A/N: Sorry it's taken me a while to update, but I've been in a pretty good mood recently, and for some reason, I always write when I'm feeling in a BAD mood. Anyway, I passed all my exams, and I even got the second highest mark in the class for English, and the third highest for Math. I'm proud . Thank you everyone for all your support!
Neola: I love getting long reviews. In fact, the longer the review, the better in my opinion, because it gives me more to think about during the daunting days of high school. I love getting reviews from you especially, because you always have such great things to say. Thank you very much for being such an awesome reviewer, cause your reviews all mean so much to me!
Chapter is dedicated to my friend, Jessica.
24
"Do you realize that you left Raven's laptop on yesterday?" Tank said as he drained is mug of water. "And you left your trench coat lying on his bed?"
"We needed to get out as soon as possible, Tank." Trinity scowled, toying with the lumps of food sloshing about in a white liquid in her bowl with the handle of her spoon. "There wasn't any time."
"Yeah, I know." Tank grinned. "I'm just remarking on the fact that it was hilarious to see Raven arrive home from school and find a woman's black trench coat on his bed."
"I'm sure it was." Trinity muttered sardonically, pushing away the half filled bowl, having completely lost her appetite – not that she had been hungry to start with. Tank swung back on the bench opposite her, stretching his arms up to the ceiling and yawning melodramatically.
"So who's watching Raven now?" Tank asked. "And when are you going back in?"
"Neo's taking a shift." Trinity replied. "We're going in again tonight."
"You'll have to be quick." Tank warned. "The Agents-"
"I know, Tank," she said irritably.
(o)
Neo watched exhaustedly as Raven stuffed his things into his bag after school, including his marked science report, which clearly showed that he had failed. Frankly, he didn't look too pleased about it, and Neo couldn't blame him. His father was waiting for him outside the school gate (which was unusual since Raven usually walked home from school), and he didn't look so pleased to see his son.
Neo slumped back in his chair, rubbing his eyes tiredly and wondering when someone would come to take his shift. He hadn't eaten in what seemed like an eternity, and he was desperate enough to eat the revolting food served on board the Nebuchadnezzar.
He was about to sink into his own state of pure gloom when he heard the sound of boots plodding heavily across the metallic floor and turned to glance over his shoulder, only to see Morpheus approach him and come to rest at his side, staring intently at the screens.
"How's he doing?" Morpheus questioned.
"Not so good." Neo said with a shrug, watching as Raven dawdled idly to the school gate. The boy's eyes widened when he saw his father awaiting him in the old car parked across the street, but nevertheless he dashed towards the car and clambered into the front seat, tossing his bag over into the back. His father set down the paper he'd been reading, revved the engine and sped off down the road, yelling as he did so, his face reddening in a blaze of fury.
"He's pretty much failed grade nine." Neo explained when Morpheus cast him a quizzical look. "As you can see, his father doesn't seem to be too happy about it."
"It doesn't matter now. His grades in the Matrix will be irrelevant in the real world."
"When are we going to unplug him?" Neo asked wonderingly.
"Tomorrow night." Morpheus answered. "Tonight, however, I need both you and Trinity to convince Raven to meet you at a location close to him, where you won't be overheard."
"You mean meet him in person?"
Morpheus nodded. "Similar to when Trinity met you at the club, before you were unplugged."
"Oh." Neo smirked at the all too pleasant memory of his first meeting with Trinity. Even then, when she pressed herself up against him and whispered into his ear, he had found it hard to believe that anyone could be that beautiful. He was yet to see her true beauty when he was unplugged…beauty the Matrix would never be able to match through mere programs and mathematical precision.
"We're going to have to move quickly from now on." Morpheus continued, breaking Neo from his train of thought. "Because of yesterday's events, we can assume that the Agents already know the name of our next target. They have, after all, seen Raven's government file open on his laptop."
"Then…" Neo trailed away thoughtfully. "Then why didn't they just take Raven yesterday? They already had all his information from the government file, didn't they? So what was to stop them from going back to Raven's apartment and waiting for him there?"
"Nothing." Morpheus replied coolly. "Except for the fact that Raven still has no idea what the Matrix is. Until yesterday, he most likely wasn't even aware that someone may be looking to find him. Agents were created to serve one main purpose, and that is to keep as many people plugged into the Matrix as possible, which is why they are our enemy. They know that Raven, at least at this stage, probably believes that someone has been stalking him because of what you left behind at his apartment yesterday. He doesn't know that the word 'Matrix' even exists, so the Agents don't believe that he could be a threat to them yet as all we have tried to do is search for him, but not alert him to the truth. So they see no sense in taking him until he begins to question what the Matrix is."
There was a pause, in which Neo attempted to make sense of all that had been said. As he did so, he watched Raven's car pull up just outside his block of apartments. Raven sat stiffly in the front seat, arms folded defiantly across his chest as his father hurried from the car, and hollered one final thing to him before striding towards the front revolving door. It was times like these, Neo realized, that he wished that the neon, green raindrop coding would transfer sound as well as sight, so he would be able to hear what Raven's father had said to his son.
"I came here to take your shift." Morpheus finally stated. "I think you've earnt yourself a break."
"Right. Thanks." Neo smiled, pushing himself out of the chair in front of the consol as another thought came to mind. "Um…Morpheus? I hope you don't mind me asking this, but I was wondering…why not unplug Raven tonight? I mean, we already know enough about him, so I don't see any point in meeting him before the night of his unplugging, when we could just unplug him tonight instead."
"There are two things that we need to consider if we want Raven to take the red pill." Morpheus replied after careful thought. "The first is that we need to ensure that he is curious to find out what the Matrix is, by meeting with him and discussing the topic cryptically. This curiosity will cause him to want to take the red pill so he can discover the truth. The second is that we need to build a bond of trust with him, so that he knows he can trust us when we offer him both the red and blue pills. Otherwise he may be more inclined to remain plugged into the Matrix, and all our work thus far will be for nothing."
"So we have to meet him first before we can just unplug him." Neo concluded. "But what if the Agents get to him between the time we leave him and the time we're sent to unplug him?"
"That is a risk we must be willing to take." Morpheus smiled kindly, coming to realize that Neo certainly did have a very inquisitive nature. "Any other questions?"
"No." Neo grinned, already backing out of the room. "Thanks, Morpheus."
Morpheus nodded in dismissal, and Neo paced to the Mess Hall quickly, once again overcome with a sense of hunger.
(o)
"Where do you want to meet Raven tonight?" Trinity asked as Neo set his spoon into his empty bowl with a clatter only a short while after Tank had left them alone together in the Mess Hall.
"Morpheus said we should meet him in a place that's isolated, or at least somewhere where we can't be overheard." Neo shrugged, before adding timidly. "What about the park opposite his apartment block?"
"His apartment overlooks the park, so his parents may be able to look out the window and see him. And it would look too suspicious to any passers by. It's better to meet in a more populated area, where we have more chance of not being overheard, and less chance of drawing attention to ourselves."
"Good point." Neo smiled shyly, taking his bowl to the nearby sink. "But….he's only fifteen. They wouldn't let him into a club, would they?"
"They wouldn't bother to check for ID at a seedy underground club." Trinity paused to admire the smirk on his face.
"Somehow I don't think they'll be any clubs like that in such a posh looking area." Neo replied sardonically.
"You'd be surprised." Trinity smirked, propping her elbow upon the table and placing her cheek against her palm so that she could watch as his hands sloshed about in the warm waters of the sink. It's amazing. She thought to herself. If Switch was to see me now, she wouldn't believe it was the same woman. Here I am, speaking so openly and even making personal jokes with someone…hell, I've even made love to someone!
He rinsed both his bowl and spoon and stowed them away carefully in a cupboard before seating himself beside her. She turned her gaze away abruptly, taking the cuffs of the sleeves of her oversized, faded blue over-shirt in her hands, causing the smirk on his face to broaden.
"So…after Raven is unplugged…we'll head back to Zion?" He asked hopefully, eyeing her up and down subconsciously.
"Of course. He's underage, which means he can't spend too much time on a ship, so we'll have to take him back to Zion as soon as possible." Trinity answered commandingly, choosing to ignore the look her gave her after he'd spoken. "By that time, you better have some decent proof to suggest that you're the One."
Neo sighed heavily, resting his forehead in his hands. For a brief moment, he'd almost completely forgotten about the Council, having been far too preoccupied with the prospect of spending another trip to Zion alone with Trinity. But the due date the Council had set for him to prove he was the One loomed ahead, and merely thinking about that fact alone made his stomach clench.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, sensing his discomfort. "We don't need to talk about that…if you don't want to."
"No, I am going to need to think about that soon, anyway." He argued, keeping his eyes on the table bellow him. "As much as I'd rather think about being in Zion with you."
Trinity opened her mouth to reply – although she was quite unsure of what she could say in response to such a comment – when he unmistakably drew closer to her, drawing an arm around her waist. He was so close to her that she could feel his warm breath on her jaw when she turned her head to face his…saw the lust dancing in his eyes and was reminded of their time spent together in Zion. Uncontrollably, she felt her lips part again in anticipation, and felt him edge closer to her…close enough for her to taste the scent of his lips on her own when the door to the Mess Hall swung open with a deafening creak, revealing Tank standing alone in the doorframe, his usual wide grin spread across his face.
"What?" She asked irritably, casting him a sullen look as she pulled away from Neo hurriedly, causing him to draw his arm back with embarrassment.
"No need to get so…touchy." Tank said jokingly. "You need to be at the core in less than twenty minutes."
"Fine." She mumbled, getting slowly to her feet, much to the obvious annoyance of both herself and Neo.
"Hey, no need to get going now. You got twenty minutes to spend alone if you wanna take them." He said slyly, quirking a single, bushy black eyebrow. Neo let out a breath of laughter, only causing the scowl on Trinity's face to widen.
"Can't even take a joke." Tank shook his head in false dismay. "Really, Neo, I can't see how you can put up with her. Being her friend is hard enough…but being closer? God, I don't know how you can stand it."
"Shut it, Tank." Trinity warned, ignoring the sounds of Neo's laughter which was issuing from behind her.
"Ok, ok, I can see when I'm not wanted." He held up a hand in parting. "See you in the core."
Shaking her head dismally, yet allowing a small smile to creep into the corners of her lips, she made her way back to the table, taking her seat beside Neo again. He was beaming with both his mouth and eyes, as if inwardly laughing at a joke she failed to understand.
"What's so funny?" She eventually had to ask.
"I don't know." He shrugged, struggling to recompose himself. "I guess I was just thinking…most of the many awkward moments we've had so far have been because of Tank."
"In truth, he's the most irritating person I've ever met. With the acceptation of Mouse, Cypher and Dwayne." Trinity commented, lowering her voice to convey that she was preparing to speak more sincerely. "But…I honestly don't know what I'd do without him."
"He's a good friend." Neo admitted, wondering what Tank would say if he'd heard her remarks.
Once again, Trinity was overcome with a sense of amazement by the fact that she'd been able to speak so openly with the man beside her. I don't think I've ever even thought about my relationship with Tank before to myself…so how can I admit these things to Neo?
"Come on." She stated firmly, getting to her feet once again. "We better go."
(o)
"Are you sure that's the right address?" Neo asked into the phone he held to his ear on Trinity's command sometime later. He shivered in the virtual, cold night air as a soft, early autumn breeze trickled across his frost-bitten skin. Despite the black dress clothes he wore, covered by a thick black overcoat, the surrounding vast and empty park still felt immensely frosty and bitter, even when compared to the climate on the Nebuchadnezzar.
"Of course it is." Tank cackled back over the phone. Neo could hear him punching a few keys in the background. "You can trust me, Neo. I'm a professional."
"Um…ok." Neo mumbled, glancing around him warily. As this was his first time using a phone after his unplugging, he still found it hard to believe that Tank was able to see him, and yet speak with him on a phone from an entirely different world at the same time.
"Are you sure you can remember the address to the club?" Tank questioned.
"Err….yeah. Yeah, I got it." Neo stuttered. "What's he doing now? Is he responding to the messages?"
"You tell me." Tank replied, with an air of childish excitement.
Neo blinked the coding into place, and took a few seconds to adjust to his new way of vision before he cast his gaze upon Raven's apartment, only to see the boy sitting in his all-too-familiar position on his double bed, laptop resting atop his black pants. He was staring blankly at his computer, tapping several keys in the hopes of erasing the cryptic messages that were now appearing on his screen. A scene Neo recognized as one similar to his own unplugging.
"Yeah, he's getting them."
"Man, you're good." Tank complimented, causing Neo to laugh. "Hey, can you put Trinity on for me?"
"Erm….sure." Neo shrugged, crossing the small children's playground positioned towards the back of the park and hidden behind a cluster of trees, to the bench seated to the side of the structure.
"Tank." He said quietly, passing Trinity the phone and sitting beside her on the bench. She nodded, taking it gingerly and holding it between her neck and shoulder so she could continue to type into the CPU that was resting on her lap.
Again, he found himself transfixed by her, but for more reasons than one. Not only did he identify the closer-fitting, darkest sapphire blue dress she wore as the same one he'd seen on her before when they'd jacked into the Matrix for the first time after his unplugging, but the fact that the visible chalk white skin of her shoulders, arms and legs was much whiter than usual, and she was constantly trembling with cold.
"Tank?" She somehow was able to stammer through numb lips. Due to some sense of self pride that she didn't fully understand herself, she refused to allow herself to become victim to the cold by informing anyone that she'd made a wrong choice in outfit.
"Hey, I just had to ask." He began, and she could almost feel the smirk spreading across his face. "What's with the dress?"
Trinity felt her cheeks redden uncontrollably. The dress she wore was one she'd used solely for the purpose of meeting with Neo in the club, with the hopes of leaving an impression behind (as much as she'd tried to deny it to herself and others later). But now, since he seemed to be so easily entranced by her when wearing loose fitting work clothes on the ship, she figured it would be interesting to relive the expressions she'd seen before on his face when she dressed in this fashion.
"What do you mean?" She answered coldly, composing the final message she planned to send to Raven at the same time.
"Hmmm…I've only seen you wear that once before, and it wasn't that long ago. I think someone's looking to get some tonight."
"Shut up, Tank." She said through gritted teeth, partly because of his words, and partly because of the cold. She hacked into Raven's laptop for the final time, enabling herself to send him the final message.
"Sorry, sorry." Tank eased, punching in a memorized code as he did so. "Ok….he's getting up…getting his jacket…sneaking out….I'd start leaving now if I were you."
"Right." She said sternly, hanging up the phone and handing it back to Neo without so much as a glance, switching off the laptop at the same time. She placed it carelessly on the bench between them, then stood and strode across the playground, the latex fabric of the dress pressing against her tightly.
Neo didn't move, but simply watched silently as a strong breath of wind rustled through the leaves of the surrounding trees. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, biting on her lip in an attempt to block out the cold. Already he could see the skin on the back of her exposed lower thighs growing a faint blue. Although he knew she would refuse that she was freezing, he couldn't stand to watch her suffer.
Trinity was beginning to wonder what had forced her to wear something so impractical when she felt something move behind her, and the thick material of a black overcoat being draped over her shoulders, held firmly against her naked skin by a pair of strong hands. Neo rested his head in the hollow between her neck and shoulder, the sheer warmth of his skin easing away the surrounding chill.
"You cold?" He whispered softly in a voice barely heard above the whistle of the wind.
"No." She lied after a pause, but made no attempt to shake herself free of his grasp. He exhaled a breath of laughter, only holding her tighter and kissing her windswept hair, which was flapping in the cool breeze.
"We have to go." She reasoned. Despite the warmth and sense of security he was giving her, she was able to remember that they had to be somewhere, and anyone in the real world – including Tank – could have been watching her.
Neo nodded and moved to her side, leaving the overcoat draped over her shoulders. She shot him an inquisitive look, but only received a small smile in reply. Seeing no sense in standing stiffly in the winter chill, she slipped both arms into the overcoat, at once becoming overwhelmed by his scent. He grinned, then led the way across the vast fields of grass to the other side of the park, moving in the direction of the club.
(o)
The club was not as seedy is Neo had anticipated. It was located in the inter city of the area in which Raven lived, only a solid twenty minutes walking distance from his apartment. It was found in the basement of an unguarded building, and richly decorated with an assortment of fluorescent lighting, causing the room to glow with a variety of different colours. A DJ blared music from a stereo system on a platform, overlooking a large space dedicated to dancing, and a small unlicensed bar was set to the side of the structure, so that it could be out of the way of the full stream of the music.
"Can you see him?" Trinity called in a voice barely audible above the music. She let his overcoat slip from her shoulders, seeing no sense in wearing it when the space within the building was much warmer than it was outside.
Neo scanned the room three times without finding so much as a trace of who they searched for. He was about to give up when he spied a dark figure standing in the corner of the room beside the bar, eyes transfixed on an attractive blonde, jabbering excitedly to her friends.
"Over there." Neo gestured, bringing her attentions across the room. She nodded, and proceeded to lead him down the staircase that descended from the front entrance of the room.
Instead of simply swerving around the dancers, Trinity chose to save time by marching straight through them, causing them to part and stare at her curiously as she walked. Neo followed her timidly, seeing no reason why they should have to disturb others and bring attention to themselves when it would only take a few minutes to walk around the clustered group of dancers. Yet he reminded himself, with a smirk, that Trinity would see those few lost minutes spent walking around the dance floor as good minutes that were poorly spent.
He noticed, as they moved through the crowd, that many of the young men in the room were now eyeing Trinity hungrily, eyes roaming over her exposed skin and the dress that hugged her prefect figure so tightly. He scowled darkly, feeling a rush of jealousy shoot up through his spine and his whole body stiffen automatically. Yet none of the men seemed to notice this, and continued to murmur things to those standing by them, eyeing Trinity seductively.
His Trinity…What happened next happened in an instant. One of the men who had been eyeing Trinity sprung away from the parting crowd, a snide smirk spread across his oily face. He closed in on her quickly, lowering his hand straight down to her backside, clenching her skin through the tight material of her dress. At once, Neo was consumed by an uncontrolled mixture of both purest loathing and envy, and felt his heart lurch up into his throat by the man's mere actions. The anger swelled beneath his skin, and he felt his body heat as if a flame had been ignited in the pit of his stomach. He would have gladly closed in on the man without hesitation, if Trinity hadn't acted first.
The moment she felt a hand on her, she knew it didn't belong to Neo because of the scent and touch coming from behind her. She turned swiftly, in time to see the rage and jealousy glowing in Neo's eyes, and both his hands clenched into fists, trembling at his sides. Keeping her expression cold and even (even though she was clearly both irritated and enraged by the man who touched her, and flattered by Neo's reaction to it), she grasped the man by the collar of his shirt, and saw the fear in his eyes just before she lifted him and hurled him across the room, sending him soaring back into the crowd. The spectators gaped, many of them murmured amongst themselves, and one woman even let a shrill cry of shock escape her lips.
Now realizing that she had obtained the attention of every person in the room, Trinity continued to keep her face stony as she continued to stride towards Raven, choosing to act as though nothing had happened. The crowd parted for her without hesitation, and even when drunk, the other men saw sense in keeping a good distance from her. Although this may have partly been because of Neo, who had moved up behind her, shooting them dark glances.
She could tell, from the way that Neo's fingers twitched at his sides, that he was still enraged with the man from before, and she frankly couldn't blame him, knowing that she would have been in the same state if the situation had been reversed. Yet she was also glad that he was not trying to act as her guardian, or display any emotion in such a public location when in the Matrix, even if he most likely sorely felt in the mood for doing so now. As much as she wished to calm him down by speaking with him, she said nothing until she'd reached an awestruck Raven watching her from the bar table.
"What the…" He began in a heavy accent, his dark eyes wide with shock. "How did you do that!?"
"Not here." Trinity answered sharply, becoming aware of the fact that many were still watching her. Although this may have also been because of Raven. Already she could tell that he had a particularly loud and noticeable voice. "Follow me."
She turned on her heel and headed back through the club, with Neo close behind her. He glanced back over his shoulder, in time to see the hesitation in Raven's dark eyes before he shrugged his dark shoulders, buried his hands in the large pockets of his purest black jacket and scurried after them, his dark dreadlocks bobbing in tune with his steps.
"You were the one sending me those weird messages on my laptop, weren't you?" He asked curiously when they reached the base of the staircase that led to the room's only entrance and exit. "Shit, who are you people? How did you do that?"
"My name is Trinity." She replied sharply without so much as a glance over her shoulder. "And this is Neo."
Neo nodded with a shy smile, remembering just how anxious he'd felt during his own unplugging, and how something as simple as a kind face could make you feel welcome in a strange new community. Raven grinned widely in reply, revealing a perfect set of brilliant white teeth, glowing against the darkness of his skin.
"Hey, I know you!" He exclaimed. "Aren't you the Trinity who cracked the IRS d-base?"
"That was a long time ago." She said in her familiar response when questioned about her past achievements. Though Neo was certain he could detect a hint of pride in her voice.
"I know you too." He continued, looking in Neo's direction as Trinity wrenched open the door and stepped out into the frosty night air. "I think I've heard your name before…somewhere. How did you hack into my computer."
"We can't tell you just yet, Raven." Trinity replied coolly. "But the answers will come soon, if you want them to find you."
"What you say?" He questioned loudly in the same heavy accent. "How did you guys find me? Did you track me down or what?"
"All we can tell you for now, this that you need to be careful. You're in danger…they know you know too much, and they're watching you."
"Say what?" Raven gawked, quirking an eyebrow in question.
"We know that you have many questions…questions you have been searching to find answers for, for a long time. That is why you let your grades fall…why the main focus and central essence of your life is your life within computers. Because you're looking for him….looking for an answer."
"How do you know all about me?" Raven asked, his tone much more sincere and bland. A tone, Neo decided, that didn't suit him at all.
"If you want to have your questions answered, then you must be prepared to risk everything. To deny all that you know, and to come to realize the truth. Most importantly, you need to learn how to trust us."
"This is about the Matrix, huh?" Raven continued. "You asked me about that in those weirdo messages you were typing up on your computer."
"Can you trust us, Raven?" Trinity said cryptically. "Trust us enough to risk everything in order to find an answer?"
"Hell, I trust you." Raven grinned again, revealing all his teeth. "You're one sexy chick."
Again, Neo felt jealousy swell within him, mixed in with hatred and dislike. Yet he allowed this comment to slip by in order to hear the rest of the conversation.
"Then be prepared to meet us tomorrow after you've finished school." Trinity finished. "We'll take you to the answers."
(o)
"You know, I noticed a whole heap of similarities between the conversation you had with Raven today and the conversation you had with me in the club when I was getting unplugged." Neo commented, sprawling out across the bed he shared with Trinity in their room.
"There isn't much chance for variety when you need to convey the same message, Neo." Trinity smiled, sitting beside him and letting her pants drop to the floor, leaving her dressed in her black underwear and under-shirt so she could slide into bed beside him. "So, what did you think of Raven anyway?"
"You mean, now that I've met him in person?" Neo began, waiting for Trinity to nod before he continued. "He was alright, I suppose. Kind of annoying, but ok….I guess."
"You don't sound so enthusiastic about him." Trinity grinned, shifting so that she was lying comfortably amongst the worn pillows on her side. He was turned to face her directly, lying eye-level with her with a considerable distance between them, so that she could see the resentment in his eyes.
"I didn't like what he said about you before." He admitted bitterly with a tinge of shame. "You know…just after you'd asked him to trust you."
"For a minute I thought you were going to say you didn't like his accent." Trinity laughed amidst a sensation of flattery. I can't believe such a simple comment could make him jealous! Raven is fifteen, plugged-in and irritating, and what he said is only a comment in passing. It isn't as if he's fallen in love with me. Not that it would matter if he did or not anyway…
"That too." Neo added, swathing his left arm over the upturned side of her right thigh, bringing himself closer to her, but with just enough distance between them so he could look into her eyes when they spoke.
"You didn't like the man in the club either, did you?" Trinity said, continuing only when he shook his head in response. "Were you…jealous of him?"
"Maybe a little." Neo lied, somehow feeling as if he'd been infected by Trinity's sense of pride. He felt very reluctant to admit his emotions to her when it came to jealousy. "But I guess it doesn't matter much now, does it?"
"No." She said with a shake of her head. "It doesn't."
He smirked, closing the remaining gap between them and kissing her gently. She drew her upturned arm around his neck, deepening the kiss between them and forcing his lips open with her own, sliding her tongue into his mouth and tracing a line along and inside of his jaw. He groaned, rolling onto his back and pulling her with him, letting his hands guide themselves down her back until they reached her hips, completely losing any sense of self control. Already, he had forgotten where he was, or the reasons why they shouldn't be together. When he was in this mood, nothing mattered except for her.
Trinity bent her knees and held herself above him with both arms in imitation of what he'd done to her when they were together in the cockpit on the last day of repairing. She broke their kiss to take in much needed air, and saw the satisfied smirk on his wet lips when she exhaled a soft sigh. Once again finding herself forgetting all sense of reason or logical pattern of thinking, she nipped playfully along his jaw and along down his neck, then moving lower, down to his naked chest. He hummed in the back of this throat when she began to place a soft ring of teasing kisses just around the outside of one of his nipples, being overcome with immense sensations of desire and lust. He moved both hands from her hips – which were subconsciously moving in a circular motion above him – and slid them up beneath her under-shirt crawling along her back until they reached the tie that held her bra together, fumbling with it and then letting the garment slide off her with his assistance, only to be discarded onto the steel floor.
He rolled back over so that she was beneath him, keeping both hands beneath her under-shirt. He moved them back to her chest, tracing a path along her breasts with his fingers, bare beneath the flimsy material of her shirt. She shut her eyes softly, moaning and squirming helplessly beneath him. He grinned, loving the effect he had on her…making her feel so weak and helpless…
"Trinity….." He whispered hoarsely, bending to kiss the hollow between her neck and shoulder. "Please…"
Trinity shook herself back into reality when she heard the sound of her name. They were on a ship…a ship without any privacy where they could be easily overheard. She wouldn't stand for that to happen…couldn't let it happen, as much as she wanted to completely throw her dignity out the window. The prouder, warrior side of her was refusing to let her give into temptation, despite the fact that he was still massaging her breasts with his hands.
"No, Neo. Stop." She commanded, her voice broken with passion. "We can't. Not here."
"Why not?" He practically begged, not wanting to stop when she lay beneath him in such a fashion. He continued to kiss her neck in between his words, hoping it would convince her to give in to him. "Who cares if the others hear? They won't care."
"I care." Trinity refuted, pushing him away from her forcefully. "Later. I promise you, ok?"
"You always say that." He complained, but moved off her nevertheless, laying himself down beside her carefully. She smiled with both thanks and relief, knowing all-too-well how hard it was for him to stop, as was the case for her. But her logical mind was already back in control, and she knew that it wouldn't be appropriate, especially in the sense of her reputation.
It was then that he discovered the only downside to serving on board the Nebuchadnezzar, or any ship fighting in the resistance. He was still flowing with an overwhelming sense of lust and desire….an uncontrollable yearning just to touch her again. But that touch would lead to another touch….and another….and another. As much as he wanted to be with her, he knew he had to leave things as they were. Not just for the sake of her pride and reputation, but for the sake of their dignity as well.
"How much longer till we go back to Zion?" He asked hopefully. "Please say soon."
"Soon enough." She whispered with a faint smile, snuggling close to him and running fingers through his thick stubble of dark hair. "After we unplug and train Raven up a little. I'd say about two weeks."
"I'm gonna count down the days." He whispered, nuzzling his head against the top of her breasts.
She laughed fondly, and continued to stroke his hair until both had fallen asleep.
(o)
"Raven will be getting out of school within half an hour." Morpheus foretold the following afternoon. "You'll both need to be out the front of the school grounds, ready to meet him, and take him straight to me at the abandoned warehouse a good half hour drive away."
Neo nodded vigorously, suddenly overcome with a childlike sense of excitement. This was to be the first time he'd ever witnessed an unplugging from an experienced point of view – and more importantly, it was the first task he'd ever had to complete with Trinity.
"Right, then." Tank beamed, jumping to the controls at the console. "Let's load you all up."
Neo moved towards his jack-in chair, tripping over the ground cables as his mind was too preoccupied with the task ahead. He heard Trinity still a laugh from behind him as he struggled to regain his composure, and allowed himself a small smile. Two months ago, she wouldn't have even thought it was funny if he fell over.
He sat himself down in his chair stiffly, as Tank typed the appropriate hack and then left the console, taking to Morpheus's side first, followed by Trinity's. He watched as both were loaded into the construct, and then waited for Tank to reach his side, smiling evilly as he did so. He said nothing, but winked just before he struck the needle into the back of Neo's skull, sending an indescribable jolt of shock entwined with pain coursing through his veins. He shut his eyes firmly - figuring that no matter what others told him, he'd never get used to this - as his mind was launched into darkness….
(o)
Unlike it had been the previous night, the air was crisp and cool, the sky a dull shade of purest blue, with clouds drifting lazily across the sky. Despite the sunlight which was streaming down upon the earth, the gentle breeze wafting through the air made the climate quite cool, although nothing compared to the usual temperatures that could be reached in mid autumn in this part of the world. Overall, the climate here was very different to the climate on the night of Neo's unplugging.
Trinity gazed around the sunlit streets, watching cars stream by beyond the small alleyway in which she now found herself standing, wedged between two red brick buildings and beside a ringing payphone.
Sensing a presence behind her, she turned to see that Neo's RSI had just been launched into the Matrix and he was staring around him wildly, taking in each essence of his environment.
He can be so childlike at times. She thought musingly to herself, admiring his usual attire of black dress clothes. Just as innocent and naïve. Other times…
"What now?" He interrupted, breaking through her silent reverie.
As if to answer his question, Trinity felt something vibrate in the small pocket if her deepest black, tight fitting leather dress and dug one pale hand into it, retrieving a phone. She answered the call, placing it to her ear.
"We're in."
"I've loaded Morpheus into the area where he plans to meet you." Tank's voice cackled over the opposite end. "You got yourself just under twenty minutes to be at Raven's school."
"Any Agents?" She questioned.
There was a pause, in which she could hear him typing frantically on the keyboard before he replied. "There are some close by, but they seemed to be less than concerned with you. You shouldn't have to pass them. Oh, and the car you wanted is parked outside the alleyway."
"Got it." She finished, hanging up the phone, placing it back in her pocket and taking out her sunglasses instead. She could see Neo smiling shyly at her through the dark lenses, and smiled tightly in reply, leading the way out of the alleyway without so much as a word to him.
Neo fumbled in the pocket of his overcoat for his sunglasses, pulling them on just in time to shield himself from the full blaze of the sun when they stepped out onto the crowded streets. Trinity marched straight over to a car parked against the curb, identical to the one Morpheus had used to escort him to the Oracle. He watched Trinity move, her body tight against the dress she wore, as she yanked open the door and slid into the driver's seat, pushing back strands of her sleek ebony hair.
"How long does it take to unplug someone?" Neo asked, clambering into the passenger's seat of the car and slamming the door shut behind him, taking in the scent of the leather interior.
"Not long." Trinity replied droningly, revving the engine and gripping the steering wheel tightly with a black gloved hand. "It will take longer for Morpheus to speak with Raven then it will to get him out of the system."
"Oh." Neo said quietly as the car pulled away from the curb and joined the ongoing flood of traffic speeding down the inner city streets.
Not a word was uttered between them until they turned into the more suburban part of the area, and then glided down the few streets to the school which Raven attended, isolated from the public by a large, iron black gate. The gate was wide open, revealing a large and looming dark building that was the main part of the school, and a long and winding drive leading up to it, surrounded by grass and foreign plant life, making up the grounds. It was then, when Neo saw the private school directly in front of him, that he realized just how rich Raven's parents were.
"Shit." He heard Trinity curse in the seat beside him, and twisted round to see her peering into the rearview mirror. "An Agent's car. They're here."
"God." Neo muttered in reply. "We can't stay long, then. We need to get him out."
"School finishes in less than five minutes. We can wait." Trinity reasoned, checking the digital clock on the car's dashboard. "Here, take the wheel. In case we need to drive out of here quickly. I'll wait for him at the gate."
He nodded, waiting until she'd risen out of the car before he scrambled into the driver's seat, positioning himself so that he would be able to drive at a moment's notice. He stared out the window, watching Trinity cross to the other side of the road, and stand beside the gate. Minutes passed, and the sound of an electric bell could be heard ringing out and echoing down the street. Students filed out onto the grounds, streaming along the driveway like the lapping waves of a sea. Neo scanned through them for Raven, but failed to see him anywhere, and at once became worried that he may have already been seized by an Agent. However, he soon reminded himself that this was simply illogical, seeing as the Agent's empty car was still park a short distance away from theirs. Trinity turned back to face him, coaxing a delicate eyebrow above the upper rim of her sunglasses, ignoring the several strange glances she was receiving from the students. Neo only shrugged helplessly in reply to her unvoiced question, and she shook her head before bringing her attention back to the main door of the school once more.
Where are the Agents? Surely, they aren't inside the school building. Or maybe they are, and we'll see them leading Raven out in a matter of seconds. Or perhaps they're only here to keep an eye on Raven, because they're worried that we plan to tell him more than they think he should know?
Most of Neo's questions were soon answered. Raven trudged out of the school building shortly after what seemed like the rest of the school had already departed, backpack slung over one shoulder and dark clothes disheveled against his slender frame. Neo could tell that something was wrong with him, as his dark dreadlocks of hair lacked their usual bounce, and instead flopped over his deepest brown eyes. His dark skin was glistening with beads of sweat, and he seemed to walk without his usual flair of youthful energy. His walkman was nowhere to be seen.
Trinity shot Raven her most distasteful look – one she usually saved only for the Matron back in Zion. Even she could tell that some event had occurred to upset the boy, but even so she couldn't help but be angry that he had delayed them and cost them a precious amount of time by dawdling his way out of school. She observed the expression on Raven's face as he reached them, not failing to note that he had perked up instantly.
"Hey, ya'll!" He grinned merrily, lips stretching widely across his stout, leathery face. "What's happening?"
"Time is always against us, Raven." Trinity warned him darkly. "Make sure that you're not late."
"Sorry about that." He replied gaily. "But I forgot you were coming. And I kind of was having a bad day. You see-"
"We told you last night to meet us after school." Trinity cut him off, not at all in the mood for hearing a full recount of his pathetic, teenage life. Also, they had already wasted enough time, and the Agents could return to their car at any minute. She led him across the street to the car, and wrenched the back door open fiercely, standing back to give him access to the leather interior. "Get in."
Raven made no witty remark in reply, already having learnt his lesson. He could clearly see that Trinity was not a good person to mess with, and tossed his backpack gingerly across the car seat, dropping gracelessly in after it. Trinity slammed the door shut, and slid into the passenger seat beside Neo as quickly as possible.
"Hi." Neo said shyly, twisting around in the front seat to face the boy who sat behind him. Raven stared back through wary eyes, lips forming a sullen frown.
"Hey Neo, man." He said gravely, conveying little emotion at all. But already Neo could tell that he'd suddenly been overcome with a sensation of fear. It was a feeling he knew all too well, as he had gone through the same thing during his own unplugging.
A person was rarely asked to get into the car of a near-to-complete stranger, but when faced with the opportunity to do so, only two things would drive that person into the car. Bravery and curiosity. When thinking back on it, Neo was certain he wouldn't have gotten into the car if it hadn't been for Trinity, and for his rather overwhelming sense of curiosity. He certainly wouldn't have gotten in because of bravery (He believed that he was, in fact, the living antonym of the word). In a way, he found he had to applaud Raven for getting into the car with them in the first place, as he remembered just how hard it would have been for him to do the same, if Trinity hadn't been there. But even the bravest people often found themselves suffering from nervousness, which was why he thought it was important (based on his own, previous experiences), to ensure that Raven felt welcome and secure within their community.
"Something wrong?" He asked, catching Trinity's eye and noting obvious signs of irritation. He knew she wanted him to drive away, but refused to do so until he knew that Raven felt comfortable with them.
"Just had a crap day at school, is all." Raven shrugged.
"Oh really?" Neo grinned. "What happened?"
"Oh, not much." He frowned bitterly, starting calmly but his voice rose higher and higher with each sentence. "This jackass stole my walkman and flushed it down the can. I mean, do you know how much those things cost? My folks aren't gonna buy me a new one, 'cos I done so badly in them tests. So I ain't got any music for what looks like the rest of my life!"
"It won't matter soon." Neo said soothingly.
"Why?" Raven questioned, eyes suddenly widening in alert as if he'd only just realized where he was. "Hey, where are we going? What are you gonna do to me?"
"Your questions will be answered shortly." Neo answered plainly. "When we take you to meet Morpheus."
"Morpheus? As in the Morpheus!?" Raven exclaimed, to which Neo nodded. "Whoa, that's wicked, man!"
Trinity sighed exhaustedly, growing increasingly annoyed by this long and seemingly pointless conversation. She shot an anxious glance at the rearview mirror, checking to see whether the Agents had returned to their car. There was no sign of them, but even so, she knew they could return at any minute. She parted her lips to demand they drive away, when she caught a dark flash in the mirror, and saw both Agent Brown, and Agent Jones slide into their car, starting their engine.
"Neo!" She hollered. "Drive! Now!"
Without needing to glimpse behind him, Neo revved the car's engine and pulled away from the side of the street with a deafening screech, leaving skid marks on the road behind them as he launched the car forwards, setting his eyes on the end of the street.
"Holy shit!" Raven shouted, heaving himself back up onto the car seat after being thrown to the floor when the vehicle began to move. "What the fuck is going on?"
Both Neo and Trinity ignored him completely, as Neo pulled into a main street, swerving between the traffic at an overwhelmingly high speed. Behind him, he could see the reflection of the Agent's car pursuing them closely with only a meter's distance between them.
"What the…?" Raven trailed away, propping himself up so that he could see out of the back window. "What the hell do they want with us?"
"Put your head down!" Neo shouted, swiveling his entire head around so that he could reinforce his command. "I can't see out the back!"
No sooner had he done this than he heard a car horn blazing from in front of him and he felt himself jump in his seat with surprise. Raven collapsed onto the floor of the car again, swearing insanely as he did so.
"Neo! Look out!" Trinity cried, eyes wide behind her sunglasses as the truck drew steadily closer to them. While he had been looking behind him, Neo had failed to realize that he had allowed the car to swerve into the opposite lane, maximizing the chance for a collision. Trinity leaned over and gripped the steering wheel, helping him to guide the car back onto the correct side of the road just before they were set to smash into the truck.
Something solid bumped into the back of the car, but none needed to look behind them to know that it was the Agents. In swerving back onto the opposite side of the road, they'd further minimized the gap between them and the other car. Trinity cursed, seizing the handgun she'd had uploaded into the Matrix with her and loaded it.
"What are you doing?" Neo asked worriedly, struggling to keep in control of the car when it was moving so rapidly. He had driven many times before, but this was the first time he'd actually sped.
"I'm going to send them off course. Buy us some time." Trinity replied coolly. "Just keep your eyes on the road."
Once again wishing that she'd made a more appropriate choice in outfit, she wound down her window and leaned out of it, gripping onto the top of the car with one hand in support, and using the other to aim the gun. She shot the first bullet straight through the front windshield, shattering glass over the Agent's bonnet. This didn't harm them, but drove them off course. She emptied her entire clip, each bullet colliding with another part of the car and causing them further damage. Once the clip was empty, she slid back into the car to reload the gun.
"Damn, you're good." Raven complimented from the back seat, eyes wide with shock and awe. Neo and Trinity exchanged a small, secret smile, which did not escape the boy's attention, yet he decided to ignore this when in such a dire situation.
"Turn here." Trinity pointed to a street offside the main one. Neo nodded, knowing that although this street did not lead to their destination, it would help to drive the Agents off course. He turned sharply on her order, causing the wheels of the car to screech and burn rubber on the tarmac surface of the road. They swerved onto the path, missing an elderly couple by inches before returning to the main part of the street. All could hear the Agents following the same pattern scarcely minutes behind them.
Trinity focused on reloading her gun, but before she could do so, a bullet was aimed at the back of the car, smashing the back windshield into tiny particles of glass. Raven screamed, covering the top of his head with both arms and crouching on the seat as shards of glimmering ice glass trickled over the surface of his body.
"Keep down." Trinity ordered as another bullet was fired, this time colliding with the exhaust pipe. The car squealed, running completely of course as Neo veered to avoid more bullets.
Taking her now reloaded handgun in her hand, Trinity leaned out over the window once more, firing more bullets at the opposing car with much less perfected aim then before. This was due to Brown, who was shooting back at her from the opposite window and thus making it harder to get a clear shot of the car. Brown's aim was much more targeted (which came as a surprise to Neo, as he remembered Agents to have bad aim. It was later that he decided that they must have been upgraded somehow, to better defend themselves from him.). Brown's bullets hurtled through the most sensitive parts of the car, where as most of Trinity's failed to hit at all. The car chocked and spluttered, eventually driving into the side of a nearby apartment block when Neo found that he no longer had control over the vehicle.
"Get out!" Trinity demanded, kicking open her door and springing out onto the pavement. A crowd of startled onlookers had gathered around them, but were wisely keeping a safe distance. Through them, she could see the Agent's pulling their car to a halt, and gathering their bearings in preparation for a fight. At the same time, Raven scrambled out of the car behind her, taking to her side immediately.
"What should we do?" Neo asked anxiously as he hurried towards her. Trinity took one final glance around her, then sighed, realizing that no matter how much she felt an impending desire to be involved with Neo's battles, there needed to be someone who could take care of Raven.
"I need you to hold them off." Trinity explained. "I'll take Raven to Morpheus."
"What?" He gawked, unable to believe what he was hearing. This is no where in comparison to her normal attitude. "Why…why me?"
"Because you're the One, Neo." She said with a soft smile, hoping that this would convey that she meant to tell him that he was the only one who could stand their ground against an Agent and survive. Judging from the expression on his face in reply, she could tell that he had understood.
What is she on about? I may be the only one who can defeat an Agent, but that doesn't mean she can't fight with me. I won't let her go alone, what if something happens and I'm not there to protect her? I'd kill myself if anything happened to her…
"No, I can't." Neo shook his head violently. "I won't let you."
"You have to." She reasoned, taking his hand in her own and squeezing it tightly, sending a sensation of comfort coursing throughout his entire being. "Neo, I can take care of myself. I need you to trust me, ok?"
"I trust you." He replied almost instantly, and without any sign of hesitation. He knew she was right, but it didn't make it any easier to let her go. Nevertheless, he loosened his hold on her hand, casting her one final and meaningful stare before she disappeared into the crowd in the direction of the main road, with a baffled and highly confused Raven following at her heels.
"How nice to see you, Mr. Anderson." Jones smirked broadly, causing Neo to alert his attentions back to the surrounding, distant crowd, only to see Jones and Brown etching towards him carefully.
"As you probably can already tell, we've been improved since our last battle." Brown added with a devilish grin.
"Which means that your chances of survival are much smaller than they were before." Jones continued.
"I wouldn't count on that." Neo said playfully in reply, keeping his expression cold and even. "You see, the more you improve, the more my power enhances. I grow with you, which means that you'll never be able to defeat me."
He wasn't sure if this was entirely true, but it was effective in boosting his own confidence, and reducing that of his enemy's. The Agents exchanged a worried glance, but advanced on him soon after, sending a number of both punches and kicks at any vulnerable angle of his body.
As always, Neo allowed his body to claim full control, and attacked them back in a fighting frenzy. Although he could tell that their strength and speed had improved dramatically, not one of their attacks was able to come in contact with his skin, even if he was fighting two of them at once, thus proving that he was still much stronger…or maybe he was simply getting stronger as well.
After blocking several of their attacks with next to no effort, he sent Jones flying into their destroyed car with a single, deadly kick. The steel bonnet dented in the shape of his form, and his body fell slack, transforming back into the body of a dead host. The obviously enraged and frustrated Brown charged at his enemy, only to be countered with a strong punch to the gut. He exhaled, and foam frothed from the corners of his mouth. Neo smacked him in the chest with an open palm, sending him soaring back into the crowd. Grunting in aggravation, Brown stumbled to his feet and lurched towards Neo, staggering almost blindly as if severely drunk. Neo seized him by the collar of his white shirt, and kneed him in the groin, before letting him drop unconsciously to the ground.
Not wanting to waste anymore time, Neo dug his hand into the large pocket of his overcoat, yanking out his phone and speed dialing Tank as he darted back through the gaping crowd.
"There isn't any close exits to you." Tank stated upon answering the call. "The nearest one I can get up at the moment is about half an hours travel from your current location, and that would be if you took a car."
"Where's Trinity?" Neo asked worriedly, pausing to lean against a wall once he was out on the main street.
"She and Raven have just arrived at the warehouse where Morpheus is waiting. He should be out of the system in less than half an hour." Tank replied after tapping a few keys. "You're going to have to go even further if you want to reach them."
"No, I'll meet them back on the ship." He said, perhaps with a tinge of fear. If I get back on the ship…
"The nearest exit is two miles due south from where you are. An emergency phone at an old construction site. I can have it ready by the time you're there."
"Right. Thanks." Neo said with relief, hanging up the phone and placing it back in his pocket. He set off at a run, heading back into the inner city and dodging clusters of bustling people, hurrying to return home, just as he was. Only in his case, the situation was much more dire.
Eventually growing exhausted of running, he slowed to a walk and paced along the streets aimlessly, trying to remember which direction pointed south. For someone who had trouble distinguishing his left from his right, this was not an easy task. Before too long, he found that he was completely lost, and was about to call Tank again when a distant object caught his eye.
A phone booth, no different to any other that he'd seen before, was positioned directly in the middle of the opposite street, surrounded by crowds of civilians. But there was something special about it…something different…a sensation he hadn't experienced before. He felt as if he could sense and unknown presence…as if he could feel someone; or something watching him…he could feel them…feel them within the essence of that very phone booth, and all at once he was overcome with a desire to go to it…
It was this force that drove him into the phone booth, and caused him to pick up the phone and speak into it without having to dial a number. He knew that they were listening. He knew that they would hear what he had to say. What was he meant to say? It didn't matter. It seemed as if he'd just uncovered a new ability he had as the One. He could sense the presence of the machines and their programs while inside the Matrix…he could feel them within him…driving him…controlling all that was around him. And he knew that this needed to stop. It was this same force that made his mouth move, and formed the words that he was to utter next.
"I know you're out there...I can feel you now. I know that you're afraid. You're afraid of us, you're afraid of change...I don't know the future...I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end, I came here to tell you how this is going to begin. Now, I'm going to hang up this phone, and I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to see. I'm going to show them a world without you...a world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries. A world...where anything is possible. Where we go from there...is a choice I leave to you..."
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A/N: Bit of a cliff-hanger…or at least that's what I wanted to achieve. Anyway, I hope I left you in suspense for the next chapter, because I doubt that it will be up for a while, due to schoolwork, social events and ect. But I hope to have it up as soon as possible.
Thanks for reading, please review!!