The Kimmatrix: Matrix Resurrections
A Fan Fiction Fusion by
Classic Cowboy and Turles
Chapter 5: Neo Zion
"There's
no place like home. There's no place like home."
- Judy Garland (Wizard of Oz)
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"Zion Control, this is Nebuchadnezzar II on approach to the city." Niobe spoke into her headset while strapped into the co-pilot seat, "Requesting permission to enter gate 3."
The Neb II hovered through a large passageway littered with all manner of clutter beneath it like some kind of ancient junkyard wasting away from the ravages of time. While ahead of the hovership was a great and intricate doorway that looked like something one would see in a church; enormously tall, thin (wide enough only for a ship), and split down the center. While at the sides of the doors were twin cannons that whirred about and set their sights upon the approaching hovercraft.
It was always a tense moment to come to the doors of Zion, mainly because there was always the paranoia that the machines would follow any hovercraft. After all, the machines had already managed to break into Zion once; who's to say that it couldn't happen again?
On the bridge of the Neb II, Kim handled the controls while Niobe sat back and studied Kim's technique.
"Nebuchadnezzar II, this is Zion Control," A kindly woman's voice responded over the radio, "Stand by while the gates open…"
Kim watched as the towering gates of Zion sent out dust and dirt to the littered floor below as they began to inch their way open. As she watched, it dawned upon her how all of it was possible, how a world so bleak, used up, and burnt out could still be livable. How could people find the will to build such things like those gates and these hoverships? Kim smiled because she knew there was always something within the human spirit that continues, or chooses to continue on.
With the gates of Zion opened, Kim saw a very odd looking robot standing at the gate with an exposed human pilot sitting in its chest. The robot had its gun-mounted arms trained on the garbage-covered tunnel outside. Seeing the ship approach, the robot's pilot brought down an arm, which was mimicked by the robot. Though the robot itself was dwarfed by the sheer size of the gates, it looked to be at least a couple of stories tall.
"Nebuchadnezzar II," the voice over the radio called again, "you are cleared through Gate 3 to landing pad B."
"Roger that, Control," Niobe responded, "Nebuchadnezzar II coming in."
Niobe looked over at Kim, who looked very nervous as she gently eased the controls forward. With that, the Neb II passed through the gateway and over the head of the odd robot with its exposed human pilot. As it passed through, Kim saw the landing bay of Zion. It was a place filled with ships like the Neb II. All of them were stationary; like cars in a parking garage.
The Neb was coming closer while the voice over the radio made its welcome.
"Door's open, bed's made. Welcome home."
"No place like it." Niobe smiled before turning to the very nervous Kim, "Want me to take over, Kimmie?"
Kim looked over at Niobe and nodded without any hesitation, "Maybe you should." She said as Niobe took hold of the controls, "I crashed two out of three times in the Construct." Kim added nervously.
"Like drivers education, huh?" Niobe asked gently, making a slight joke.
Kim looked at Niobe with a much narrowed look, "Please don't remind me."
"That bad?"
"…the worst…"
Niobe smiled at her unofficial protégé, "Alright, but watch what I do, ok?"
Kim nodded as she looked out the windows at the parking garage of different ships within Zion. Even though Niobe told her to watch what she did, Kim couldn't help thinking about Ron; how there was something in his eyes. He seemed… frightened, not the typical Ron kind of fear evoked by Camp Wannaweep, or, as Ron called it: the place of evil. The fear that Kim saw seemed more genuine, as if Ron knew about dangers that were truly real and not the proverbial monsters in the closet.
As the Neb II circled the inner walls of the docking bay to its landing point, it could be seen how much damage had been done from the last invasion of the machines into Zion. The cracks in the dome-like concrete walls where the machines entered were closed off, hacked together and poorly welded with scraps of metal that the scavengers of Zion had found. Then there were the buildings that sat in the center of each circle of parked ships. All of the buildings looked as though they were breaking down, but still had enough life in them to keep going like plants striving to stay alive in the dead of winter. The machines, like the gear system used to open the gates, were still working even though they were in desperate need of new parts, among other things. All of the worn out machines and broken down places reaffirmed Kim's feeling that there was something human about all of it, the human refusal to lie down and die, to keep going in spite of the adversities that were all around.
Kim thought about that as the Neb II touched down at the platform with the letter B in faded paint on the concrete pad supporting the immense hovership.
"Welcome to Zion, Kimmie." Niobe smiled as she unbuckled herself from the co-pilot's chair. She stood up and stretched a bit before she reached over to the other side of her seat to pick up a small bag.
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Morpheus, Ghost, Link, and Ron were waiting at the bay doors when Niobe and Kim met up with them. It was the first time that they had seen each other since Ron's fight with Monkey Fist. At first, Kim was wondering if she would still see that same look of fear in his eyes. Yet, she felt relaxed when she saw that same "Ron-ness" as he stood at the bay doors, struggling to stand straight under the weight of carrying his own, as well as Morpheus' and Ghost's bags. When Kim and Niobe met up with them and the bay doors opened, the air permeated by the smell of stale oil from the gears of the machines, ozone caused by the sparks of electricity, and the sweat of hundreds of people swept over the crew of the Neb II.
"Thank God we're home." Niobe smiled and she flung her bag over her shoulder.
Kim couldn't help letting her bag to drop to her side when she saw the docking bay of Zion with her own eyes. It was incredible to say the least. The entire docking bay was almost like an enormous garage, at least that's what Kim had likened it to, and not all the different military installations she had been to. She saw the rest of the Neb's crew move forward and she was about to bend down to pick up her bag up when Ron came down and grabbed its strap.
"Don't worry KP, I got it." He said as he tried to lift it onto his shoulders while bearing the weight of all the other bags. Ultimately Ron couldn't stand up and so Kim shook her head and smiled.
"I'll take some Ron," Kim said as she took a few straps off of Ron's shoulders, "After all, you can't shoulder everything yourself."
"I should be saying that to you, KP."
"What'd you mean, Ron?" Kim asked as she threw the bags over her shoulders.
"You two comin' or what?" Link asked Ron and Kim.
"We're coming." Ron said as he redistributed the weight of the bags and came down the gangplank to the floor of Neo Zion's docking bay.
"Since you two are new here," Morpheus began, "I should tell you something about this place. Think of all of it as three pillars built into the ground." Morpheus said as he tried to illustrate his explanation with his hands, "We are in the first pillar. This was Zion until it was heavily damaged on, what has come to be called, The Day of Reckoning. Afterwards, it became known as Old Zion. We left it mostly alone in honor of those who fell in that final battle. We now only use it as a port and power supply. Later, we began construction on the other two pillars; the one to the left of Old Zion is Trin Zion where the hospitals, schools, and the access cable to the Matrix is. There's also Neo Zion, which is to the right of Old Zion, that's where the living area, temple, and council hall is located. Since this whole place has been rebuilt, it's been called by the same name as the Western pillar: Neo Zion."
As Morpheus finished his explanation on the construction and locations of the places within Neo Zion, the crew of the Neb II heard a voice calling out to them. It was a voice that Kim and Ron knew but hadn't heard in a very, very long time.
"Morpheus!" The voice spoke up. It was loud and gruff as it spoke the next sentence, "I was afraid you wouldn't make it for the celebration!"
"Mister Barkin?" Kim asked herself, thinking back to Middleton High; the last that Kim had ever heard of Mister Barkin was that he was being transferred to another school. At least that's what the word around the campfire was; others said that he simply quit and rejoined the army. It seemed as the pieces began to fit together, Mister Barkin did indeed rejoin the army, but not quite the one that everyone was thinking of.
"That's Captain 'Kid' Barkin, Kimberly." Morpheus leaned over and corrected Kim.
Kim looked out into the crowd and saw Captain Barkin come out to meet the Neb II crew; he didn't look that much different than when he was inside the Matrix. Still the same crew-cut hair that was always given out in basic training. He was still large and brawny just like at Middleton High; the only difference was his clothes: all old, oil-stained, and devoid of any color.
"Captain Barkin." Morpheus smiled as he reached out to shake the burly Captain's hand, "I've heard good things of you and your ship. The Mad Dog, is it, old friend?"
"Yes." Barkin said, smiling and completely ignoring Kim and Ron, "And word around here is that you've found him. So where is he, does he remember me or who he was? Hell, just where is he?"
"Here he is." Morpheus smiled as he backed up onto the gangplank and stood next to Ron. With a confident smile, he laid his hand upon Ron's shoulder.
Barkin looked up at Morpheus, then back at Ron, and then back at Morpheus with a little chuckle in his voice, "Morpheus, you suck at telling jokes, now where's Neo?"
"It is official by the Oracle." Niobe stepped into the conversation, "Ron is The One."
Barkin came further up the gangplank and looked Ron over. Even though they were out into the real world, Ron still felt small compared to the enormous size and bulkiness of Captain Barkin. Yet, Ron saw a different look in Barkin's eyes; it was as if he was searching for something on his person, at least for the moment.
"Ha!" Barkin laughed and gave Ron a good hard slap on Ron's back, "Well, I'll be damned. Finally got out of your little girlfriend's shadow, did ya Stoppable? Ha! I still can't believe that this was the guy who saved me."
When Captain Barkin said that last sentence, it triggered another sense of déjà vu. Ron looked up at the burly captain with a confidence that Barkin had never seen before in Ron's eyes, at least not in all the times that he was at Middleton High.
"I didn't save you, kid." Ron said in that voice that didn't seem like his, but Kim noticed that it wasn't sinister or evil like during his fight with Monkey Fist; it was gentle and soothing. "You saved yourself."
When Ron said that to Barkin, the captain's eyes widened as he squatted down to get an even better look at Ron; he looked at him a little more closely than before, searching harder. He recognized the strength and selflessness that he had seen another's eyes only sixteen years ago.
"My…God…" Barkin uttered with a pale complexion, "You are him."
"Is it true, Captain Barkin?" Another voice called out in the direction of the Neb II crew, Kim and Ron knew that voice all too well. They looked and confirmed that the voice belonged to none other than Bonnie Rockwaller, and just like Barkin, she didn't look that much different than when she was in the Matrix, same hair and same hateful look in her eyes. She came up the gangplank and met up with Barkin, "Is Stoppable, the Ron Stoppable, really the One?"
Bonnie and Kim did lock eyes for a moment, but then Bonnie broke contact and looked towards Ron. It was a look that Kim knew; it was the very same look that she, herself, had when she saw Josh Mankey. She looked between Bonnie and Ron and had a small flashback to when Ron got a huge check for Naco Royalties from Bueno Nacho. He went cash crazy, and Bonnie, certainly, was no help in stopping him, especially when he bought a ridiculously huge, pink diamond ring. Seeing that look on Bonnie's face toward Ron had already sent her suspicions through the roof, but there was one thing that Kim had to know.
"Bonnie?" Kim asked, "You're here too? I thought that you transferred."
"That's what we wanted everyone to think." Another man's voice called out and up the gangplank of the Neb II came Brick Flagg, just like Bonnie and Barkin before, Brick hadn't changed a bit, except for his clothes and all the plugs in his body, which was probably what Barkin and Bonnie had as well.
"He's right, Possible." Barkin added as Brick approached, "We wanted everyone to think that we just transferred or moved away so no one would get suspicious and file missing person reports."
"Yeah, what he said." Brick agreed.
"Oh, and by the way Kim." Bonnie said as she came to Ron's side, "Out here we're not exactly called by our real names. I'm called Tres, nice ring, don't you think?"
"I'm called The Kid," Barkin added, "have been ever since I was freed."
"And they call me…Tater Salad." Brick smiled.
"Tater Salad?" Kim asked very surprised about the name that Brick had chosen for himself, as compared to the others that she knew. There was Morpheus, Niobe, Link, and Ghost, and Tater Salad?
"That's right." Brick smiled with pride, but then he turned to Ron and looked at him like an eager fan meeting their favorite sports player, music or movie star, "So man, can you really stop bullets and fly like Superman? I've only been out for a year and you wouldn't believe the stories I've heard about the One. He's like…the man around here."
"I'm not surprised at all; only someone as great as Ron could be the One." Bonnie said as she took Ron's arm and leaned her head against his shoulder in a way that made Kim's blood boil for some reason that she couldn't rationalize, only that she felt that it was 'sick and wrong', as Ron would say. Bonnie turned to Ron as she hung on his arm and said in almost the same tone that Kim used for her puppy dog pout, "I've been with Barkin on the Mad Dog for three months now. I've really missed you, Ronnie."
"Ronnie!" Kim shouted out in her mind as she felt her blood beginning to boil over throughout her systems. It wasn't just internal, either. It could be seen on her face and in her body language that she was ready to pounce on Bonnie and start an all-out cat fight. Her teeth were bared and grinding, and her eyes were narrowed into a gaze that made some members of the Neb II crew fearful.
"Ghost." Morpheus leaned over to his crewmember, signaling to him to try to restrain Kim before the situation turned into something that could get the two of them thrown into the stockade. Ghost acknowledged, went over to Kim, and tried to restrain her in the most discreet way possible.
"Where's the rest of your crew?" Morpheus asked of Captain Barkin, "I think Kazaa and Napster would be useful right about now."
"They're already in Neo Zion setting up their apartment." Captain Barkin reported, "And Sparks is doing a once over on the Dog, but they should be getting back here in a few minutes."
"Who are Napster and Kazaa?" Ron asked, hoping that someone would answer his question, but no one did.
Barkin, on the other hand, had turned and was about to head down the gangplank back to his ship when he saw the far doors open and the two people coming towards him.
"Ah! Speak of the Devils." Barkin smiled, "Here they come now."
Kim and Ron looked up and couldn't believe their own eyes when they saw who these Napster and Kazaa people were. Not even Kim, she dropped her bags and reached up to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't just hallucinating from all the events that had taken place around her. She reopened her eyes and saw that she wasn't hallucinating, that it was all real, even more so when the two people approaching her called out:
"Kimmie-cub!"
Kim sprinted down the gangplank and out over the landing platform as if her life depended upon it, but at the same time there was no fear. There was only the sheer, absolute joy of seeing her mother and father coming up to meet her. It was just the thing that she needed to forget about the situation that was starting to develop between Ron and Bonnie.
"Mom! Dad!" Kim cried out with just a shimmer of a tear in her eye as she ran into the arms of both her mother and father. With her arms around her parents, Kim didn't want to let go, just to stay there in their arms like she did on that first day of Preschool when she met Ron for the very first time.
For both Mister and Misses Possible, it was the greatest blessing that they had seen in such a long time. Their own daughter out of the Matrix and in one piece, it was so much that they both ran their hands over the red shadow of stubble on Kim's head from her forehead all the way back to the plug at the back of her head.
"You got out early, Kimmie." Kim's mother breathed as she ran her hand over and over again over Kim's stubble covered scalp.
Kim looked up at both her mother and father. She noticed something about them that she missed in her euphoria of seeing them again. Both Mister and Misses Possible had their hair grown out fully just like they always had while they were inside the Matrix, just like Brick, Bonnie, and Barkin.
"I thought…" Kim stuttered, not even making sense to herself, "How did…you're here?" Yet, the joy was so great to see her parents that she didn't even care about that anymore.
"We were freed when you were around three." Misses Possible explained as she held her daughter close to her, "The reconstruction of Neo Zion needed scientists, doctors, and surgeons with actual experience and not just programming from the construct."
When the joy passed over, Kim looked up at her mother and father, "They were calling you two Napster and Kazaa, which one is which?" She asked.
"Oh, that." Mister Possible smiled in his usual, carefree manner, "They call me Napster and your mother is known as Kazaa."
"Now young lady." Napster (Mister Possible) said to his daughter in that lecturing tone that all fathers possess, "We need to have a talk about what you are wearing into the Matrix. Just because you're on Morpheus' ship doesn't mean you have to keep the dress code tradition."
Kim looked at them both oddly, "How do you know what I'm wearing into the Matrix?"
Napster and Kazaa paused and looked at their daughter.
"You know that fight you had with Monkey Fist at the U.N. building?" Kazaa (Misses Possible) asked, "Well, we were among the many diplomats there."
"You saw everything?" Kim asked.
"Now, Kimmie." Napster said in his fatherly tone, "You know that I don't approve of violence, but under the circumstances, I think we can make an exception."
"We're so glad to see you free and here, baby." Kazaa smiled and then looked up to the gangplank of the Neb II and the crew of that ship, "You couldn't be in better hands."
"Now, we've got some more work to do in Trin Zion, Kimmie." Napster said as he handed Kim a small packet, "Here's the address and keys to the apartment for you and Ron. We hope we have it to your liking."
Kazaa leaned over and kissed her daughter on the cheek, "It's so good to see you out, baby, and don't worry about your hair; it'll grow back before you know it."
Kim placed one free hand on her stubble-covered head, "Thanks mom." She said with a slight smile, hoping that it would grow back soon. She then looked back to the approaching crews of both the Mad Dog and the Neb II. She didn't so much concentrate on any other members except Bonnie and Ron. It was the way that Bonnie held onto Ron's arm and had her head against his shoulder that just burned through her so much that she thought she was going to have a stroke or maybe just claw the little bitch's eyes out.
As they approached, Kim could definitely see that smug look on her face, just like that time when Bonnie went and gave one-hundred-forty percent in order to become the squad captain.
"Bad hair day, Kimmie?" Bonnie asked smugly and then made a faux surprise of her own mistake, "Oh, that's right, it hasn't grown back yet. I'm sorry. It's a shame your hair probably won't be as pretty as it was when you were inside the Matrix."
"Yeah." Kim replied with narrow eyes, and through grinding teeth, trying to use her own smug comeback, "You've pretty much proven that it's almost impossible to get it like it was."
"What's it like, Kimmie?" She asked ignoring Kim's remark, and snuggling even tighter against Ron's arm, "Finally being pushed out of the way by the sidekick you've held back for so many years."
Kim couldn't take it anymore, she growled at Bonnie, "Listen here, you little bi…"
"That's enough, ladies!" Morpheus interrupted and came between both girls like the peacemaker that he was. "Tres, Tater, Captain Barkin, we're heading into Neo Zion now, so we will meet again at the celebration tomorrow?"
"See you there, Morpheus." Barking smiled, "Come along, Tater, Tres."
As the Mad Dog crew left, Kim couldn't help giving that same glare to Bonnie that she gave to Sati after her kissing Ron on the cheek. Still, it just seemed so illogical that Kim would act this way, after all she contended to Sati that she was simply Ron's best friend, not a lover or a girlfriend. At least that's how Kim tried to rationalize it, that she was just trying to look out for Ron, especially when Bonnie was involved.
After Bonnie had passed by Kim, she couldn't help looking at her as she walked away, swinging her hips back and forth exaggeratedly for Ron to gawk at.
"Slut." Kim felt herself utter as the hatred she held for Bonnie grew within her.
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The crew of the Neb II moved through Old Zion (Or the center pillar as Morpheus had described it to Kim and Ron); the two of them couldn't help looking over the edge of the railing. It truly was like a pillar, a cylinder of levels that kept going down, down, down into the earth with crisscrossing bridges and pathways that resembled strands in a spider's web as they descended. Yet amongst all those crisscrossing bridges and walkways, there were clouds; literal clouds of moisture that rose and settled in different areas of Old Zion, making it seem as though they were at some great altitude instead of being underground.
They came to another small area on the top floor of Old Zion; it was essentially a train station, even though the trains were very different. It actually felt more like a subway station, even though the cars were very old and beaten up with the windows broken in and the doors barely opening under their own power as the Neb II crew got onboard. It was explained that at the top level of Neo Zion, there was a station where trams would run between Old Zion, Neo Zion, and Trin Zion all the time. They were told that the trams running to the right of the station would take them to Neo Zion while the left went to Trin Zion.
The inside of the Tram itself was just as sad as the outside, still Kim and Ron had to remind themselves that, in a post apocalyptic world, there weren't any resources for such luxuries as comfortable seats. The two of them took their chances as they sat down on the old, frayed, and matted seats of the Tram, while the rest of the Neb II crew stood. They sped along the tracks that ran along inside the tunnels between Old Zion and Neo Zion; it really did feel like taking the subway in the large cities.
The ride to Neo Zion was rather silent for the few minutes that they were onboard, but they could feel the Tram starting to slow down just a tad. At that point, Morpheus turned to Ron.
"Ronald." He spoke, "Perhaps I should warn you about something."
"What's that, sir?" Ron asked.
"The One is…" Morpheus began, trying to figure out the right way to break it to Ron, "I guess the best way to explain it is that the One is considered something of a Messianic figure here, so expect an unusual welcome when we exit the Neo Zion Station, all right?"
Ron nodded silently.
"Do not forget my warning, Ronald." Morpheus said as the Tram stopped and the Neb II crew got out, and went through the station onto the top level of Neo Zion.
As Ron and Kim exited the tram, they saw dozens of people waiting outside the door of the Neo Zion Tram Station. They were similar, but different, different peoples in different clothing, not necessarily all of them gray and devoid of color. Some had color, only very faded and made in very crude ways; all of them looked to the doors as they opened. They seemed to be waiting like pilgrims, coming to a holy place for some kind of blessing.
As the Neb II crew came out the door, the pilgrims all looked directly at Ron as they stood up. He never felt so nervous in his entire life; never before had he actually known that there were people actually watching him, every move he made, every sound he made, every gesture, but it didn't seem social; it felt more like an admiration. The kind of attention that Ron was hoping for: popularity, but he never would have expected anything like what would happen in those few minutes.
"Um…" He uttered and smiled as he raised his hand in a weak wave, "Hi?"
All the pilgrims dropped to their knees in worship of Ron, and all of them chanting, "Hail Neo, Hail the One!"
With the chanting going on over and over and over again, those few pilgrims in the middle began to part like the Red Sea leaving behind colorful garments upon the steel floor. It was just as Morpheus had said; it was like they thought Ron was Jesus or God or someone with the way they had covered the cleared path with garments to make the journey softer for their Savior. Ron blinked in confusion at what he was seeing; only a few weeks ago he was just Kim's goofy, nobody, sidekick in the halls of Middleton High and now to be praised in such a way? It was a little much for him, but it took an even greater turn when Ron felt a hand upon his shoulder. He nearly jumped, but then saw an old woman, who looked as though she was someone's grandmother.
"Bless you, Neo." She said with tears sliding down her aged cheeks, "You have finally returned to us…bless you."
"I'm, um…" Ron stuttered nervously in light of all the admiration he was receiving, "I'm not Neo. My name's Ron…Ron Stoppable."
The pilgrims all around began to look at each other in a great confusion about what they had just heard, wondering if they had been mistaken about assuming that this boy was the one called Neo, but faith has a way of blinding people into believing nearly anything.
So with that new information taken in, they began their chanting again with but a small revision.
"Hail Ron, Hail the One!"
"Ok…" Ron whispered to Kim, who was staring in just as much awe at the pilgrims as he was, "This is really freaky…"
"Super mega freaky…" Kim added, looking around at the people bowing and groveling.
"Ok, your worship." Link teased Ron as Morpheus, Niobe, and Ghost walked past them, "Your adoring public can wait 'cause I've got a wife and kid waitin' for me."
The four of them walked past Kim and Ron over the makeshift 'red' carpet of different rainbow colors toward the elevator doors. Morpheus looked back, signaling for Kim and Ron to follow, and the two teens did while making sure that their heavy boots didn't damage the pieces of cloth that lay before their feet. Ron couldn't help looking around at all the people bowing, muttering, praying or even praising him and saying things like 'welcome home, Neo', 'good to have you back', and 'watch over us all, Neo, in our time of need'. It was frightening to Ron in a way, after all, he did want to be popular, but what he experienced wasn't popularity; it was idolatry and he had to admit to himself that he liked it.
Ron and Kim met up with the others at the elevator. Inside the elevator car, they felt themselves going down again; as the car descended, Morpheus spoke to Kim and Ron.
"Your parents, Kimberly, have arranged for your apartment to be next to our home. I insisted on it."
"You mean for like…emergencies or something like that?" Ron asked sounding more like himself.
"Something like that." Morpheus smiled as the car came to a stop; the doors opened and they walked out. Though it wasn't to an opened walkway, it was another tunnel. Just like those tunnels with the light at the end that people talk about when they had those near-death-experiences. It did remind Ron of something; it was when Kim met Monique, and Ron had gotten tickets to Mayhem in Middleton where he would watch his favorite wrestling stars. He was underneath the bleachers and came out into the light and saw the ring, the bleachers, and the thousands of screaming fans for Pain King or Steel Toe, but this was different than that time.
He came out from the tunnel and into the light; to a place that was like the foyer of a big business building, yet it wasn't. The only thing that was familiar about it was its foyer-like feeling of the high ceiling. Looking up to the practically limitless ceiling, it seemed almost like the inside of a hotel in Las Vegas where they could see the levels for each of the rooms. Yet, it wasn't square at all; it was oval, and down at the center of this hotel-like lobby/foyer was a smooth, obsidian-colored, metal statue of a man in a Cossack coat that buttoned from his waist to his neck and looked like something a priest would wear, and a pair of sunglasses to cover his eyes. While one hand was behind his back the other was reaching outward, welcoming anyone who would wish to take his hand and be led to the place that he had in mind.
At the bottom of the statue was a square block that the man stood upon and upon it was a small dedication.
Neo
The One who ended the War of Man and Machines
"I dipped into the future as far as the eye can see and saw a vision of the world and all the wonder that it would be."
- Lord Alfred Tennyson
Kim Possible couldn't help staring up at that statue, yet as she looked she looked between Ron and the statue, she had to confirm her suspicions and reached out to Ron, held his ears back to his head, looked at him, and then back up at the statue.
"Slick back your hair, lose the Dumbo ears and freckles and you're twins." Kim stated, very sure of herself, "Maybe you are him…reincarnated."
"This is Neo?" Ron asked.
"Yes, it is." Morpheus said looking up at the statue of his old friend, "The very man I spent my life searching for, the one who risked everything for a woman he loved, and the man who ended the war of man and machines."
Niobe then came up behind Kim and Ron, "You'll have to excuse Morpheus," She apologized for Morpheus, "he can get a little emotional about his old friend."
"We'll see you later, Captain." Link said as both he and Ghost took their leave of the others and headed down to an entryway to the far left of the statue of Neo.
"Now, for you two, come this way." Morpheus gathered himself and led the two teens down another passageway to another hallway and another elevator. This time, the elevator took them up, which seemed to have a better feeling to it than going down, almost like ascension into heaven.
The elevator stopped on the sixteenth floor, and they were brought out to an exposed hallway with steel railing keeping everyone behind it from falling to a quick, relatively painless death on the lobby floor below where Neo's statue was set. The whole place felt almost like a hotel to both Kim and Ron, aside from the fact that everything seemed to be constructed out of steel, stone, and concrete.
"It's just up ahead." Morpheus said as he led them down the walkway until they came to a door that had an odd kind of plaque at eye level; it seemed like it was imitating a pattern like cuneiform or perhaps some number, but it was hard to tell since it had a resemblance to the old punch-cards of ancient computers. "This is our home and right next door is yours."
Morpheus pointed to the next door down with that same punch card object on the front, but the holes within it seemed a little bit different than the one on Morpheus' door. Ron looked at it, while Kim reached into the packet that her dad gave her and took out a pair of keys. At least that's what she assumed they were because they weren't like the usual kinds of keys that she had seen before, there was the small handle, but the end that she assumed would go into the door seemed very different, instead of indents upon one edge like a serrated knife, there were holes in the key itself, just like holes in a punch card. She nearly dropped the keys onto the floor when a young voice squealed out as the door to Morpheus' home opened. It reminded Kim instantly of her twin brothers, Jim and Tim: the Tweebs, as she would call them.
"Daddy!" The voices squealed.
Kim jumped slightly as she saw a young boy of dark complexion dashing out of the apartment to hug his father's leg. The boy seemed relatively young, around the tweebs' ages. As the boy hugged Morpheus' leg, Niobe was scolding the boy.
"Thomas?" She said in that tone that all mothers seemed to have, "Why are you not in school, young man?"
"Got out of school early today to get ready for the Celebration, mom." Another voice came from just inside the door.
Kim saw a young girl of the same dark complexion as the boy, yet she was much older, though she seemed younger than Kim, probably around thirteen or fourteen years old at the most. She leaned against the door frame and smiled brightly at Morpheus and Niobe with teeth so white that they could probably literally light up a room.
"Ronald, Kimberly." Morpheus said as he picked up the boy hugging his leg, "These are our children. The rascal here is my son, Thomas." The little boy in Morpheus' arms raised his hand, waved, and smiled at Kim and Ron, "and this lovely, young woman-to-be is Trinity."
"What do you mean 'to be', Daddy?" The girl smiled as she looked at Ron and winked at him. It felt so weird to Ron, when that girl winked at him; then again he knew that he had been getting more attention from people and women in particular. He suddenly wondered why he couldn't get any of that kind of attention while he was in the Matrix. There was one time that he tried to start with a clean slate during Spring Break in Florida when he and Kim were visiting Nana Possible, but he managed to develop the same reputation there in just one day that took him years to work up in Middleton. It was enough to thoroughly bum him out about his popularity situation, and adults wonder why kids get depressed. Acceptance is such a hard thing to achieve, especially for someone such as Ron Stoppable.
Thinking about that girl named Trinity and her tone when she asked 'what you mean to be, daddy.' sparked a very sharp memory within Ron Stoppable.
"Reminds me of someone else I know." Ron smirked at Kim.
"No," Kim mused as she went over and rustled Thomas' hair as if he were a little puppy, "Bonnie is much worse."
"I wasn't talking about Bonnie, KP." Ron smiled.
Kim looked sharply at Ron, realizing who he was talking about; she smiled back and gave Ron a playful slap on his arm.
"I don't know about all of you," Niobe announced, "But I'm ready for a nice, warm soak in my own bath." Niobe moved past her family and back into her own apartment to do just that.
Morpheus then turned and headed into the apartment himself, but not before turning to Ron and Kim, "I'll leave you two to make yourselves comfortable at your apartment." He said before closing the door behind him.
Kim and Ron looked at each other silently, and then Kim took the keys in her hand and divided them, one for herself and one for Ron. With her key, Kim went over to the door and did the very same procedure that she did on all other kinds of doors that she'd been to. The key did what it was supposed to, just as keys do, but it felt so different, at the same time, to be using a key with holes instead of carved edges.
The two teens walked through a small hallway into an open area that was both compact and spacious at the same time. There were two doors on either side of the square room, and in the center were some chairs, a small kitchen was in the far corner with dispensers of water and that white goop that they had gotten used to eating on the Neb II. The apartment wasn't too spacious, but it wasn't terribly small either; it seemed just right.
"Booyah!" Ron exclaimed running to one of the doors, "I call the one on the left!" He dashed the door.
"Fine with me, Ron." Kim smiled at the child-like innocence that Ron still retained. It seemed to set her mind at ease about the look that Ron had while still on the Neb II. It didn't seem to matter since Ron was starting to come back to his normal self. She came to this conclusion as she went to the door on the right, opened it, and looked in. The bedroom was very nice, much like the rest of the apartment. There weren't as many traces of visible metal as there were in the rest of the living area. It seemed to be made more of stone and concrete. It gave a very earthy sort of tone, kind of like the houses in Arizona made out of adobe.
There was the bed at the far corner with sheets upon it that seemed homemade, much like those garments that the pilgrims had laid out for Ron to walk upon. She set her bag down near the door and then went over to the bed to lie down upon it. Already she felt the enormous difference between this bed and the one that she had to use on the Neb II. It was so much softer, just like those times on missions when she would go out and have to sleep outside in just a sleeping bag, and then to come back home to her own bed.
"Feather…" She uttered to herself, "…nice…"
The comforter and the bed itself felt so comfortable that Kim just wanted to curl up on it like a cat and doze. The thought of sleep reminded her of her Cuddle Buddy, Pandaroo, and how much she missed it. Then again, it was the people that she missed the most, and they were all here in Neo Zion. Her mother, her father, Captain Barkin, and even the people she didn't even like, like Bonnie…thinking about her rival sent Kim bolt upright and burning through and through about how Bonnie had been holding Ron on the gangplank of the Neb II. She decided to try to not think about it and just have a shower. After all, she did feel a little grimy.
She got up and looked around the room a little more, examining all the small pieces of furniture near the bed. She found the bathroom easily. It was a little like the one on the Neb II: metal sink basin, toilet, but the bath was different. The bath looked positively exquisite with its carved designs. It looked almost like someone thought Kim was a princess and she should have an elegant bathtub. Seeing it, she felt eager to shower. She began to strip herself bare: her top, boots, and pants in a heap on the floor. She thought to herself that it was a shame there were no undergarments in the real world because she felt so naked underneath her threadbare clothes. As she actually was naked, she looked at the mirror above the sink basin and saw herself with a confused feeling. She saw how beautiful she was in her nudity, but at the same time she felt repulsed by her new self, especially with her hair still growing back, and all the plugs all over her body. She turned away from the mirror and went to the bath, reached over and turned on the water, allowing it to fill the tub.
As the tub was filling up, Kim heard a loud knock at the door. She quickly looked, as her arms covered her 'bits and pieces', to see if it was someone at the door to her bedroom. When she saw no one there, she got up, went to her bed, took the comforter and wrapped herself in it as if it were a towel. With the comforter around her body like a Greek Toga, she went to her door and listened.
"Ronald." Morpheus' voice came in.
"Hey, Morpheus, my man!" Ron's voice called out in that same childish sort of way as he always did. He sounded so happy to see Morpheus even though they only parted company a few minutes ago, "What's up?"
"I'd like to speak to you about something."
"Shoot."
"I'd like to discuss with you your Matrix names." Morpheus said, his voice a little louder since he was a little closer to Kim's door.
"Matrix names?" Ron asked.
"Yes, as you well know, we had our original names inside the Matrix." Morpheus explained, "Out here in the real world, however, we have different names to shed our past lives as mere prisoners of the Matrix."
"Like nicknames?" Ron asked very excited.
"Yes." Morpheus said. The sound of his smile was very prominent in his voice, "Just like that."
"And you want us to make up nicknames for ourselves?"
Morpheus didn't say a thing, but Kim knew that he had to be nodding, "I was thinking that perhaps, since you are the One, you could take Neo's name in honor of him."
"Ron Stoppable as Neo." Ron said, sounding very proud of him to hear such a title, "I like it, but what about KP?"
"It sounds like she's taking a bath right now, so it's probably best not to disturb her. I know that from walking in on my wife."
Ron gave a small, sharp giggle at that, but then, with his voice taking a very dramatic u-turn from his usual "Ron-ness" to that seriousness that Kim still hadn't gotten used to, Ron said:
"For Kim, I think the best name for her would be...Angel."
"How fitting." Morpheus complemented, "An angel with red hair."
Kim could help smiling at Morpheus' statement.
"I'll talk to her about this." Ron reassured Morpheus, "If she hasn't already heard us."
"You do that, Ronald." Morpheus said as Kim heard his footsteps walking away, "Or should I say, Neo?"
There was a moment of silence between then until Ron said, "See you later, Morpheus. I'll talk to Kim about what you said."
Morpheus didn't say a thing as Ron closed the door and Kim heard his footsteps approaching.
"Hey, KP?" Ron said as he opened the slightly ajar door to Kim's room; he came in with his hand over his eyes, "Are you decent?"
"As much as I can be, Ron." Kim said with a slightly playful sarcasm in her voice.
Ron took his hand off of his eyes and felt the start of a nosebleed as he looked at Kim standing in front of him, covered in her bed's blanket. He could feel himself looking at Kim from head to toe and the male libido starting to take over his higher brain functions and making them think on things like 'Is she naked under that blanket?'.
"Ron?" Kim asked, "You wanted to talk to me about something?"
Ron shook his head sharply as if he was trying to bring himself back to the moment, "Um…yeah." He said, "I just spoke with Morpheus and he was saying how we need Matrix names."
"Yeah," Kim replied, "I kind of overheard."
Ron looked at Kim rather confused, "You heard us, but you didn't come out?"
"Ron…" Kim said as if she was trying to prove a point in an argument, "Look at me. Would you want me to stroll out naked in front of you and Morpheus?"
"Of course not." Ron cleared his throat as his face began to blush beet red, "Anyway, since you overheard us you probably know what names were suggested."
"Uh-huh." Kim acknowledged, "I heard the name Morpheus suggested for you. I think it might be a nice fit."
"And the one for you?" Ron asked, the blushing turning a few shades lighter but still there.
"Kim 'Angel' Possible", Kim mused over her Matrix name, "I like it."
Ron smiled, "Okay then Kim, since you're going to take a bath, I'm going to go for a walk."
"Yeah, and I'm going to turn in afterwards." Kim added, "But do you want to train in the construct later?"
"Sure thing, KP." Ron smiled, "I'll be back after I get lost and, hopefully, un-lost."
"Ok, Ron." Kim said as she went back to the bathroom and her perfectly prepared bath. She reached over and turned the water off as Ron turned and left the apartment.
110101100110100111001011011100101010110101
The bath that Kim had was so sensuous that she couldn't help feeling free in that warm water. It wasn't quite like what she experienced when she was freed from the Matrix and woke up in that pod of pink goop. The water seemed to be a little more relaxing and so much cleaner. Kim finally got out, slipped on her clothes, put her boots near the door to her room, and crawled into the immensely comfortable bed, ensconcing herself in the surprisingly comfortable sheets and snuggling in like a kid sleeping in on a snow day. As she drifted off into sleep, she felt herself wake up once again.
She opened her eyes and felt herself jump slightly when she felt that she wasn't lying down, but rather sitting back. That quickly changed when she found herself in the Broadcast Room of the Neb II, at least it looked like the Broadcast Room, but then again Kim had only been on the Neb and no other ship, so who's to say that they all looked alike? Still, that wasn't what was on Kim's mind at the time, what was going through her mind was the most obvious of questions: why was she there?
"Hello Kim." A kindly voice spoke to her.
Kim looked in the direction of the voice and found a young woman standing by one of the jack chairs and, much like Kim; she was wearing the same old gray and tattered clothes that everyone in Neo Zion wore. Her hair was short and black; she had a very thin nose, triangular chin, and deep blue eyes that held such great sadness to them as if they could cry an ocean. She smiled at Kim in a comforting way.
"Um…hi…" Kim uttered as she got out of the jack chair and approached the raven- haired woman, "Who are you?"
"Just a friend." The charcoal-haired woman smiled, "I bet everything that's happened has unsettled you, but you're nowhere near afraid, am I right?"
Kim just stared at the dark-haired woman in mild confusion, but she also felt a sense of security surrounding this 'friend'. It was similar to how Kim felt when she was around someone like Monique, or her parents, or Ron.
"You've got one fear, though," the dark-haired woman began, "and you're going to have to face it very soon, but you won't be alone."
"I'm not afraid of anything." Kim quickly replied in a shaking voice, "I'm Kim Possible and I can do anything. If you're talking about what the Oracle said about me dying after learning who I love, I'm not afraid of death."
It seemed strange that Kim would speak to this complete stranger in such a way as if she had been there the whole time. Or that she knew everything going on in Kim's head, almost like an imaginary friend to a child. Yet, this woman felt so familiar to Kim, at least that's what the voice in her head told her, but it was so far away that Kim couldn't pay any attention to it, only to continue on with the situation, never giving it any second thoughts about its abnormality.
"Cute." The raven-haired woman chuckled, "But I'm not talking about that. There will come a time when you will have to let go. Let go of yourself, let go of control, and let go of your one, and there will be nothing you can do except have faith. I only wanted to warn you, Kim."
"That won't happen." Kim shook her head and tried to emphasize the point with as much certainty as she could, "I would never let myself get in that position…ever."
"Never say never," the dark-haired woman smiled as she moved to leave, but then turned and approached Kim, coming within an inch of the young girl, so close that Kim wondered what was going to happen, "And…KP?"
Kim looked at the dark-haired woman, very confused since there was only one other person who called her that.
"What are you doing on the floor?"
Kim felt a little confused when the dark-haired woman asked this. It wasn't just the fact that she was asking that, but her voice seemed to change dramatically, sounding more and more like it belonged to Ron. That was when she had awoken once again. She blinked several times before she found herself back in her new bedroom at Neo Zion with Ron standing over her. Ron helped her get to her feet and she found out very quickly that she was on the floor next to the bed.
"I guess I rolled off the bed..." She said sheepishly and then yawned, "What time is it? Do you still want to go train?"
"It's around eight o'clock, KP." Ron reported, "But there's been a change. Is training in the morning good for you?"
Kim looked at Ron and found that he was smiling a little more than usual, at least more than usual since he came out of the Matrix. Kim hadn't seen Ron that happy since Bueno Nacho had opened in Middleton.
"Sure," Kim said, easily agreeing to the time offered, "But why the change?"
"Oh, you will not believe what happened while I was out, KP." Ron exclaimed very happily as if he had won a great prize, "Never in a thousand years would the Ron-man have seen this coming!"
"The Ron-man, huh?" Kim asked as she cocked an eyebrow and set her fists against her hips, "Must be big for you to talk in third person."
"Get this, KP." Ron smiled as he stuck out his chest to exude his own machismo, "Bon-Bon asked me, ME, Ron Stoppable, out on a date in the construct!"
Kim might as well have been a statue as Ron's words registered in her mind. The weird-dar was already blaring a warning at the very thought of Ron and Bonnie together. After the way Bonnie had always treated Ron, and then the 180 she pulled when he got that ninety-nine million dollar check from Bueno Nacho for Naco royalties, who could blame Kim for being suspicious? After all, Bonnie had treated Ron as if he was some kind of human cash card. Though, in this particular situation, Kim tried to figure it out logically as if it was some kind of math problem, but as she did she came to the same conclusions:
Bon-BonBonnie
Me, ME, Ron StoppableRon
Bonnie + Ron + Date in the ConstructSyntax Error (This is so wrong.)
"Ron…" Kim asked, very fearful as she stared at Ron with wide eyes, "You didn't say yes, did you?"
"KP…Kim." Ron smiled reassuringly, "You should know me by now."
"You did say yes, didn't you?" Kim sighed, rubbing her temples as the equation of Ron and Bonnie in the Construct kept playing over and over in her head and kept coming back to that same error. She had to say something to stop this violation of nature from happening, "Ron, you know she's up to something. If nothing else she just wants the glory of saying that she went out with The One!"
"Oh I see now." Ron smiled smugly as if he knew a secret that he would never tell anyone, "You're jealing over me and Bonnie."
The instant the words left Ron's mouth, something struck Kim very hard. It was a feeling that sent her blood temperature to dangerous levels and pressures like a boiler not being regulated. She didn't know what it was and she didn't even care to examine it. All she knew was that those six words sent her through the proverbial roof.
"Jealous?" Kim asked and then screamed, "I'M JEALOUS! OF BONNIE ROCKWALLER?"
"So not the drama." Ron said, mocking Kim's signature phrase and her voice.
Kim still felt her blood boiling within her. It made her weak at the knees, and her face so flushed and tingly. It was the overwhelming heat of the anger that she felt about all of it. The fact that Bonnie was going after Ron once again and that Ron was taking Bonnie's side. She came closer to Ron and held up one finger at him.
"One," she growled as her finger dug into his chest, "Do not mock me and steal my catchphrases. Two: The agents, the most powerful and feared programs in the Matrix, are after your head and you want to blow off necessary training to go on a date with Princess Bon-Bon?"
Ron looked at KP with very calm eyes, the likes of which Kim had never seen before on Ron. Usually when Kim was staring down Ron, he was easy to bend to her will, at least most of the time, yet when he looked back at her this time, his resolve seemed so much stronger than before.
"Well…" He began, only blushing slightly, "That's pretty much it, but it's no bi…." He stopped himself, remembering how much Kim hated the fact that he was using her catch phrases on her and in such a mocking way, "It's nothing major. Just one date, KP."
"Don't you 'just one date, KP' me, Ronald Stoppable!" Kim growled, grabbing his wrist and yanking him towards the door of their apartment like an angry teacher taking a disobedient child to the principal, "If you won't listen to me, I know someone you will listen to."
It wasn't too far, but Ron already felt emasculated by what Kim was doing to him. It was bad enough that Ron had humiliated himself inside the Matrix as a goofy sidekick to Kim, but now that the situation had changed, he hoped that this wouldn't happen again. Yet, it was and Ron was in the middle of it, and all he could think was that he wished that he wasn't. They came to a stop outside of Morpheus' and Niobe's apartment. Kim had let go of Ron's wrist, her blood still boiling with anger over the situation that she was apparently powerless to stop. She reached up and pounded on Morpheus' apartment door, ignoring the pain that was shooting into her hand as she waited for the door to open. Within a matter of seconds, out came Morpheus in a robe and rubbing the sand out of his eyes.
"Is there a problem, Kimberly, Ronald?" Morpheus said with a slight yawn in his voice.
"Yes." Kim stated impatiently, "There definitely is a problem. Ron and I had earlier agreed to practice tonight to help him learn to better control his abilities. He needs as much practice as he can get so he can be at his best against the Agents, but he's decided to blow off practice with me to go off on a date with a girl who only wants to be around him because of what he is and not who he is."
Ron felt truly insulted by all that had happened in the last few minutes. He had felt so good only a few minutes ago when Bonnie had asked him out and especially since no other girl had ever asked. Ron had always tried in desperation to ask a girl out, and every one of them had rejected him as if he was some piece of trash stuck to their shoe. Then, to have Bonnie ask him out seemed like such a blessing and then Kim had to spoil it, just like she always spoiled everything good that ever happened to him. And yet, he was the one who helped Kim get to Josh! Then, to make it worse, Kim still seemed to treat Ron like a kid as if she knew what was best for him instead of letting him make his own decisions. All of these thoughts compounded upon each other until Morpheus spoke up and made the situation a little better, at least for Ron.
"Alright." Morpheus nodded as he took in Kim's information, "First off, you are right, Kimberly. Ronald does need to have his abilities mastered as soon as possible."
Kim turned around to Ron with a very smug look on her face as though she was about to give a backhand slap against Ron's chest as if to say 'You see, I was right all along.' She turned back to Morpheus to hopefully get more news that would work in her favor, but then found out something completely different.
"But," Morpheus then added, "I do not see the harm in him having a night of rest with a friend, who might not be as shallow as you think."
"Friend…?" Kim uttered, feeling very sick to her stomach about the news that had shattered her boosted confidence in her correct assumption, "Not…as…shallow…?" She paused for a moment and looked at Ron, who had that same look that she had only seconds ago, that he knew he was right and that he would get his way for the first time.
"Ok…FINE." Kim finally gave over to Morpheus' decision, not just because he was the commanding officer on the Neb II, but mostly because she couldn't stand the thought of Ron and Bonnie on a… a… a DATE for one more second. To think, that she had hoped Morpheus would take her side against Ron being with Bonnie. She got right in Ron's face and shoved that index finger into Ron's chest again, "Go on." She snarled, "Go and have fun with your little Bon-Bon! I really don't care what you do, and when you have Agents breathing down your neck, you can have your little Bon-Bon help you, because you won't get any help from me! Good night!"
Kim stomped away down the hall to her apartment and slammed the door behind her loud enough to echo back through all the apartments of Neo Zion. With the echo dying down, there was a silence between Ron and Morpheus about what had transpired. It seemed so weird to them both, that Kim was acting like a woman insanely jealous and yet she kept proclaiming that she was simply Ron's best friend.
Neither one of them saw Niobe coming up from behind Morpheus.
"You know," She chuckled disappointedly at Morpheus, "For someone so obsessed with the future and prophesies; you can be blind as a bat to what's happening in the present."
"What do you mean, Niobe?" Morpheus asked.
Niobe gave Morpheus that look that most wives give their husbands when they are asked a stupid question.
"For that little display, Morpheus," Niobe proclaimed, "you can sleep on the Neb tonight."
She then laid a hand on his back and shoved him out the door of the apartment. Morpheus heard the door slam, looked at it and then back at Ron rather, confused about what had just transpired. As they looked at each other, they asked the same question that men ask themselves when women do something that they can't understand.
"What was that about?"
To be continued…