Zee and Cas sat rather tensely outside of Tank's operating room. Neither left for the bathroom or food at the same time, always wanting someone there in case of any news. Both looked up from their seats to see Morpheus approaching. When he got to them, his eyes expressed the worry that was twisting their stomachs in knots.
"Any news?"
"None. They've been in there day in, day out. They won't let us in. All they've told us is that he's stable." Zee informed him.
"That's not fair. Leaving us out here, not even knowing what condition he's in other than 'stable.'" Cas continued, her face dark.
"Did Link come by?" Morpheus inquired, moving towards the window.
"He's sleeping right now. The Gloria had a bad run inside the Matrix and the whole crew needed rest. He came straight here from the dock and didn't leave until I forced him to." Zee replied.
"That sounds familiar." Morpheus mused with a smile.
"Hmm? Oh, Trinity and Neo?" Zee asked, gaining a nod from Morpheus. "I'm glad they have each other, they fit."
"Yes, I agree." Morpheus mused.
"So this is the main gathering place?" Neo mused, his eyes gazing about the carved out cave.
Walking in further, the dim lights cast a warm glow throughout the place, masking the faces of anyone who sat in the shadows. The place, actually much larger than it originally appeared, was populated with chairs, tables and people. Crews mixed and played cards, Zionists chatted, and joined the games, but no one sat alone. It was an unspoken rule that no one ever sat alone.
Trinity brought Neo towards the back of the bar, Zion form of restaurant, hole in the wall, whatever you would like to call it, where the only light was from candles that made the darkness dance along the walls. Sitting down, she quickly turned to watch Neo sit down next to her. They sat in silence for a moment before Trinity's eyes flicked up to Neo's and then to the door. Neo turned in question to see Sparks and Ghost walk in. Sparks saw them huddled in the back and tapped Ghost on the shoulder before moving towards them.
"Hey guys, how are you doing?" Sparks smiled down at the pair as he came closer before pulling a chair out to sit.
"Fine, you?" Neo's eyes moved from Sparks to Ghost, who had pulled another chair up and was sitting down.
"Great! Nothing like a sentinel trying to take a bite out of my chunky ass to make me love being alive."
"He's just lucky he got me out in time to throw the EMP." Ghost murmured. "I'll get us something to eat and drink."
Trinity watched as he left before focusing back on the obviously animated operator. "What happened?"
"Ghost didn't tell you two while he was training Hunter?" Sparks looked from one face to the next, watching as both shook their heads. "Well, we had a bit of excitement on our last mission before coming home to the warm arms of Deadbolt."
"That's always a welcoming sight." Trinity mused.
"Well, he kind of only came over to whisk Niobe away, but hey, what do you expect?" Sparks shrugged.
Neo arched an eyebrow in question before deciding not to ask while Trinity asked Sparks to continue his story. Neo moved in and out of the conversation, occasionally commenting, but for the most part, he stayed silent. Ghost and Sparks' adventure had something to do with new agents, a firing squad, and an exit from hell that was three feet wide and thirty feet up. After the second drink and several bites of food resembling bread, Neo had tuned out the story, his attention all but focused on the electric heat pulsing between his palm and Trinity's beneath the table. Squeezing her hand gently, only Neo noticed her lips part and her body shudder ever so slightly.
"Well, we better go, Morpheus wanted us to come by Tank's before lights out." Trinity began to stand, Ghost's hand reaching out to balance her on her way up.
"I'm just glad we ran into you two. It's such a refreshing sight from our little Buddha man over here who probably meditates his way to the john. Anyway, see you later. Oh and pass along our hellos to Morpheus." Sparks waved as they began to leave.
"I hope Tank survives his operation." Ghost added, his eyes moving to Neo's, catching the smoldering gaze that had been aimed at Trinity before he blinked it away.
Ghost turned to watch them exit before deciding, against his better judgment, to look at Sparks.
"Something tells me they aren't going to make it to the hospital." Sparks wiggled his eyebrows at Ghost.
"You may be right."
The moment Neo and Trinity had exited; Trinity limped her way around the corner and into the shadows, Neo quickly following her. Bracing herself against the rock wall, Trinity felt Neo's hands encircle her waist, lifting her up to allow her legs to wrap around his hips. Pushing her harder into the wall, Neo's lips hungrily found hers, tasting her. His lips traveled down her jaw, finding his way down her neck to her collarbone. The drinks they had had only intensified the sensations and heightened the desire.
Trinity let out a soft whimper, causing Neo to return to her lips, tasting the liquid on them as his tongue traced her top lip. He moaned softly when she bit down gently on his lower lip, sucking it into her mouth. His hands tightly gripped her back, holding her up, fingers splayed wide, flexing against her shirt. Her hands were making a fiery dance along his shoulders and on the back of his head. The painful pleasure of her fingers brushing against his head plug caused Neo to shiver.
"Whoa! I seem to have chosen the wrong way to walk home." Sparks broke in, causing the pair to stop mid kiss and break apart. Sparks took in the swollen lips, the flushed faces, the ragged breaths and decided that maybe he should've just walked on by instead of openly embarrassing them. "Sorry, I didn't mean to…"
Neo turned his head back to look into Trinity's eyes. He watched as she subtly rebuilt the stoic expression that had resided on her face earlier, but she couldn't hide the passion and desire in her eyes, and quickly decided that she didn't care. For crying out loud, I have my legs wrapped around Neo's waist, does it really matter what Sparks sees in my eyes? Sparks looked around him for a moment, before deciding to speak again.
"I think I'll just go…stare at those wonderful…ummm…oh look, I can see Ghost! Ghost! I'm coming with ya!" Sparks quickly jogged off around the corner where Trinity and Neo could hear the tired reply of the quieter man:
"Don't you have somewhere to sleep other than outside my doorstep?"
"Yeah, but I've decided that the sights around that corner could kill me, so I'm just going to take the long way home."
As their footsteps faded away, Neo slowly lowered Trinity to the ground. Gripping the wall briefly for balance, she moved out from the shadows, Neo following behind her. Arriving at the closest lift, it opened within moments and they entered. Neo watched in amusement as Trinity hit with frustration, the floor level where Tank was in the hospital before switching his gaze to her face. There was an electricity running through them from the drinks and from their short rendezvous that made the distance between them almost unbearable. Before either could voice said electricity, the lift came to a halt. Minutes later, they arrived outside Tank's door where Cas, Link, Zee and Morpheus were all either sitting or standing near it.
"Anything?" Trinity asked, looking from face to face.
"They just began another operation." Cas informed them quietly.
Trinity nodded before catching Morpheus' eye. Looking at Neo for a moment, she strode past the group, following Morpheus. Once they were out of hearing distance, Trinity voiced her question.
"Do they know if he'll live?"
"Honestly, they won't tell us. By now they should've, so my take is that they are desperately trying to save him, and it isn't going too well."
"So, even if he survives, how long until he'll be given clearance to operate another ship?" Trinity turned to glance down towards the room before looking back at Morpheus.
"Months, and we don't have months. We are going to need a new operator, and soon. I'm only planning on staying here as long as you are on crutches. If I had a larger crew, and Neo wasn't with us, I would've left you here to heal, but we don't and he wouldn't let me, so we stay. Right now, I just pray that he lives out another day, never mind heals completely." Trinity could hear the pain in his words. "Well, I doubt that they'll finish operating any time before early morning, why don't you go get some sleep? As I've come to learn, you have been very active around here, despite the orders to rest as much as possible."
"I hate sitting around doing nothing. I just grow restless and end up taking my frustration out on a piece of valuable equipment."
"Like Neo?" Morpheus allowed a small smile to spread across his face even as Trinity shot him a look before turning and moving back towards the group without a word.
Neo saw the look she gave him before biding the others a goodnight and following her out.