we are going to need one of you to jack in, find out what his Matrix name is, and use that to hack into his government file. Once we've learnt all we can about him, I'll feel confident in unplugging him."
"Why him?" Neo asked curiously, peering closer at the screen. Raven's father had only just barged into the room and was shouting at his son, forcing him to turn off the laptop and slide it underneath the bed. "And why do we need to learn so much about him before we can unplug him?"
"Man, for someone who's meant to bring peace to all mankind, you certainly are naïve, newbie." Tank laughed, turning around in his seat to face the other man. "Do you really think it's a good idea to unplug someone before you've had a chance to know them properly? I mean, for all we know, the kid could secretly be an axe murderer or...worse. We need to be sure that he's both the kind of character who is trustworthy enough, and accepting enough to be unplugged."
"We don't just unplug anyone, Neo." Morpheus added. "We only unplug those we know are going to be able to handle the truth, and who have talents that will be useful to us in fighting the war against the machines. Like Raven, who is quite an advanced hacker for his age. Although I must admit that I've seen better, he's already begun running searches for me...searching for the truth, and therefore demonstrates that he will be able to become accustomed to our lifestyle much faster."
"The younger the mind, the more accepting the person." Tank stated. "Which is why it is Zion's law that no one over twenty should be unplugged, with you as an exception."
Morpheus nodded, finally looking at Neo and Trinity directly. "Tank is going to continue to watch Raven by means of the code, but this won't be able to give us much more information or insight into his character. That is why I am asking one of you to jack in today to find out what his real name is, and then search his government file, as I have said before."
Neo looked away from the others, in time to see the light just outside Raven's door flicker before switching off. Raven scrambled back out of bed instantly, retrieved the laptop from beneath his bed and switched it on again, though Neo hardly noticed this. He could feel Trinity beside him...her body weak and frail from lack of sleep...
Knowing her, she'll probably try to deny that she's exhausted, no matter what effect it will have on her. I can't let her go back into the Matrix like this......God, why am I sounding so protective over her all of a sudden?
"I'll do it." Neo said, claiming the attention of the rest of the crew. He kept his eyes rigidly on the screens in front of him, arms folded tightly across his chest.
"What?" Trinity frowned, eyes wide with surprise. "Neo, you can't...you haven't had enough experience yet."
"How am I supposed to get any experience if I don't start learning?" he argued, turning his head to face her but immediately wishing he hadn't. It still amazed him that she could break his resolve by doing nothing more than stare at him. "Besides, I need every opportunity I can take to practice my abilities as the One, right?"
"No." She shook her head firmly, searching for reasons why she should go in his place. Not only had it been a while since she'd had to jack into the Matrix and she was desperate to do so, but if she had to chose between her own safety or his, there was no debate whatsoever.
Neo's expression remained firm, though he was overwhelmed by a sense of shock beneath his outward appearance. She's actually afraid for me. She doesn't want me to get hurt if I jack into the Matrix. I guess it's understandable, since I feel the same way about her, no matter how strong or powerful she can be. I wish I didn't, though. I know she'd hate it if I told her that I would always be afraid for her life. But I don't think she has much choice in the matter.
"I'll be fine, Trin." He comforted, his voice warm and deep. "Don't worry."
She smiled, feeling all inner sense of fear or anxiety flow from her. He's right. It's stupid to be thinking like this. He is the One, after all. The only person who is able to defeat an Agent, and alter the Matrix to suit his will. Besides, I do have to admit that I don't really feel up to jacking in right now, since I lost a lot of sleep by spending time with Neo in the core last night when I was meant to be sleeping, Even so, I guess I just...can't help it.
"Jesus, he calls you 'Trin' now?" Tank laughed. "Whatever happened to the whole 'You call me that name again, and my foot will magically find its way to your ass' side of Trinity I know and respect?"
"Tank." Morpheus said warningly, sensing an argument breaking out judging by the look on Trinity's face. He turned his back on the young operator, facing his two other crewmembers instead, voice drowning out the sounds of Tank's chuckling in the background. "Traditionally, only one person is ever needed to do this job, but I don't see why you can't do it together. After all, it will give Neo the chance he needs to prove himself as the One, and Trinity can provide the experience required for the job. What would you say to that?"
"I'd say they'd be ecstatic." Tank called over his shoulder. Trinity wisely chose to ignore him, and nodded to Morpheus instead.
"We'll meet back here in three hours." Morpheus smiled. "Until then, I suggest you do whatever you think you need to do to prepare before jacking in."
(o)
"What are you doing?" Asked Neo, peering over Tank's shoulder sometime later. Without having anything else to do, he'd decided to return to the core and wait until it was time to jack in.
"Shit, don't sneak up on people like that!" Tank exclaimed, jumping in his chair when he heard Neo's sudden voice break the silence that had surrounded him.
"Sorry." Neo said through a laugh as Tank cast him a dark look. He moved so that he was standing beside the chair instead of behind it to get a better view of what Tank had been watching. Raven was trudging gloomily along the pavement towards his school, backpack slung over one shoulder and a walkman clipped to his belt. "He doesn't look so happy."
"Poor kid's gonna fail grade nine, and he knows it. He only started on his science report ten minutes before he left for school. He doesn't seem the sort who really would care about grades, so I'm suspecting he's worried about his parent's reaction. They seem like an uptight group of people." Tank said solemnly. His eyes then grew wide at a sudden realization, and he brought his gaze to Neo's in awe. "How did you learn to read the code so quickly? Learning to read emotions is usually the last thing you learn how to do."
"Yeah, well, it's an added bonus that comes free with being the One." Neo said with a shrug. "Ask Morpheus for the full story. I told him about it last night when we were changing shifts."
"Man, you're full of surprises, aren't you?" Tank grinned, stretching both arms upwards and yawning. "Wonder what else you've got in store for us."
"The strangest thing about that is that I honestly don't know myself." Neo said blandly, just as an idea sprung to mind. "Wait, did you see him put his science report into his bag?"
"Yeah," Tank said cautiously. "Why?"
"His name must have been written on the report somewhere, right?"
"Hey, good thinking!" Tank beamed. "I'll check it out when he takes it out of his bag later. Gee, what a time saver. I gotta tell you Neo, you're starting to impress even me."
"Thanks." Neo said through a laugh, just as another thought came to mind. "Um...I have a question..."
"Yeah?" Tank raised one dark eyebrow. "Shoot."
"Trin – err, I mean, Trinity once told me that time in the real world is based on time in the Matrix, since we really don't have a time system of our own. But every different country, and even different parts of the one country in some places are experiencing different times at once. So how can we base our time on a world with so many different times....if you understand what I mean."
"No, I don't." Tank said truthfully. "But I do know that we base our time on Greenwich, in England. Someone was able to discover that it's the place with the smallest difference between the hours of Zion."
"Oh."
Tank sighed, slumping restlessly in his seat and deciding to change the subject. "So....shouldn't you be hanging out with Trinity or something? I mean, you never know if you're ever gonna come back to the real world once you jack in, so......hang on, I got that wrong, didn't I? She's 'Trin' now."
"She's in the shower." Neo laughed again.
"So why don't you go and take a shower with her?" Tank replied slyly.
Neo felt his cheeks redden, and hurried to hide it by turning his attentions back to the Matrix screen. Raven had arrived at school, and was proceeding to empty the contents of his bag into his locker. Lying amongst piles of unfinished homework and discarded gum wrappers was the report, with his Matrix name printed across the front in large, black letters.
"...Deon Chikae..." Neo squinted as he read the letters.
"Looks like we've got his name."
(o)
"Raven's at school, and his parents are at work." Tank informed Neo, Morpheus and Trinity when they met together in the core scarcely an hour later. "Shouldn't be home for another five hours or so. Which means you've got plenty of time to use his laptop to search for his government file."
"Why his laptop?" Neo questioned.
"Because it's what they won't expect." Trinity explained. "There's certain tactics that lead to a successful unplugging. The first is to try and keep your next target a secret from the Agents for as long as possible. The sooner they find out who your next target will be, the harder it will become for us."
"Raven's house is in a pretty good location, too." Tank added. "There are heaps of exits in the area, should you run into any trouble."
"Have you checked the hard line?" Morpheus asked.
"Of course I've made sure the line's clean." Tank stated proudly, buffing out his chest. "I'm a professional."
"If you're so professional than you should realize that you're meant to be loading us up right now." Trinity scowled, making her way to her jack-in chair with Neo following her lead, leaving Tank to mutter darkly to himself as he prepared to jack them in.
Neo sat down quietly in the vaguely familiar chair, shifting himself into a comfortable sitting position and placing both feet on the foot clamps. He grinned, remembering the first time he'd been loaded into the construct and how he'd lain in the same chair, completely unsuspecting of what was to happen. Feeling eyes upon him, Neo lolled his head to one side to see Trinity smiling back at him from her own chair, having seen the unexplained grin spread across his face, which only widened when he looked upon her.
"What?" She whispered so only he could hear, smiling tightly....uncertainly.
"Oh." Neo exclaimed, shaking himself back into the present. "N-Nothing."
Trinity said nothing, but raised one fine eyebrow as Tank appeared behind her. She moved so that she was staring directly above her, and shut her eyes in waiting for the all too familiar and indescribable sensation of being torn from your own body, that accompanied the sudden jolt of subdued pain that always occurred when the needle was pushed into the back of her skull, launching her into darkness....
(o)
Neo gaped as they were torn into the construct, eyes lingering on the woman who was already waiting for him there, dressed in her usual attire of black leather that hugged her body tightly, covered by a full length, latex trench coat and her brilliant blue eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses. Her hair had been sleeked back, with a single strand escaping and falling over a velvety white forehead.
"What?" She asked him again, becoming increasingly anxious by the fact that he was continuously gawking at her, although part of her knew she should be flattered.
"Don't worry." He mumbled, glancing down at his own clothes – a black, collared and buttoned-down shirt with matching dress shoes, dress pants and an accompanying black overcoat. He began to run his fingers subconsciously through his hair, marvelling at how long, soft and surreal it felt.
Trinity smiled tightly at the look on his face before she dug her hand into the large pocket in her trench coat and retrieved a phone. Neo watched as she hurriedly dialled a number before pressing the phone to her right ear.
"You're not gonna need much." Tank said when he answered the call. "I can get you as close as two blocks away, so it's an easy enough walk to his apartment. But I do suggest you take guns. You never know when they'll come in handy."
"Two each then." Trinity replied. Neo could already tell by the emptiness in her tone that she was preparing to launch into what he called her 'business mode'. "That will be all."
She hung up the phone and placed it back in her pocket, eyes smiling at him from behind her sunglasses. Even she couldn't deny that the way he looked in clothes that were too big for him, with pieces of hair flopping into his face that he was continuously trying to push away, was adorable. Reminding herself that now was not the time to be admiring the body of the man she'd only recently made love to, she forced her expression to remain stern.
"Your sunglasses should be in your pocket." She commented, feeling weight added to her body as two identical handguns were suddenly attached to either side of the oversized belt that was wrapped tightly around her waist. "And Tank's obviously just given you two handguns, though I doubt we'll need to use them. If everything runs smoothly, that is."
Neo nodded, checking that both guns had latched onto either side of his belt before he reached into his pocket to pull out the sunglasses. He shoved them on, just as he felt his body being tugged through countless systems, bringing him into the Matrix.
(o)
"Should be just around the corner." Tank spoke into the phone that Trinity held to her ear moments later. "The white, brick building overlooking the park with a revolving door. He's in the penthouse, room 401."
"Got it." Trinity said before hanging up and placing the phone back in her pocket as they rounded the corner. She turned behind her in time to see Neo rush around the corner after her, head coaxed to one side in slight confusion by her one side of the conversation. "Come on."
She led the way into the foyer of the building Tank had described, her high heeled black latex boots clacking on the marble floor. She headed straight towards the elevator and summoned it down towards them. Neo hurried to her side, eyes locked on the index finger she'd used to press the button for the elevator...so thin, fine and delicate. There was no word that could describe the whiteness of her porcelain skin other than angelic.
Trinity pretended not to notice his lingering eyes until the elevator doors had clanked open and they'd stepped inside, allowing the doors to close behind them again. She nodded once at him, and then at the button that would take them to the top floor. Neo nodded and pressed it, causing the lift to shiver to life and hurtle upwards, reminding both of the time when they'd had to hold onto each other during the fight in the lobby when they were trying to rescue Morpheus.
Trinity frowned as they neared the top level, feeling Neo's eyes upon her again. However, he always seemed to look away whenever she caught him doing it. Eventually, she found she couldn't put up with it any longer.
"What is it, Neo?" She asked irritably. Really, now it's just starting to get plain annoying.
"Nothing." He said through a nervous laugh. The elevator doors sprung open and he was the first out, speeding down the corridor. Trinity scowled at his back, not entirely convinced that this was true. He was rubbing the back of his neck with his hand again.
She met him at the door and stepped in front of him, jarring it open with a single, swift kick. Neo marvelled at the curves in her leg...the way her leg muscles would tighten in the encasement of black leather when she kicked with one elegant, but deadly movement. Again deciding to ignore this, Trinity marched into the room with Neo only just behind her.
She' s even beautiful when she walks. Neo thought to himself, studying the way each part of her had to motion in order to make her move. He trailed around the modern apartment, hardly taking in his surroundings as his eyes were far too preoccupied with her, each line of her lower body defined by the leather pants which clung to her tightly.
"Here it is." She proclaimed, pushing open the door to Raven's room and leading Neo inside. He stared around him, still unable to believe that everything here was exactly as it had been shown in the code. Trinity bent and groped under the bed with one hand, dragging out the laptop, an old gym sock, a dried up piece of gum, an apple core and a porn magazine when she drew it back.
"Disgusting." She spat, standing and pushing everything but the laptop back beneath the bed with the toe of her boot. She then carried the laptop to the desk positioned directly beneath his bedroom window, removing her trench coat and tossing it on the bed as she did so, revealing startling white shoulders. Neo's eyes widened, but neither said a word until she'd dropped into the desk chair and switched the laptop on.
"So how long will it take?" Neo asked, glancing at the digital clock resting on Raven's beside table. There was only three and a half hours left before Raven would return home from school.
"It depends." She shrugged. "I don't think it will take me too long. It really depends on the speed and the quality of the computer."
"Doesn't look like this has been upgraded for a while." Neo commented, kneeling beside her to watch. "Is there anything I can do?"
Trinity shook her head, taking off her sunglasses and placing them on the desk delicately as she spoke. "As Morpheus told you, a job like this only really requires one person. Just keep an eye on the time, and make sure you take note of everything I'm doing."
"I've hacked into government files before, Trin." Neo reasoned, feeling uncomfortable by the fact that she thought he was incapable of something that was considered to be such an easy task in the hacking network. "I know how to do it already."
"I know. Sorry." Trinity smiled weakly, keeping her vision on the screen. After eleven years of being unplugged, this was the second time she'd allowed herself to smile, let alone feel any emotions. It somehow felt unnatural and highly uncomfortable, unlike feeling emotions within the real world. Although she was soon to discover that she now had very little control over her emotions at all. "Now what was his Matrix name again?"
"Deon Chikae." Neo answered promptly. Trinity hacked into the government network and began her search, and he watched as Raven's passport photo appeared on the screen, along with a list of confidential information on him.
"Hang on, did you do this when you were unplugging me?" Neo asked suddenly, not daring to believe it. The thought of the angelic beauty beside him being in his room and using his computer while he was away seemed too unimaginable to be real. "I mean, did you wait until you'd discovered what my Matrix name was, and then searched my government file using my computer while I was at work?"
"We follow the same procedure for everyone, Neo." Trinity answered, breaking through a firewall as she spoke. "Only with you, I never used the computer in your apartment."
"Why not?" He asked, perhaps sounding a little too disappointed.
"Because you never came home from work at a set time, like Raven. Which means that you could have burst in on me using your computer. It depends on the lifestyle of the person. If they are the kind of person who would be home less often, and at a set time, then we are more inclined to use their home computer." She said with irritation, knowing that completing the task at hand would prove impossible if she was continuously being interrupted. "Now can you please be quiet? I need to concentrate, or we'll never get this finished."
Seeing that he wasn't needed, Neo stood and stared blankly out the window at the virtual world that lay beyond. It was still hard to believe that everything that had once convinced him of the truth now looked remarkably fake...and the billions upon billions of people roaming the streets bellow him would continue to live out their lives, oblivious to the fact that they were living a lie. He closed his eyes to the sun that was streaming through the window, feeling the warm rays dance across his face.
"Are you getting all this?" He heard Trinity saying over the phone. "Deon Chikae, aged fifteen, born on......."
Slowly, he let his eyes crack open only to almost fall back in surprise. The clear and precise image of the Matrix had been replaced by neon raindrop, green coding, drifting over his eyes. He blinked, and the coding had disappeared in an instant to be replaced with his ordinary vision.
"Holy shit!" He cried, blinking the coding back into place, and then blinking again to erase it.
"What?" Trinity asked urgently, dropping the phone the second she heard the tone in his voice. "Neo, what is it?"
He said nothing, but removed his sunglasses and inspected them to make sure they weren't the cause for this strange new ability he'd uncovered before blinking again, only to change his vision accordingly once more. He turned to face her, eyes wide with awe. He could read the code as if he was seeing it on the console screens back in the ship, only now he could see straight through her if he wanted to...as if he could see straight through any solid object.
"Whoa." He breathed, blinking the coding away. She could literally see the childish excitement shinning in his eyes. "Trin, I can see the code! All I have to do is blink and my vision can alter between what everyone else sees within the Matrix, and the actual coding that makes up the program....I-I can see right through things as well...it-it's amazing!"
"Neo, what...." She said, perplexed by his sudden outburst. "When did this happen?"
"I don't know." He shrugged, reclaiming his sense of refinement. "It must have triggered when I became the One, because I remember that I could use this technique during the time when I deleted Smith."
Trinity smirked, but said nothing, turning her attentions back to the screen and retrieving her phone, reciting more information off the laptop screen to whomever was speaking on the other end. Replacing his sunglasses, he leaned against the closed window and stared downwards, using the code to see the different floors below him. He reached the ground level of the building and was again taken by immediate surprise. Sensing his discomfort, Trinity abandoned her work and turned to face him.
"What now?" She asked, perhaps a little petulantly.
Neo kept his eyes on the floor, staring unblinkingly through the different levels of the building by means of the code, ensuring that his first assumptions had been right. "Agents. Two of them. Not to mention a dozen police."
"What...?" She shook her head fiercely in disbelief. "Neo, how...?"
"I can see them." He answered softly, blinking away the coding and lifting his gaze to her own. She was perched on the edge of Raven's desk chair, using both hands to twist the top half of her body around to face him completely, eyes wide with confusion, and obvious hints of doubt.
"T-That's impossible." She argued, lowering her eyes and shaking her head in distrust. "Tank made sure the hard line was clean before we left....there's no way they could have traced it."
"It doesn't matter how they found us now, the point is that they're here, and it looks like they mean business. There's no time to finish, we're going to just have to take the information we have and get to an exit." Already he could see the clouds of doubt surging through her cool, even gaze. He couldn't blame her for doubting him, when he himself had only just uncovered this hidden ability. But even so, as both his co-worker and his partner, she should have learnt to trust him by now.
Agents? Here? No, that's impossible! The hard line was clean...Tank made sure to check it before we left...so there's no way they could have traced us.........but this has happened before, when I was searching for Neo just before he was unplugged, so I suppose it is a possibility. And Neo has never lied to anyone before, especially not to me, so why shouldn't I trust him? But then again, he's only just discovered this new ability, so he could be wrong...God, I'm so confused.
Neo shot a quick glance below him, just in time to see the two Agents and several police officers board the elevator and press the button that would take them to the penthouse. He felt sweat cling to the back of his neck when he saw that he had not yet gained Trinity's trust. The knowledge that she didn't trust him within itself was hard enough to cope with without the impending stress of the approaching Agents. He didn't have time to wait for Trinity to trust him. They needed to leave...now.
"Trinity," He almost begged, holding out a hand to pull her up from her seat. "Please. I need you to trust me."
Despite the fact that he was wearing dark sunglasses, she could see the hidden anxiety dancing in the depths of his coffee coloured eyes and frowned, more at herself than at him. How could I be stupid enough to even doubt him? I love him...I'm meant to trust him...and I do trust him, no matter how ridiculous his ideas may seem. When has he ever led me astray before?
"I trust you, Neo." She whispered gently, and that was all he needed to hear as proof. The tone in her voice made him draw an arm around her waist to pull her against him enough to place a tender kiss squarely on her lips. He automatically wished he hadn't, because the feelings of want and desire towards her he'd been experiencing when he looked at her before only increased dramatically when she broke the kiss, pulling away from him and reclaiming her business disposition – something he definitely didn't like.
"Later." She ordered in her ususal commanding tone. "Neo, you need to tell me, what would be the safest way out of the building?"
Neo was brought back to the reality of the situation abruptly, and concentrated on using the code to scan the entire first level before he came to his conclusion, while still holding her tightly against his chest. Much to his delight, she did not try to pull away, but managed to uphold an expression of definite formality and emptiness.
"There's a fire escape at the end of the hall. If we're quiet enough, we may manage to slip downstairs without them noticing. But even so, there's still half a dozen cops waiting for us in the foyer. But if we stay here, the Agents and the rest of the cops will be here any minute. Either way we'll have to get our hands dirty." Neo said bluntly. "Why don't we call Morpheus?"
"They'll track it, that's why." Trinity reasoned. "Besides, he'd only tell us the same thing. The safest way is the fire escape, because it would mean giving a fight with both Agents a miss."
"Right." Neo smiled feebly as she reached for her sunglasses, which were still sitting on the desk, and put them on carefully. He felt his cheeks redden with embarrassment, as he now regretted allowing his emotions to take control of him only moments before when they were faced with such a situation. "They're only three floors away. There's no time to turn the laptop off, we need to go."
Trinity nodded curtly, allowing him to lead the way out of the apartment. They bolted down the corridor until they reached the door at the end that didn't differ from the others, except for the fact that it was marked with the words 'Fire Exit' in large, bold lettering. Neo wrenched it open hurriedly, just as he heard the elevator doors clink open somewhere down the other end of the hall, revealing a long, winding concrete staircase that led to the foyer of the apartment block. He grinned as they proceeded to follow the stairwell, relieved that he had been able to prove that his abilities had been right to Trinity, and therefore increase the bond of trust between them that he felt was already more than strong enough.
They crept down the stairwell as silently as possible, lest they accidentally alert the Agents to their location. Not a word passed between them, each far too preoccupied with stifling the sounds of their shoes on the cemented surface to speak. Each step carried them closer to the ground floor....closer...closer...closer....
When the staircase ended, and all that stood in front of them was a closed door identical to the one above, Trinity removed both handguns from her belt and loaded them, taking herself through the mental strategies she used to prepare herself for a battle. Be emotionless...be unfeeling...be in control...
"Where are the Agents now?" Trinity ushered out of the corner of her mouth.
"Still searching upstairs." Neo answered promptly after scanning the floors above him.
"Good." Trinity replied, catching his eyes briefly just before she pulled the door open. It was amazing that his mere presence was all she would ever need to keep her in a state of comfort and control when fighting in the Matrix...that one glance could tell her that she was going to be ok.
She pushed the door open and stepped into the foyer, pouncing upon the unsuspecting policemen and shot the nearest one dead with only two bullets. Neo followed her wearily, having only started using a gun as recently as in the last month, but found that even so, he seemed to know exactly what to do, as if there was no great skill involved whatsoever. He decided to let his body take control and let his mind sit back and watch as he aimed both guns at the nearest police officer and shot him four times in the chest. The man fell backwards as pools of blood gathered on the white brim of his collard shirt, his eyes wide in accepting death.
In seconds, all six policemen were lying on the floor of the foyer, guns limp at their sides with blood oozing from beneath their shirts. Without having to speak, both Neo and Trinity seemed to agree that there was no better time to be heading for the revolving front door of the building. They had only just reached it when the elevator doors clanked open behind them, and they whirled around just in time to see a stream of bullets fly towards them, issuing from the smoking guns of the two Agents, and the six policeman standing obediently behind them.
Neo acted instantly, stepping directly in front of Trinity and pushing her back behind him as the bullets streamed towards them. He held out his left hand instinctively, focusing all his energy into the palm of his hand and building an invisible force field around him, stopping the bullets inches before they came in contact with his face. The baffled Agents lowered their guns, ordering the police to do the same just as the bullets dropped to the marble floor with a clatter.
"Go." Neo called over his shoulder, knowing that he wouldn't be able to fight to the best of his ability if he had to worry about Trinity's safety, which he knew he would do regardless of how capable she would be of looking after herself. Trinity stood rigidly to the spot, eyes wide with awe and confusion beyond the darkness of her sunglasses until Neo called again. "Now!"
She backed out of the revolving doors slowly, then darted down the street in search of a means of transportation. It was only later that she felt slightly put out by Neo's actions, knowing that she was perfectly capable of looking after herself. She then reminded herself that if Neo did feel the same way she felt about him, then he knew that he would be much more vulnerable when he had to worry about her, and that was the last thing either of them needed in this situation.
Once she was gone, Neo turned his attentions back to the approaching Agents, discarding the empty handguns he still had clutched in each hand. The Agents (who he later came to know as Jones and Brown) marched towards him, leaving their weapons and the remaining police force behind. The policeman were left to wait submissively just outside the elevator doors and take in the horrific sight of the mangled bodies of the other half of their unit.
"I would think you wouldn't be so keen to fight me." Neo smirked. "After what I did to your friend, Smith."
"You are strong." Brown admitted in a dull and droning voice.
"But you are still only human." Jones added in the same tone.
Jones sprung forward, sending a chop aimed directly at Neo's neck. He blocked it instantly, without any hesitation, as if his body had now taken complete control. His mind watched ineffectively as he blocked a series of both punches and kicks, before aiming a sharp kick to the Agent's ribs, sending him flying back into the unsuspecting Brown.
Both clambered to their feet and attacked him together, their blows heavy and strong, but also disoriented, resulting in landing on several different angles of his body. Later, Neo figured that their terrible sense of aim had something to do with the fact that they were once invincible, for it enabled their next moves to be unpredictable. Nevertheless, he somehow knew just where he needed to bring his hands to block the next attack, sneaking in a few of his own whenever the opportunity arose.
He felt as if he hardly put any effort into his blows, but they seemed to effect both Agents terribly, giving him the impression that his strength had obviously increased dramatically within the Matrix without him even realizing it. He decided to test his flexibility and agility by eventually flipping over the Agents, collecting the gun of one of the fallen police officers and emptying the entire clip at both. Neither was quick enough to stop him, and the first few bullets hit them directly in the back, causing them to fall forward and evaporate, leaving behind the body of a dead host.
Casting the empty gun aside, Neo turned to face the remaining six policemen, clutching their guns and shivering as they stared back at him transfixedly. After experiencing the sudden exhilaration and sense of invincibility that accompanied defeating the Agents, killing a few police officers hardly seemed a worthy use of his time.
"You have exactly three seconds to get out of my sight." He said bitterly, standing stiffly in his place as the officers sprinted around him, escaping through the revolving door. He followed them almost immediately, knowing full well that he had little time to waste. Already the Agents would have found new hosts.
Once he was out on the street, he blinked the coding into place, scanning the streets for Trinity. He didn't have to search for long, because she was waiting at the curb of the opposite street, revving the engine of a stolen motorbike.
"Did you call Tank?" Neo asked the moment he'd crossed the street and arrived at her side.
Trinity nodded. "When I called to hotwire this motorcycle. The nearest exit is only a few blocks away. We better be quick. There isn't much time."
He nodded once before swinging one leg over the motorcycle and seating himself behind her, smacking his arms around her waist. His sudden movements sent a tingle coursing throughout her body, and she soon discovered that piloting a motorcycle was much more difficult when he was pressed up against her in this way.
Even so, she still felt somewhat irritated by him for what had happened before when he had ordered her to leave and not assist him in the foyer. He acts as if he's my bodyguard...as if I can't look after myself. He was speaking to me about trusting him before, when really he's the one who needs to trust me...to trust that I can handle myself within the Matrix as I have been able to do for the past eleven years.
She knew that this wasn't true, and that he did trust her and her strength within the Matrix. Even so, she couldn't help but feel a little irritated at being denied access to a fight. But she kept all emotions masked within herself until they'd reached the exit – an old payphone behind a Chinese restaurant only a street away from Raven's school.
She parked the motorcycle against the back wall of the restaurant, and allowed Neo to follow her into the phone booth, shutting the door behind them and cramming them up against each other, not that either minded. Neo took one final look at Trinity in leather, eyes traveling from the defined corners of her lips and down along her body to both feet incased in high heeled leather boots.
"What?" She asked in annoyance.
"Don't worry." He grinned, taking the ringing payphone and handing it to her. "You first."
Trinity coaxed an elegant eyebrow, but said nothing, pressing the phone against her ear and experiencing the familiar sensation of her mind being lurched into darkness.
(o)
"We got it all." Tank said proudly as he wrenched the needle from the back of Neo's skull.
"Huh?" Neo blinked groggily, feeling as if his whole head was vibrating with exhaustion while his bleary vision came to focus on the man that stood above him. He was too preoccupied with recovering from jacking out to let any of the words take on any meaning, let alone sink in.
"We recorded it." Tank beamed brightly, helping the other man sit up in his chair and patting him friendlily on the shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, Neo spied Morpheus yanking the needle out of the base of Trinity's head. "Everything, from the moment you entered the Matrix to the moment you left. Which means that we have your fight with the Agents as proof to send to the Council. They won't need to take our word for it when we say that you have more strength and flexibility than an Agent, and can stop bullets in mid air with a single hand. They'll be able to see for themselves."
"Are you sure it's enough?" Neo questioned, swinging his legs over the side of his chair.
"No where near enough proof to convince an entire Council." Morpheus said gravely. "But it's a start. We'll be able to record your actions in the Matrix each time you jack in, with the hopes that you'll gradually reveal more and more hidden abilities that will only add to the proof we need."
"Well that's good to know." Neo commented, stretching to ease the tension in his muscles.
"I need you to report your progress to me as it happens." Morpheus instructed. "The sooner we can convince the Council you're the One, the better it will be for all of us."
"Than I guess I should tell you that I discovered I could do something I didn't think I'd ever be able to do again." Neo said thoughtfully. "I can read the code within the Matrix at will....no, not just read it. I can see through it, literally, which was how I knew the Agents were coming without having to call Tank. I could see them on the ground floor whilst I was on the top level, just by blinking in order to change my vision."
"You've gotta be kidding me." Tank said with admiration, to which Neo shook his head stiffly. "Wow....that-I mean...this is great! If you can do that, it means you can see Agents when they're metres away from you, and save us the bother of having to call you to alert you to it, which means that there is less chance of an Agent being able to track our calls."
"Yes, that is good news." Morpheus added. "Unfortunately, it isn't something we'll be able to simply record and send to Zion as no one else can see through Neo's eyes. I suppose then, that we'll just have to trust his word."
"Good thing Neo's such a trustworthy person." Tank said, grinning in Neo's direction. A grin that he eagerly returned.
"I am going to need to recheck the information you were able to obtain on Raven today, and also do another scan for him on the hacker network. If I believe it is appropriate to unplug him, then I'll need the two of you to jack back in tomorrow night, hack into his computer and convince him to meet you somewhere. There, you need to tell him that he needs to meet you after school the next day if he wants his questions answered. Trinity knows the standard procedure, and I'm sure you have some understanding of how unplugging works from memories of your own, Neo." Morpheus paused, continuing only after Neo had nodded. "Get plenty of rest. You're going to need it."
(o)
"Shit." Trinity cursed under her breath, rubbing the aching muscles in her shoulders and neck.
"What's wrong?" Neo asked timidly as he tossed both his over-shirt and under-shirt to the floor atop his boots, and sprawled out across the double bed. He watched as she stood and paced to the door, wincing with pain as she massaged her bare shoulder, exposed by the black, thin strapped under-shirt she was wearing.
"It's nothing." She smiled over her shoulder. "It's just...sometimes after I've done a lot of work, whether it be in the Matrix or out, I end up with these cramps in my muscles later on...kind of like a growing pain. But I've gotten used to it...it's been happening ever since I was unplugged."
He didn't utter a word, and heaved himself off the bed as silently as he could. Trinity hardly noticed as she kept her back turned to him and focused her attentions on the pains in her elbows, and didn't notice his presence until he'd snuck up behind her, bringing one hand to either shoulder, massaging them to ease away the strain in her muscles.
She felt her body tense at the sudden touch, having never dared to expect him to do such a thing, although she couldn't deny that it was helping. His hands were much stronger than she had thought them to be....and warm, too....and soft. He knew just where to apply pressure, and where he needed to be gentle, and before long she felt her entire body relax to his fingers.
"Neo, I need to talk to you." She managed to groan when he began to work on her upper back. "About....about what happened today."
His hands froze briefly, and he quirked an eyebrow in question. "Yeah?"
She sighed, not wanting to spoil the moment of silent understanding between them. But the impending urge she carried to speak with him about the events of the day had been suppressed within her for too long, and she was unable to stop herself from doing so any longer, as she knew that she wouldn't be able to find time to do so later – and it was an issue important to them both.
"Remember when we were in Raven's apartment, and you asked me to trust you?" She queried, as he applied pressure along her back, easing away the tension in her muscles gradually.
"Mmmm?" Was his only reply. He couldn't see where this conversation would lead.
"Well, I need you to understand that I've been able to look after myself for a long time. As you undoubtedly know, I'm much stronger than people give me credit for, both physically and mentally. The last thing I need is a bodyguard who watches over me and puts my safety before his own." She paused while he exhaled a breath of laughter. "You can't take control over me, and tell me what to do in the Matrix. Just because you're the One doesn't give you the right to think you can just order me to run away from a fight like you did today."
"I'm sorry." He whispered, pressing his fingers into the lowest part of her back. He knew that what she was saying was right, and he was at once overcome with a sense of shame regarding his actions.
"Neo, I trust you. I always have, and I always will." She sighed heavily, not because of the conversation they shared, but mostly because of what he was doing with his hands. "But I need you to trust me to when I say I can take care of myself, and I don't want or need a bodyguard and mentor in the Matrix."
He brought his hands back up to her shoulders, rubbing them soothingly before draping both arms over her chest, pressing his body against her own. After spending an entire day longing to touch her when in the Matrix, something as simple as massaging her back and shoulders had been pure bliss for him.
"I trust you. I have trusted you ever since you convinced me to stay in the car with you when you were taking me to see Morpheus." He whispered, breath tickling the right side of her neck. "And I know you're strong, but...it doesn't matter how powerful you are, I'll always want to protect you. I guess......I guess I just can't help it."
She smiled, relieved to know that he was able to understand the way she felt. She lifted her left hand, fingers running lightly over the bare skin of his left arm, tracing a pattern between each silvery plug. Suddenly overcome with a sense of exhaustion, she leaned back against his body, resting her head on the left side of his chest. He breathed in the scent of her ebony hair, lowering his arms and circling them around her waist. She placed her own hands on top of his, thumbs grazing his knuckles lightly.
"Do you still want to know why I kept staring at you when we were in the Matrix?" He breathed, bending his head to whisper in her right ear. She nodded, and he felt her head move against his chest.
"I think you look incredibly sexy in black leather."
(o)
A/N: I'm not sure about the beginning of this chapter for some reason. I think it's a bit weird. Please review and tell me what you think!