Chapter 7 – Decisions
Disclaimer: see Chapter 2
A/N: I hope this is worth the wait :S (sorry!) Please review, I really want to know what you think, and your opinion is valued.
Echo: Thanks, I'm glad you took the time to review, it reminded me I hadn't updated for a loooong time!
All Ana could hear was the rhythmic pounding of her feet on the pavement and the regular beat of her heart. Just as she began to wonder what was going on, she had a brief flash of clarity. It was like the feelings she had had before, but instead of a swirling mass of thoughts and ideas, it was a sharp icicle of realisation. As suddenly as it had come, it disappeared. Ana knew that something had changed irrevocably. Realising she had come to a standstill, she began to run again. She was nearing her destination, and whatever it would bring.
Switch stood completely still behind Trinity, only her icy eyes betraying a flicker of movement. Upon looking closer, you would be able to see that her hands were gripping the back of the chair so hard that even her deathly white knuckles had turned paler. She had almost forgotten to breathe.
Suddenly, Trinity fingers stopped flicking. The whole ship seemed to hold its breath. The silence was absolute. Then Trinity shook her head wordlessly.
No. No. This isn't real. If I close my eyes it will go away.
But she was much too old for childish games. Instead she just shook her head, trying to reason it away.
Eventually, Switch broke the silence. "Trinity, what is it?"
Taking a deep breath, Trinity spoke. "She's heading… straight for Niobe."
"Niobe? But she's not even supposed to be in the Matrix. She said. We both heard her, remember? She told Morpheus she wouldn't be going in until tomorrow, that if she went in earlier, the mission would be compromised."
"It was a front", Trinity murmured, almost inaudibly.
"A what?"
Trinity still hadn't moved, her fingers hovering about an inch over the smooth black keys.
"A front. A decoy. It was to throw everyone off the scent. Nobody knows about it apart from Niobe and Morpheus. And me." She smiled wryly.
"Unfortunately I figured their plan out."
"But why?"
"Niobe was going to see the Oracle. We were sworn to secrecy. The double bluff was to conceal it from Lock. You know he forbid her to ever see the Oracle again."
"Why does she need to go again? She's already been twice, isn't that enough?"
"I don't know. I think its something to do with the One." For once she didn't speak cynically. "But she was supposed to be out hours ago. If she's still in there, something has gone wrong. And 'my anomaly' as you put it, is heading straight towards her. Chomh díreach le coinneall."
"Bu-What?"
Suddenly Trinity seemed to come to a decision. In the blink of an eye, she was out of the chair and racing towards the centre of the ship. As Switch moved to follow her, completely bewildered, Trinity threw an uncharacteristic grin back over her shoulder, "As straight as a candle. It's old Irish".
Switch's eyebrows shot up. By the time she reached Trinity, she was lying down in the jacking-in chair, and strapping herself in.
"Candle my coppertop bottom. You've been spending way too much time researching this girl. But what the hell are you doing?"
"I've got to stop her. If I know the kind of situations Niobe gets herself into, it's not going to be a pretty sight if Ana intervenes."
Since when did she become 'Ana' and not just 'the Anomaly'? thought Switch silently, but seeing the determined look on Trinity's face that she knew so well, she sighed her acquiescence and slipped the operator's headset on.
"Morpheus is gonna kill you. You know he hates you going in on your own."
"I have to go, and it has to be alone."
"Fine. I'm dropping you in about 200 metres away, I'll be keeping my eye on you."
Then she slid the plug in, and the world went black.
Ana suddenly stopped running. She was there. Now the feeling had abated, a measure of common sense returned to her. She was standing in a small alleyway, a high brick wall at the far end. There was only one window in the walls on either side, and it was cracked and dusty like the house it belonged to. As far as she could see, the alleyway and the surrounding area was completely deserted. She looked down at herself and almost laughed. She was dressed like a teenage ninja wannabe. What was she doing? She would never normally go out dressed like this. Shaking her head in wonderment, she almost laughed out loud. This was too surreal for words.
Suddenly she heard a faint sound, and instinctively threw herself to crouch behind a nearby dustbin. Somehow, now she was unreasonably afraid. She crouched there for what seemed like an eternity, but all she could hear was the pounding of her heart, again. It must have been a cat or something. She looked up at the clear sky pinpricked with stars and wondered what they would make of her seemingly foolish actions . Just as she was about to straighten up, a woman appeared in the alleyway. She was completely dressed in black, and wore a pair of black wraparound sunglasses.
Ana had only one thought running through her head. It felt as if someone else had spoken it, yet she had not heard a sound.
Let the games begin.