33

The following morning, when Neo woke and came to relieve Tank from the shift he was meant to take in the core, he found his companion gazing drearily at the screens. Leaning over his shoulder, he saw that Tosha was sound asleep in her bed. There was a fly buzzing around her head.

"I gotta tell you, that Tosha kid is weird." Tank remarked when he noticed Neo standing beside him. "When I was watching her last night, which was afternoon for her, she was hiding in a cupboard at the back of the classroom during a geography class. Her friends came up to talk to her by pretending they needed to sharpen their pencils. I mean, why didn't she just skip the class altogether? Did it for the thrill, I suppose…"

Neo was about to reply, but sudden movement on the Matrix screens caught the attention of both men. Tosha sat up in bed with a jolt, lifted her pillow and threw it across the room in aggravation, pointing at the fly and shouting the words 'Superior Being!'. At this, Neo burst into laughter, and when he explained what Tosha had said to Tank, he joined him.

"I've seen stranger." Neo told him quietly. "Last time I took a shift, she accused her teacher of being an 'unenlightened soul', and later, when she had to clean down some of the school desks, she suddenly threw a wet cloth across the room and called it an 'advanced mechanism'."

Tank laughed again, this time getting up from his seat at the same time and offering it to Neo. "Well, I'll leave you to it." He said. "When are you going in again?"

"After her school finishes, like we arranged yesterday." Neo answered promptly. "Then we'll take her to Morpheus."

(o)

It was a busy afternoon in suburbia. Almost everyone seemed to be out, either shopping for groceries, meeting with friends and family, or waiting to collect their children at the local school. Neo realized the instant Trinity pulled the car up in front of the school building that it was nowhere near as flash as Raven's high school had been. However, there seemed to be even more students attending for as soon as the school bell had rung, swarms of teenagers streamed out of the front doors, their clothes a mass of brilliant colour, standing out against the dull building behind them. It was easy for him to find Tosha in amongst the chaotic frenzy of shouting schoolchildren, clear and conspicuous as ever in her rainbow stripped socks hitched up to her knees, with her torn jeans tucked inside them and a hand-knitted beanie placed on top of her unkempt, mousy hair – completely in contrast with her fellow students.

He shuffled from one foot to the other impatiently, glancing over his shoulder at Trinity, who was waiting for him in the car, scouting the nearby area for any sign of Agents. He couldn't help but to wonder why the Agents had not yet discovered who their next target was to be. After all, they had been tracking Tosha for almost a week before they attempted to contact her in person (well, almost in person, anyway). They had followed the same basic procedure of unplugging, and usually by this stage the Agents already had a pretty good idea of who they were after, but there had been no sign of them thus far.

Perhaps, Neo pondered to himself as he waited for Tosha to bid her friends goodbye and meet him at the school gate, they've been too preoccupied with other things to worry about us recently. After all, they have to keep an eye on every ship's activities, and not just ours. But that can't be right. They've never slacked off on their job before. Maybe my run-in with them the other night with Roland's crew has caused them to back down…no, that can't be right either. Agents always seem to be so diligent in what they do. They would never back down. Never. It wasn't as if he were looking forward to facing them again anytime soon, but their absence unnerved him…it almost made him feel like they were planning something behind his back. He clenched his fists in irritation. Then where in the hell are they?

"Hello." Tosha smiled at him as she reached him, breaking through his train of thought. He couldn't help noticing the strange way she walked. It was, ironically, as if she were wondering through a dream, or had managed to reach her destination by accident.

"Hi," Neo attempted a friendly smile, then turned and beckoned her after him. "Follow me."

Trinity watched through the frigid glass of the car window as Neo led the teenage girl towards the car and held the back door open for her. What he had told her yesterday about feeling more relaxed and accustomed to his new way of life must have been true, for he appeared more confident than she had ever seen him before – even more so, than the day the two of them had rescued Morpheus from the government building in the city. She couldn't help but to feel proud of him.

As soon as everyone was seated comfortably in the car, she revved the engine, gripped the wheel and pulled out from the side of the street, weaving in with the flow of suburban traffic, being careful not to speed or to draw any attention to herself. Tosha leaned forward into the front seat, studying the way Trinity would carefully maneuver the car with expert ease.

"So, where are you taking me? I don't think anybody bothered to tell me." She questioned.

"A place where you can find answers to your questions." Trinity replied automatically, without even bothering to glance over her shoulder. She turned to face Neo instead. "Any sign of Agents?"

Immediately blinking the neon coding into place, Neo quickly scanned the area for the familiar pattern that meant Agents were in the area. He shook his head in confusion. "Nothing. It's strange…it's like they haven't even picked up on our trail yet."

"Are you sure?" She asked in perplexity. It was very unlike an Agent to keep track of what the ships were doing, especially if the One was working on board one of them.

"Hang on, what's an Agent?" Tosha asked ignorantly. "You're not talking about some sort of FBI or something, huh?"

"We can't tell you. Not yet, anyway." Neo replied professionally before Trinity even had the chance to open her mouth (not that she minded, in the least). Tosha gave him a sour look. "You know, I would if I could." He added hastily. "But I can't."

"It's ok. I know what it feels like to want to do something, but to be unable to." Tosha answered in false sympathy. "You see, I want to marry my dog, but I can't due to the boundaries set by the community. Perhaps together we can overcome the trends and expectations upheld by today's modern society."

"Right." Trinity replied sarcastically, glaring at the girl through the review mirror and raising an eyebrow incredulously. Neo spluttered, and fought to hold in an outburst of laughter. The absence of Agents was quickly forgotten.

There were a few houses on the outskirts of Tosha's district. These were old, rundown and completely abandoned by all except the homeless, seeking shelter on a darkening night. The overgrown yards were littered with trash and useless items, such as baby prams, broken televisions, old car parts and even a couch. Some community volunteers had obviously attempted to clear off the offensive graffiti scribed on the outer walls, but their efforts had been in vain. Through the broken windows, the dark interior of the house seemed to speak of a time and family long since forgotten. It was in one of these forlorn, dilapidated places, that Tosha would be introduced to Morpheus for the first time.

The house they had chosen was different to the rest, for it was larger than most of its neighbors, and much better kempt. It was a house Tosha knew well as it had been her hideout for years whenever she wanted to wag school. But somehow she knew this visit to the house would be different. There was something eerie, and rather strange about the place. It was enough to make her want to forget all about her many thousands of questions, and to simply turn and run once the car door had been opened for her.

"This is it, Tosha." Trinity told her once they'd reached the front door. "Morpheus is waiting for you inside."

"Morpheus?" Tosha gaped. "As in the Morpheus?"

Trinity nodded plainly as she always did when she mentioned the name of her captain to someone for the first time. She waited for an outburst of excitement that didn't come.

"Cool." Tosha replied simply, in a voice that conveyed no greater emotion than that of acceptance and mild interest. Trinity was utterly taken aback, having expected much more of a reaction than that. Tosha was definitely like no one she had ever met before.

As soon as she had disappeared inside the building, Trinity took her phone from her pocket and dialed Morpheus' number.

"We're sending her up to you." She said the instant he answered the call. "She should be arriving any minute soon."

"Good job." Morpheus replied respectfully. "I expect you had no trouble on the way?"

"No. None at all."

"Strange…very strange. All right, then. I'll call you again if I should need assistance."

"What did he say?" Neo asked her once she hung up.

"That we're to wait here until they're done."

At these words, Neo sighed heavily and sat himself down on the front stoop. Presently, and after brief hesitation, Trinity joined him. It was a warmer day than it had been the last time they had jacked in, and the atmosphere was pleasant, with the exception of the bleak, surrounding houses. Some moments past in comfortable silence before either of them thought of anything to say.

"Have you spoken to Morpheus about Tosha yet?" Neo eventually asked. His words were distant, though she knew exactly what he meant.

"I haven't had the time." She answered truthfully, gazing at the ground in deep thought. "I took a shift in the core early this morning, and last night, you know I was…well…busy." She looked at him directly, only to see that he was grinning malevolently. She smiled.

"By the way," She continued after some time had elapsed. "I saw something of interest this morning when I was taking my shift."

"What?"

"Well," She began slowly. "It seems that both Hope and Faith have decided to board a plane to go and pay a visit to my mother."

"Really?" Neo remarked, suddenly taking great interest in the conversation.

Trinity nodded. "Hope's plane will arrive about three hours ahead of Faith's. Should be an interesting family reunion since neither of them know the other is coming. What I can't understand is what possessed them to do such a thing. I mean, after all these years…well, I can understand Hope. From what I've seen, he seems to have been thinking of the past quite a lot recently. He's left his family to go and pay her a visit. But Faith? What convinced her to do something like that?"

"Well…err, Trin? I have a bit of a confession to make." Neo mumbled guiltily, staring down at the pavement. "The night I went to get you that photograph, I ran into your sister. I didn't mean to." He added quickly. "But she just turned up out of the blue."

"Oh God. You didn't tell her anything about the Matrix, did you?"

"No way. I'm not that thick." He chanced a small smile. "I only told her what I needed to. Otherwise she would have called the cops on me."

"What did you say, Neo?" She demanded.

"All I said was that you were still alive, but you couldn't see her unless she attempted to free her mind. I suggested that maybe she should go and see your mother…just to tell her that you're okay and everything. I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to interfere. It's not my business. But I just thought that, you know, it would mean a lot to your mother. And perhaps even to you."

Trinity couldn't help but to be emotionally touched by his words. She could hardly believe that anyone cared enough about her to worry themselves with the lives of her family members. That knowledge alone was overwhelming, even without the emotions that accompanied it. Finding herself left speechless, she cast him a reassuring smile, and watched the tension leave his shoulders as he relaxed. It was at that moment that the door to the house opened, and an clearly deeply disgruntled, yet also calmly faced Morpheus emerged from the darkness within. Both Trinity and Neo stood to attention immediately.

"Do you need our assistance?" Trinity asked him with a tone of formality.

Morpheus shook his head. The worn smile on his face was unusual. Neo knew at once that something was wrong. "We're finished with her. Tosha's taken the blue pill."

Behind the dark lenses of his sunglasses, Neo was blinking in shock. He gazed, open-mouthed at his captain, unsure if he had heard him correctly. Tosha had chosen the blue pill? But why? What had happened to ever make her do such a thing? Had they done something wrong?

"No, Morpheus." Trinity shook her head in denial. Never before, in all her wildest dreams, had she expected this to happen. "That's not possible."

"Of course it is possible." Morpheus replied sharply. "Why do you think we give people the option in the first place? Just for a bit of fun? Everything begins with choice, remember?"

"Yes, but…" She trailed away, completely at a loss for words. "…Morpheus, this has never happened before."

"Not to our crew. We have been fortunate. Though it does happen to others, sometimes even quite frequently. To unplug someone, you need to be certain that this person does not only have skills that can be useful to the resistance, and a curious mind, but also that they both willing and capable of accepting the truth. You have to be sure that they will chose to accept the real world. Choosing either the blue or red pill is the last test. In choosing the red pill, that person is telling us that they are ready to give everything to know the truth, and that they are mentally capable of doing so. So far, it seems, I have been lucky to have a good taste in judgment of who can do this, and who cannot. I have only made two mistakes with this before in my lifetime. The first was unplugging Cypher. Unfortunately, this is to be the second. People who chose the blue pill are often those who, although they may be curious, highly intelligent, talented individuals, are content within their current life, simulation or not. These people are quite happy to continue living as they are now, even if it means never learning the truth. It usually works out that these people wouldn't be able to handle the truth anyway, which was the case for Tosha O'Dea."

"Where is she now?" Asked Trinity, peering over Morpheus' shoulder to see if she could catch a glimpse of the girl inside.

"I offered her a lift, but she protested and said she'd rather make her own way home."

For this, all three crewmembers were secretly grateful. A long and silent car trip with Tosha would make the situation even more awkward and embarrassing for everyone involved. But even without Tosha's presence, the trip still seemed endless. Morpheus took charge of the wheel, while informing Tank of all that had happened over the phone, while Neo and Trinity sat together in the back seat and stared out of their separate windows, lost within their own thoughts.

Neo couldn't believe that this had happened, and was still recovering from the shock of hearing the unexpected news. From all that Morpheus had said, he could understand why Tosha had not chosen to take the blue pill, but he still couldn't help feeling utterly humiliated by the whole ordeal. He didn't understand why, since it was Morpheus who had made the mistake of perusing Tosha, and not he. He supposed he was sympathetically relating to the emotions of his captain. What a waste of time, he thought bitterly to himself, I can't believe that we spent so long trailing after her, only to have her turn around and say she wasn't going to accept the truth anyway. We could have used that time to focus on something more important. Hell, I could have used it to think about how the hell I'm going to end this war! I'm the One. I should have noticed something…I should have been able to tell somehow. He shook his head dismally and tried to focus on the more positive side of things. At least I can say that I've learnt a lot from this experience, and I guess we can be thankful that no one was injured or hurt in the process of doing this. Otherwise I would have really been angry. I don't think I've ever been this frustrated before in my entire life.

Trinity, meanwhile, was not having such a hard time accepting this new revolution. After all, she had sensed something different in Tosha from the beginning. Now I finally understand why I always thought there was something strange about her. I've dealt with enough people to know that she wouldn't want to leave the Matrix. She always seemed so happy and content with her way of life, and she was far too light-hearted to accept the truth, even if she did take the red pill. In a way, I guess things worked out for the better, even if we did waste a great deal of time. Only, I should have listened to Neo and made time to speak with Morpheus about the issue in the first place to save him the embarrassment of failure. She shot a glance at Neo, who was gazing out of the window at the passing streets as if he were in a trance, his eyes clouded with deep thought. I guess this isn't the best time to say 'I told you so'.

After what felt like an eternity, the car swerved to a stop across the road from the payphone that was to take them back to the ship. Morpheus hung up his phone and hurriedly placed it back in his pocket, getting out of the car without so much as a word to either of his crewmembers. After glancing at one another briefly, Neo and Trinity followed him across the street and to the now ringing payphone.

"You first this time, Neo." Morpheus gestured in the direction of the booth. "We'll follow."

With a nod of his head, Neo reached for the door of the small cubicle and was about to wrench it open when he realized that the metal was not cold against his hand, but warm and moist, like he was clutching hands with someone who was sweating. Then, without warning, the booth began to vibrate until it shook rapidly in its place. Neo drew back his hand and stumbled backwards in surprise. The phone booth was now rattling violently, and catching the attention of the few bystanders, who happened to be passing through the area at the time. The people gazed in awe as the box changed in colour, so that the entire structure looked as if it was made up entirely of neon green, falling Chinese characters. Each of them was instantly reminded of falling rain. Gradually, the phone booth began to change its shape, until it was no longer recognizable as the object it had first been. Instead, it formed the vague outline of a man. Eventually, the characters faded away into nothingness and were replaced with colour. The people gasped in bewilderment – now, standing right before them, was a phone booth that had somehow evolved into a human being!

Neo eyed the Agent in front of him with interest. He was a very short, yet well-built man, who looked as though he were much younger than his fellows. Unlike other Agents, he wore black instead of brown, and the suit clung to his body tightly, contrasting with the flaxen, paper white colour of his skin. His hair was bleached and curled, cut to perfection on the top of his head, his eyes hidden by a pair of traditional dark glasses. He smirked to himself. So this was Senesis in his true form.

"Well, look who's decided to come back from the dead." Senesis grinned as if he was thoroughly enjoying himself. When he wasn't mimicking someone else, Neo discovered, his voice sounded remarkably like Smith's used to be. "And for the second time."

"Guess I'm just a lucky guy." Neo shrugged.

"Indeed. But unfortunately for you, it seems your luck has finally run out. For you see, I have every intention of killing you again, if that's what it takes to get you out of the way. And believe me, I have the power to do it."

"Don't think I don't know all about you, Senesis." Neo replied boldly, although he certainly didn't feel it. He had come up against Senesis before, and knew just how powerful he could be. The problem was that he did not exactly what the expect. Senesis could not only change his physical appearance, but he could also change his technique. "The Oracle has told me everything."

"Ah yes, the fortune teller." Senesis chuckled. "If it wasn't for you, I'd say she's the most annoying individual I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. Remind me to get rid of her once I'm done with you. Oh wait," He added sarcastically. "you won't be able to. You'll already be dead."

"So they've built you with a sense of humor." Neo smirked. "Interesting."

"Just one of my many talents and perfections." Senesis said menacingly. "You haven't seen anything yet."

And with that, he transformed yet again, only this time, no replacement object was to be seen. Figuring he must have turned himself into something so small that it was almost invisible to the human eye, he blinked the coding into place and scanned the ground for any sign of movement. The anxious murmurings of the surrounding bystanders broke through his concentration, distracting him enough to make him miss seeing a tiny centipede crawl past him across the pavement.

"Neo! Behind you!" Trinity shouted as the code began to gather again from the ground. But by this stage it was already too late. Senesis's transformations were not always a slow process, and by the time Neo whirled around to face his opponent, the Agent was already waiting for him. His fist landed squarely on Neo's jaw, sending a surge of pain shooting first into his mouth, and then throughout his entire body. He could taste blood, thick and salty in his mouth, and spat it out onto the ground. The bystanders reeled in disgust. Someone screamed.

Laughing, as if it was his own, personal joke, Senesis tilted his neck to one side so that all could hear the sounds of his bones cracking in anticipation. Neo backed away, unsure of what to do, and only hoping that an idea would occur to him soon.

"Run, Neo!" He heard Morpheus shout. "Run! Run! Run!"

Obediently, Neo turned and pushed his way through the gathering people, bolting down the street in a clumsy, undirected fashion, not turning to look behind him to check of his enemy was at his heels. He kept his eyes focused on what lay ahead of him, and listened to the sounds of his rapid breathing…his beating heart…

(o)

Once both Senesis and Neo had gone, Morpheus reached for his phone.

"Tank!" He bellowed. "Get us out of here immediately."

"What about Neo?" Trinity asked anxiously, but her captain merely held up his hand to silence her for the time being. She waited until he had hung up before she voiced her question again.

"He'll be fine, don't worry. I have faith in him. We need to take care of ourselves for now."

Trinity firmly shook her head. She could not stand aside and watch him fight alone. She had already been forced to do just that when he had come up against Smith. This time she wanted to be with him.

"Trinity, you can't go with him. Believe me, you'll only get in his way. If he's worrying about you or anyone else then he won't be able to focus. That is why I told him to run."

"No." She argued. "I can't just stand around and watch him fight. I won't."

And without another word, she turned and ran in the same direction he had gone in, pushing her way through the crowd. She could hear Morpheus shouting to her…could hear him calling her back. She kept running, blocking his words from her mind. It wasn't until she reached the next block that she realized this was the first time she had ever disobeyed a direct order from her captain.

(o)

"You can't run from me forever, Neo!" Called a chilling voice coming from a source he could not see.

Nevertheless, he kept moving, concentrating on what lay directly ahead of him, and imaging an exit waited for him in the next street. He was panting, sweat was breaking out on his forehead, and his limbs were numb with exhaustion. Not once did he stop, not even to gain enough time to fly, because he knew that the moment he did, Senesis would see it as his chance.

"It's pointless, Neo!" Shouted the voice as he rounded the corner into the next street. "You know I'll always be just one step ahead of you."

As if to confirm this, Senesis appeared right before him, a wide smirk stretched right across his face. It was the last thing he remembered seeing before feeling a fist, with the strength of all the steel in Zion, plunge itself into his stomach. He could feel vomit rising up in his throat, but hurriedly chocked it back, staggering backwards before lunging towards his foe with an uncoordinated punch. By this stage it was already too late, and Senesis had disappeared yet again. All that was left was the sound of his ringing laughter.

Stumbling forward lamely, his vision blurred and hazy, Neo sprinted onward, clutching a hand to his stomach. He couldn't understand it. Why didn't Senesis finish him now? Why hadn't he bothered to strike again after the first punch? What thoughts were running through his vile, twisted mind? It made him sick just to think about it. Without being able to stop himself, he lurched forward and vomited all over the pavement.

(o)

The sun was setting over suburbia so that the rooftops of the large houses were tinged with a pinkish hue. Most of the streets were now empty, save several children, who were still pedaling about on bikes. Senesis looked upon the scene with disgust. These humans truly were pathetic, their minds as weak as the flesh in which they were imprisoned in. He spat on the road with pure repulsion.

Neo – mankind's savior and protector – was now running from him with terror. What joy it was, to know that one was close to finally achieving their main purpose. To have the One himself reduced to such a sorry state that he had been sick in this very street, was more than what his predecessor could have ever hoped to achieve. He looked upon it as his greatest accomplishment. He knew full well that he could kill Neo at any time he wanted now, with next to little effort. But where was the fun in that? He almost felt appalled to admit it, but Neo was the single, greatest challenge he would ever face. Why not enjoy the moment while it lasted? But still, he was wise enough to realize that right now, he had Neo just where he wanted him. He didn't want to make the mistake of having too much of a good time, and then allowing his enemy time to recover. No, it was best to finish it now.

He was about to set off again when he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. It was her. Trinity. Neo's weakness. He chuckled slowly to himself, pulling his glasses further down his nose so he could get a better look at her. Yes…this would turn out to be much more interesting than he had ever thought it could be.

(o)

Neo may have been the One, but he still remained invariably human. And no human could stand running such a distance in such a short amount of time, without even breaking to regain their breath. Eventually, he could take it no longer, and collapsed onto the pavement, gasping for air that didn't really exist. He couldn't remember a time in which his body had felt this weak and vulnerable before in his entire life. His mouth tasted of his own blood and vomit, and his stomach ached like something uncontrollable. His legs were so numb that he couldn't even feel them anymore, but he knew that when the feeling came back into them, they would be sorer than all the pain he already felt put together. And this pain would only be doubled when he returned to the real world. If he ever did return to the real world.

He took off his sunglasses and wiped the sweat away from his forehead with his left sleeve. He knew that Senesis was somewhere nearby – he could feel it in the cold evening air. But he didn't have the energy to try and fly away from him. He didn't think he even had the energy to stand up. At least, that was what he though until he saw that Senesis was not alone. When he finally rounded the corner into the next street, Neo was on his feet in a matter of seconds. All of his pain was forgotten the instant he saw Trinity struggling in Senesis's binding arms, with Senesis himself holding a gun to her temple.

"Hello, Neo." He smiled, and it was even more unnerving than when he smirked. "We just seem to keep running into each other, don't we?"

"Let her go." Neo grunted through clenched teeth.

Senesis howled with laughter. "I just thought I'd make things a little more interesting. What? Don't you find this all so exciting?"

"Let her go." He repeated, only much louder than before. White anger seared through his veins, and he clenched his hands into fists. What part did Trinity have to play in this? She wasn't the One…she was no threat to him…why, then, would he see fit to kill her? Probably for the sheer thrill of it, he thought to himself, And that thought is just so revolting that I think I'm going to be sick again.

"Your face is turning green." Senesis commented. "Hmm…this should be interesting. I wonder what he'd rather do? Watch her die, or die himself?"

Neo gazed at him blankly, for he did not understand. What did he mean by 'watch her die, or dir yourself'? It didn't matter. Either way, they were both going to die unless he found the courage to do something…anything. If only he could find the strength…

Trinity watched on anxiously from her captive's firm grasp. Go, Neo, She pleaded inside her mind, hoping that somehow he would hear her, just go. Fly away, and let him kill me. You're more important to the resistance. They need you, Neo! Go!

In amongst his confused and mingled thoughts, he caught sight of Trinity. Her usually cold, hardened blue eyes were now swelling with emotions…anxiety…fear…love. But still, they were strong, filled with strength immeasurable in any way…filled with power unequal and more profound than any other. He had found his strength. He could feel it building up inside of him…merging with all the rage and frustration he had felt during the course of the day.

"I said let her go!" He shouted, and before he knew what he was doing, he lunged forward and landed a punch right in Senesis's stomach, just where he had hit him before.

Behind the Agent's sunglasses, his eyes were wide with surprise. Where had the energy come from? Why was he no longer sick and exhausted? What were these futile human emotions he could see lurking in his opponent's eyes? He had been wrong to toy with these emotions, he could see that now. Why, oh why, had he allowed himself to become so absorbed in his own arrogance?

Neo wasted no time. As soon as Senesis has loosened his hold on Trinity, he snatched hold of her wrist and set off at a run again, focusing on pushing away the laws of the Matrix at the same time. Before he knew it, they were soaring vertically into the sky, with her held safely in his arms. The wind tousling his hair and breezing through his fingers was enough to make him want to laugh. They had escaped…they had really escaped!

It was then that he realized his phone was ringing. Trinity retrieved it from his pocket and held it to her ear as he continued to fly aimlessly above the clouds.

"It's about time you answered." Tank breathed with relief. "I've been trying to contact you both for ages but no one was answering their phone."

"Well, we were a little preoccupied." Trinity replied defensively.

"I haven't noticed." Said Tank sarcastically. "But I needed to get a hold of you as soon as possible. We're two minutes away from another sentinel attack and there nearest exit to you both is miles away."

"Shit!" Trinity muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Tank and Neo to hear. "Tell us how to get there and we'll see if we can make it."

"It doesn't look hopeful, but Morpheus and I can hold them off until you get back."

"Alright. I'll tell Neo."

"Hurry, Sis."

Trinity hung up and placed the phone back into Neo's pocket, understanding that there was no time to dwell on Tank's strange manner of addressing her.

"What is it?" Neo asked worriedly.

"Another sentinel attack in less than two minutes. We need to get to the nearest exit. Fast!"

She gave him the directions, and soon he was speeding through the clouds, as fast as his body would allow him to. But he knew he wasn't moving fast enough. At this rate, they wouldn't reach the exit in time. He tried to focus all his energy into his body, urging it forwards almost desperately. However, he was already feeling exhausted and weak after his battle with Senesis, which made it difficult to find the strength to push on. When they eventually came to the place in which Tank had described, he hurtled down towards the ground, landing on the pavement with a heavy thud and setting Trinity gently down beside him. Together, they sprinted towards the ringing payphone, Trinity reaching it first and pressing it against her ear. Neo watched as her RSI dissolved into nothingness before following suit when the phone began to ring again.

(o)

When he opened his eyes to the core, the first thing he saw was Trinity standing above him, a pained expression in her eyes. Though she remained firm and in control, he could tell that something troubled her. He could hear the sounds of sentinels screeching in the distance.

"Now, Morpheus! Now!" She shouted, at the same time pulling the needle out from the back of his head. A blinding white light seeped into every level of the ship. Neo snapped his eyes shut and felt for Trinity's hand, finding it and squeezing it tightly until the light had faded away. Once the EMP blast had evaporated, leaving five dead sentinels in its wake, Neo sat up slowly, now feeling the full impact of the pain left on him after his battle with Senesis. He gazed around him at the mess the sentinels had left behind them – cords and wires pulled out of their sockets after having only been repaired for a few months. But what caught his full attention was the consol, where Tank was sitting, his head bent forwards and resting on the keyboard so that his face was hidden from view.

He wasn't moving.

(o)

Hope you liked the last two chapters. Request and suggestions are welcome.

Thanks for reading, please review!