Chapter 1: Morpheus Departing

Morpheus opened the dresser drawer and pulled from it all the shirts and shoved them into his brown suitcase sitting on the ruffled bed. He did the same with the two remaining drawers, completely emptying out his wardrobe. There were a total of four suitcases packed and ready to go. He grabbed them and began to heave his way down to the shuttle bay. There he could catch a shuttle to the main docking bay and rent a ship. The Nebuchadnezzar was still under heavy repairs.

As he was leaving, a familiar face blocked his path. It was Trinity. She had grown frail since Neo's death. "Where d'you think you're going?"

"I don't have time for this Trinity," Morpheus told her. "I have a mission to complete. The Oracle has given me wise words."

"The Oracle?" Trinity said, bewildered. "We are not in a war anymore Morpheus! There is no need for any more missions."

"Neo is still out there Trinity, and I have to find him. He wants me to find him. He needs me to find him. He calls to me, in my dreams. I see what he sees."

Trinity couldn't believe what she was hearing. "The Council was right. You have gone mad. I don't think that this is funny." She began to leave but Morpheus stopped her. "What!" she demanded.

"Neo was not the only one. Every generation brings about a new prophetic being who will conquer the machines. Neo changed the future and freed mankind but the Matrix never fully reset itself. Agents still reside, you know that. The Oracle said that when Neo died, one generation ended and a new one began."

Trinity did a double take. "So you're saying that there is someone jacked into the Matrix with powers like Neo had?"

Morpheus nodded. "Precisely. Only he doesn't know it yet. The Agents don't realize that he exists, although he may end up serving them."

"What does this have to do with you going and finding Neo?" Trinity asked, flustered.

"He is the only one that can fight this person if matters grow worse. I feel as if I must go. He needs to be saved."

"I'm going with you," Trinity decided, grabbing one of Morpheus' suitcases.

"No," Morpheus told her. "This is something I must do on my own. Please understand."

Trinity looked to argue but could not find the words. Instead she sighed heavily and moved aside so Morpheus could pass. Morpheus nodded in thanks to her and walked out the door. He headed down the hallway, his suitcases dangling against his leg. Trinity watched him go. When he got to the lift he turned back to look at her. "Oh and Trinity," he called. She looked up. "The war never ended."

With these strange words, Morpheus left her to ponder all the information she had received.

Morpheus on the other hand was able to find a small transport ship. He purchased it from a fairly young man. He was one of those known as 'hackers' who were able to hack into the main Matrix hardware interface. His name was Fallux. The ship was Capis. Fallux had given it to him rather easily, said he didn't need it anymore. He had just found an apartment complex and was retiring to live there. That struck Morpheus as strange for someone so young to retire so early, but he shrugged it off.

The ship was oval in shape and could be flown with one hand. It had one level really and two staircases by the cockpit, one going down and one going up. Each led to main gun ports. The ship had three jacks, two medical beds, four sleeping quarters and a large engine room.

Morpheus seemed satisfied with it and stored his stuff in the room marked 'Captain's Quarters'. Once at the cockpit, seated in the captain's chair, he flipped on the switches, hearing the engines roar to life. A small joystick rose up as did a cylindrically shaped tube right in front of the joystick. Morpheus had seen this type of setup before. It was used mostly by small groups. Made it easier to pilot. He stuck his arm through the tube and felt it latch onto him, sticking needles in his skin and retracting what it needed. With his hand out the other end of the tube he grabbed hold of the joystick and pushed the button the top right. The ship began to rise slowly. On the left screen he saw the entire medical readout of himself as the ship adjusted to its new captain. He saw out through the cockpit window the large doors entering and exiting Zion. He moved the ship closer and closer to it. He heard the communications device beep and the voice of a Zion operative. "Transport ship Capis this is Zion Five, please lower your shields and allow us to obtain a readout of your crew and supply complement."

"Roger Zion Five," Morpheus said very professionally. "This is Captain Morpheus of the Capis, lowering shields now." He hit a small switch to his left. The readout on the top right and corner of the screen to his right showed the percentage of shield power going down. He stopped it at thirty-five percent.

"All right Capis, everything checks out. Stand back and prepare for opening of the doorway."

"Roger Zion Five," Morpheus said again. He pulled the ship back slightly and waited. The huge metal doors creaked and boomed as they slid open.

"Capis you are free to go," Zion Five reported. "Have a safe trip." She signed off.

"Well I sure as hell hope this is worth fighting for," Morpheus said to himself. A large nudge on the throttle and he was gone.