"You know, life could be so much more interesting if you loosened up a bit." Sparks commented, looking at Ghost, who was meditating.
"If I loosened up a bit, I would turn into you and my life's quest is not to turn into you." Ghost murmured back, taking a breath before opening his eyes up to the operator.
"What's wrong with me? I've got the looks, the body, not to meant the gift of the gab." Sparks smirked.
"I think you were just given vocal chords and then our Higher Power decided even that was too much before finding out He couldn't take them back." Ghost stood up slowly, watching in amusement as Sparks' eyes widened at the insult.
"Switching topics…what do you think about Trinity and Neo as an item? A rather hot item too, if I may say so." Sparks stood from his seat on the bed, watching Ghost's reaction.
"I try not to. She was prophesized to love him, thus my opinion about it lies with whatever she believes."
"Come on, Buddha man! You cannot tell me that you honestly never thought about it."
"Sparks, I think you should go home to the place where normal people sleep." Ghost turned to look at his friend.
"Sure, kick me out, what are friends for? There will come a day, Ghost, when you'll wake up and realize just what I truly mean to you." Sparks replied, smirking.
"And what is that exactly?"
"I will be the man who will inherit your boots and personal processing unit." Sparks finished, laughing as he closed the door.
Once he was alone, Ghost turned to look at a small piece of metal, much like a trophy, that stood near his candle stand. Walking to it, he sighed, reading the inscription. "To Ghost. From Trinity. We finally kicked the Master's ass, now look how much free time I have in lock down to write this…see you when I get out." Ghost smiled at the memory. It was their first year free and they had wreaked havoc at the Academy, only to be caught and punished equally. Moving towards the bed, Ghost took a calming breath before blowing out the candles and falling asleep.
Morpheus, Zee, Link and Cas stayed outside Tank's room for almost the entire two weeks that Trinity was to be on crutches. Then, one morning that's utter normality meshed into the memory of others just like it, turned their world upside down. Fatigue fought with everyone until a doctor finally exited the room to stand before them. Wiping his hands dry on a rag, his eyes expressed a form of surrender.
"We have been trying for over two weeks to stop the spread of gangrene, but somehow, I'm assuming its because he allowed it to get to the decay level that it has, we can't. Every new operation seemed to work out in the beginning, but would ultimately fail. And now we can't do anymore. We have tried everything, and his body is resisting it all. I came out here to open the option for Zee to give the command for us to turn off his respirator." The doctor's eyes glimmered; tears that wanted to be shed, but wouldn't be allowed to fall.
Zee took a large gulp of air before burying her head in her hands. Cas moved closer to her, pulling her into her arms, tears streaming silently down her face. Rocking her soothingly, Cas looked up at the doctor and then Morpheus. Link sat on the arm of the tattered couch, embracing Zee gently. They stayed like this for a few minutes before Zee breathed slowly and nodded at the doctor. Standing, she followed him into the room, the others trailing quietly behind. The doctor turned to Zee first.
"As Zee, sister of Tank, I agree to this." Finishing, she let out a large gulp, trying to hold back the tears for the moment. The doctor turned to Morpheus.
"Morpheus, captain of Tank onboard the Nebuchadnezzar, I agree to this." It wasn't up to him since he wasn't family, but he did have the right to give permission.
The doctor nodded once before moving towards the bed. Link pulled Zee tightly to his chest while Cas held herself tightly. Morpheus could do nothing but stare, tears in his eyes. The quiet beeping in the room slowed, and finally came to a stop, causing Zee to cry out, clutching Link. A day that began as normal as the others' before it, just took a dark turn.
Trinity rose from Neo's gentle embrace, pulling a blanket around her naked form as she limped to answer the door. Wrapping the thin fabric tighter around her shoulders, Trinity twisted the handle, opening the door just enough to see who was outside. Surprised at seeing Morpheus, Trinity was about to ask why the sudden appearance, but he cut her off.
"They turned off Tank's respirator this morning. Zee wants the ceremony to be tomorrow."
Trinity's eyes widened before feeling the tears begin to form. She didn't hide her face as the first few fell silently. Nodding, she watched him turn and leave before calling out to him.
"Where are you going?"
"I have to find a new operator." Morpheus replied, a hitch in his voice at the last word.
Trinity shut the door once Morpheus turned back around. Pressing her back to the door, she slid down it, crying softly. Neo awoke to the sound of her quiet sobs, immediately jumping out of the bed, pulling another blanket with him. Running to the door, Neo sat down next to her, pulling her against his chest. He could feel the hot tears dampening his chest, and could only wonder what was causing her such sadness.
After waiting silently for a few minutes, Neo kissed her temple before whispering quietly, "What's wrong?"
Trinity took a shaky breath, trying to loosen the tight grip on her heart. Neo's hand trailed up and down her spine, soothing her even more as she tried to calm down.
"Tank died today. This morning. Morpheus, and I am assuming Zee, agreed to have the respirator unhooked." Trinity looked up into Neo's eyes, seeing the tears already making his eyes glassy.
"Trin…" Neo trailed off, no words would fit. None would suffice. God, does the death ever stop?
Morpheus lay on his bed later that day, trying to get some rest but finding that it only wanted to elude him. A knock at the door was exactly what his mind needed to tell him to stay awake. Sighing heavily, Morpheus lifted himself from the bed and padded to the door. Opening it, Morpheus felt a pang of worry for Cas or Zee at seeing Link before him.
Shifting from one foot to other, Link looked Morpheus in the eye. "Five months ago, I made a promise to Dozer before he left us for the last time. He was afraid that the search for the One could harm your ship, and the people living on it. He wasn't wrong. He made me promise that if both he and Tank were killed, that I take Tank's place. I'm standing here before you, asking if I may become the next operator of the Nebuchadnezzar."
Morpheus stood silently for a moment before motioning Link inside. Shutting the door, Morpheus turned to look at the younger man.
"I have been an operator for fourteen years, I am quite capable."
"What about the Novalis?" Morpheus asked gently.
"I already spoke with Captain Tirant. He has given his agreement if you would like me to join. I wasn't the only operator on that ship anyway. For the past five months I have been training Ether to be an operator and he will take my place." Link explained.
"We'll be leaving in four days. I'll see you tomorrow night at the ceremony. Welcome to the Nebuchadnezzar." Morpheus shook Link's hand before placing a hand on the operator's arm. Link smiled tightly before leaving, glad he could fulfill Dozer's promise, but sad knowing what Zee's reaction would be.
"You're going to what? Link, I just lost both of my brothers to that very ship and now you're telling me that you're joining it? Are you crazy?" Zee's eyes were blazing with pain and anger upon receiving the new information.
"I'm sorry baby, I made a promise and I intend to keep it." Link sat helplessly on the bed, watching his wife pace back and forth in front of him.
"No, no, no, no…" Zee murmured before slumping to the ground, shaking in fury and sadness.
Link rose and crouched down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, only to be taken aback when she ripped herself from his grasp.
"Go away. I just…need to be alone." Link stood, pain etched across his face. "Link, go."
Link bit his lip before complying, exiting swiftly, leaving his wife to cry against the bed.
The ceremony was quiet save for the soft cries from Zee and Cas. Trinity had let out her sadness in Neo's arms and now stood calm faced between her two comrades. The ashes were given to Zee, who held them tightly against her breast, shaking even as she walked out. Link walked beside her, an arm wrapped around her shoulders. After they had left, Morpheus turned to Neo and Trinity.
"Link will be our new operator."
"Is that such a good decision?" Trinity asked, looking at the archway the man in question had just exited.
"He told me that he had made a promise to Dozer before we left to unplug Neo. Now he's fulfilling it. I'm afraid I didn't have much choice in the matter." Morpheus replied tiredly.
"He seems to be a good man, I don't see anything wrong with it. Unless you count him being married to Zee." Neo spoke up, shrugging.
"She won't be happy, I know Zee." Trinity murmured, much to Morpheus's agreement. "When will we be leaving?"
Morpheus took a moment to look at her face before answering. "Three days. I hope you can hold out until then. When we leave, I'll give you an hour in the dojo and training sims, how does that sound?"
Trinity allowed the corners of her mouth to twitch before nodding. Morpheus watched silently as she turned and left, Neo beside her.
"Trinity, can I ask you something?" Neo began once they had returned to their room. Stripping himself of his shirt and boots, Neo sat down on the bed.
Trinity slipped out of her sandals, her dress flowing around her, nodding as she sat down opposite him. Placing her legs beside his, Trinity looked across the bed at him as he began.
"How can you live in a war where the ones that you love can be ripped from you in the blink of an eye and never stop hoping? Never falter?"
"You can't. There were many days before we ever found you that I questioned my future with you, wondered whether the cold in my bones would ever leave. I've taken bullets from faltering, we all do. No one is perfect; we all question what we have been told at one time or another. It's the only reason we're here at all. Morpheus told me one time how he would sit in his cabin; just thinking over all the ways the prophecy could go wrong. When he found you, he never worried ever again, but I did. Every night I did." Trinity replied slowly, thinking over her words.
"You didn't always believe in the prophecy?" Neo asked, incredulous.
"Not too hard to believe actually. I remember one night where I cried myself to sleep, thinking that there was no hope of a peaceful end to this war. I had just watched two of my crewmates die in the Matrix that day and later fended off sentinels in the gun turrets. I felt cold, dead, empty. That night I realized just how fragile the human body is. How a single act or choice can change everything in your world. I cried because I knew that the moment I that I would meet the One, my world would change, and I feared that. I actually tried not to believe in you when we found you. I didn't want to get my hopes up and yet, you changed my life without even trying, or knowing."
"What'd I do?" Neo asked quietly, his eyes locked on Trinity's.
"Remember when you told me that you weren't the One and that you were going to save Morpheus? Remember how I told you to go to hell?"
"That's still a fresh memory in my mind." Neo smiled softly.
"I knew then, because you were so damned determined. You saw a way to survive when we saw suicide. That's how I knew, even though you had just told me that you were 'just another guy.' When you tried to tell me not to go in, you changed me. My only way to react to that was to tell you off. Kind of habit." Trinity smiled gently, watching Neo.
"Do you ever wish that so many people didn't have to die?"
"It's war." Trinity robotically replied.
"That's not what I asked." Neo shot back, angling his head forward slightly.
Trinity sighed. "Every day, but that doesn't seem to stop the deaths, does it? You never get used to it, but it becomes understood. You learn to deal with it."
"Promise me that you won't leave me." Neo suddenly asked.
Trinity looked up from the bed sheets where her eyes had been focused to look at Neo's eyes. Moving forward, Trinity sat down next to him, still facing him.
"I'm not going anywhere without you." Trinity whispered before kissing him softly. Neo pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. Breaking away for a breath, Trinity opened her eyes to look at Neo. "We're in this together. Remember?"