Disclaimer: Umm... I own it all! Every bit of it! And if you believe that, then Keanu Reeves is my boyfriend!
Author's note: This chapter is short... really short...but I couldn't bring myself to post it any other way.
Nikki woke slowly and found herself in a strange, make-shift medical room. Her body felt like Jell-O. She looked up to see Kye grinning at her. "Hi" she whispered hoarsely.
"Hi there, you gave us quite a scare. They really didn't want to let you get out." Kye said.
"Out of where…? And who are 'they'?"
Kye's grin grew bigger. "You were in the Matrix. We got you out. I'll let Morpheous explain the rest to you."
Nikki looked at her arms and then back up at Kye. "Why do I look like a human VCR?"
Kye showed her his arms. "Most of us look like that. Morpheous explains this a lot better; but the fact is, these plugs are how the Matrix keeps us alive and in bondage."
"Huh?"
Kye sighed. "I was hoping Morpheous would be the one to explain this to you, but I guess that isn't going to happen." He said as he paced alongside Nikki's bed.
Nikki ran a hand over the top of her head, and chills shot down her spine. She grabbed Kye's arm in fear. "Kye, what the hell happened to my hair?"
Kye's expression changed to one of compassion. "I'm going to help you sit up." He said. When Nikki was sitting, Kye spoke again. "We'll start at the top. Feel the base of your skull."
Nikki flinched when she felt metal. "What is that?"
Kye pulled over a chair and sat down in front of her. "It's another plug. It allows the Matrix to send signals to your brain in order to control what you view as reality."
"Why would anyone do that?"
"Because the machines us our energy as power sources. They basically turn us into living batteries." Kye said sadly.
Nikki looked confused. "Why…? Why don't they use the sun's energy?"
"Because there is no sun?"
"What are you talking about? The sun was perfectly fine when I met you."
"Nikki, the sky that you saw last was the sky of the Matrix. That sky existed in 2015. But it doesn't exist anymore."
"What do you mean? What year is it?"
Kye shrugged. "Somewhere around 2215. No one really knows for sure. We just call it year 21."
"Why…?"
"Because it has been 21 years since the great battle for Zion."
"What's a Zion?"