Chapter 10
Dreams & Hidden Meanings
If the cavern was quiet before, it became deafening after Oz spoke. Trinity glanced at Oz and then to her captain. Morpheus was statue-like still. Neo glanced around the room and then moved toward Oz. He sat down next to Frost and looked up at his captain. Morpheus lost his resolve and moved toward Oz.
Faith watched as the room changed the second Morpheus' butt hit the chair. A wave of voices pounded the still air as people continued their conversations.
"So what is his problem?" She asked again.
"Rumor has it the Oracle told him that there is the one and then there is the Chosen One. He will discover the one, but the Chosen one will not make it easy for people to believe in the one. He was determined to find the one, before…" Lex trailed off.
"Before a slayer was unjacked." Faith finished. "I still don't quite get it."
"The chosen one will have strength outside the matrix, while the one may not." Bones added.
Faith blinked, and held up her spoon. She handed it to Bones who was sitting across from her. He seemed confused, especially after she spoke. "Throw this at my face."
"What?"
"Please just do it." The boys and El all looked at her mystified. "Back up a little."
Bones pushed his chair back and threw the spoon like a dart.
SLAP!
The room grew quiet at the sudden violent noise. Bones jumped out of his chair, as did Lex. Faith's hands were held palms pressed together in front of her face. She lowered her hands over the table, pulled her palms apart and the spoon fell with a clank onto the table. She heard the room fill with questions of what just happened. Ra smiled, El was in shock, and Morpheus was seething as he suddenly stormed from the room. Trinity followed, but Neo stayed. He stood and looked directly at Faith confused. She smiled as she looked from Neo to Oz. Oz stood and walked straight over the two tables between them to stand next to her, he gave her a questioning look.
"I…I" Faith was at a loss for words.
"Let's go for a walk." He simply said.
She followed him out into another new cavern. Neo sat looking at Frost and Ra. Frost hissed at him. Neo's eyes widened as he bolted in the direction of Oz and Faith. Ra and Trans' laughter followed.
"What was that?" Oz asked once they were in the smaller empty cavern.
"A test." Faith said.
"Explain."
"They, Bones, said that the Chosen one would have powers outside the matrix. I needed to know."
Oz's face softened. "I'm sorry; its just Morpheus has more power in the Council than I do. And I'm new…"
"And wigging out?" Faith offered.
He nodded his head.
"How? How did you do that?" Faith and Oz turned to see Neo staring at them.
Faith cocked an eyebrow at Oz. "What?" She asked innocently.
"The…spoon, how?"
Faith and Oz glanced at each other, neither sure if they should speak to him.
"She's been chosen." Morpheus voice called out, as he entered the small cavern. "Right?"
Faith watched the captain warily as she realized that he was mocking her. "I'm the slayer." She said with pride.
"Of what? Vampires?"
"Well, if you want to get technical, yes, I'm Faith the Vampire Slayer."
Oz could see that dark side of Faith appear in here eyes. "I think we should all just calm down." Oz said.
"Why, are we afraid of confrontation?" Morpheus asked.
"You do not want to threaten Faith." Oz replied.
"Morpheus, I don't want to fight her, not here, not now." Neo suddenly spoke up.
Morpheus noticed Neo's panicked look. He glared at Oz and Faith and then left with Neo.
"I am going to have to fight him, aren't I?" Faith asked.
"Probably."
That night Faith dreamed for the first time since being unjacked. She saw amber yellow eyes with black outlining them. They faded away to reveal Frost with blood dripping down his chin. A drop fell from his chin and landed on a metal surface. Red coloring darkened to black with neon green ones and zeros floating toward the top as the drop grew into a puddle. The ones moved together and molded into a single large one. It grew within the dark black puddle until it was about the size of Faith's hand and then it split into two. The 1 on the right changed into a pale white male fetus with plugs. The 1 on the left transformed into a tan skinned female fetus without plugs. In the female's right hand was a small stake and in her left was a silver cross that molded into a computer chip. The amber eyes appeared again, and again the amber irises changed from amber to black with neon green ones and zeros. "He holds your origins in his eyes." Tara's voice echoed.
"Tara?" Faith asked. She found herself in a barren desert, dressed in a long, flowing black dress. The first slayer stood before her, and Tara to her left. "Tara, I don't understand." Faith said.
The first slayer trotted over to Faith. She put her right hand on Faith's chest over her heart. Then she placed her left hand on the back of Faith's neck, where the plug would be. They were now standing nose to nose with each other.
"This is heart," the first slayer rasped, "heart of slayer good, true, strong, lasts through time."
"In every generation there is a chosen one, she alone will hunt…" Giles and Wesley's voices echoed.
"This metal," the slayer said rubbing Faith's neck. "Evil, false, cold, man's mistake, make slayer vic-tim."
"The slayer is a symbol of hope in the dark of night." Tara said.
"And the One?" Faith asked.
"Slayer always female. One is machine made false hope from false world, alwaysss male." The slayer spoke as she continued to rub. She pulled her hand away and held it out to Faith, as she took a step back. In it was the plug, Faith watched as it melted, changing into blood and dripped from her hand.
"You can break the cycle. He is the one, but he can be different if you help him. Unite your kind and show them the truth." Tara spoke.
"Which is?"
"In his eyes." Tara whispered.
Faith gasped as her eyes popped open. Her face felt wet, she stumbled in the dark over to the bathroom. As she flicked on the light, she caught her reflection in the mirror. For a split second she saw the first slayer's face, she blinked and her own reflection stared back at her. On her cheeks were crosses of dripping blood. She leaned closer to the mirror and stared at her eyes. They looked so old, not old as in elderly, but old as in old soul. As though the life she was leading was a reincarnation. 'It's the slayer in me.' She thought. "You're in here aren't you?" She whispered.
"Faith?" Oz mumbled as he stepped into the bathroom. "Faith, your cheeks." He wiped his right index finger through the top of the bloody cross. "There's no scar."
"No, I guess there wouldn't be." She said distractedly.
"What?"
"What, oh, it's from a dream."
"A slayer dream."
She nodded her head.
"About?"
"My origins, mine, Neo's, and…" She stopped and looked down at him.
He looked at her encouragingly.
"And Ra."
"Ra?"
"That's what she said."
"Who?"
"Tara."
Oz's brow wrinkled in worry and confusion.
Frost awoke the next morning to find El laying next to him and staring at him. He could feel her fingers brushing over his fuzzy head. She looked down at his face and was surprised to see him looking at her. As he opened his mouth to speak, El jumped up and bolted from the room.
"El, wait!" He yelled as he scrambled after her. He ran into the living room to find Faith and Oz sitting talking. "Have you seen El?"
Faith looked up at him, there were blood red crosses on her cheeks. He stared at her confused, all words fled from his mind.
"She said something about breakfast as she left." Oz said. "Frost, stay and eat here. We have a meeting to attend in a few minutes."
"For what?" He asked as he sat and took the round stone bowl from Oz. His eyes never left Faith's face.
"Changelings."
"Oh." Frost said as he ate a spoonful. "What did you do?" He asked gesturing to her cheeks.
"I had a dream."
"How bad was it?"
"Confusing and cryptic."
"Hate those."
"Should I wash this off or leave it?" Faith asked.
"Leave it." Both Oz and Frost said simultaneously.
She raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Sorry." Oz said. "You should leave it. You're the slayer." Oz seemed unable to come with anything better.
Frost rolled his eyes. "Right, cryptic boy. Faith, you got a message from whatever fucking higher powers. It's probably a message for all the changelings. Hence it being in blood."
Oz nodded his head in agreement.
"Okay, I'll leave it. So what did you do to El?"
"Woke up."
Oz looked confused, while Faith smiled.
About a half hour later, Oz led Faith and Frost into a new cavern with large metal doors. In the middle of the cavern was a large cubical shape stone, it was about 3 feet tall and 4 wide. There were already about 20 people inside, including Ra and Trans. Ra looked up at her entrance and blinked wide eyed at her new look. There were a few murmurs as people noticed her. Ra was talking to a couple, which he was now leading over to them.
"Oz, Faith, Frost, this is Sickle (he gestured to the man) and Newt (the woman). "Sickle, Newt, Captain Oz, Frost the vampire, and Faith the Vampire Slayer. Ra said with bravado.
Newt was short about 5'5", she had long ebony black hair that ended at her hips. Her oval face was accented with her piercing yellow-brown eyes. Sickle on the other hand looked fierce. He was about six feet and slender. His face was very angular accented by his silvery-blue eyes. His hair was short and styled like a crew cut, except the front was slightly longer.
"Why have I never met you before?" Oz asked.
"Our ship is the Outlander, the only ship that does not dock here for more than a day. We monitor the surface activity." Sickle replied in a cold, crisp voice.
Newt stepped closer to Oz. "You essence is strong. Stronger than you know."
Oz looked at her with interest.
She turned to Frost. "Yours begs for redemption, but your mind is not ready for that path. Time grows short, act fast."
She then stepped in front of Faith and placed her hand on Faith's chest over her heart. Newt gasped as her eyes fluttered shut. Faith already knew her path. She felt the first slayer stirring inside. Newt's eyes popped open as she began breathing heavily.
"She…she's the true slayer, our savior, our (her eyes met Faith's) one."
"Newt, what did you see?" Sickle asked quietly and protectively.
"Part of her essence is older than this world, older than the false world."
Faith caught Ra's amber eyes. He looked away afraid she would see into his soul. He turned and watched as a tall, lean, muscular, black woman stepped onto the stone. He eyes were surprisingly red. As she held up her arms above her head, everyone in the room became quiet and turned to her. Everyone moved around to create a large circle including everyone; behind them the large doors were closed. Once everyone was standing shoulder-to-shoulder watching her attentively, she lowered her arms. Faith noticed that she wasn't young; she looked to be about 60 years old.
"For those of you who are new, I am Mystic. I was elected your leader three years ago and was the first unjacked demon. (She glanced around the room as she spoke.) And obliviously not the last." Smiles appear around the room. "Our newest arrivals include Frost a vampire, and a first for all of us, Faith the Vampire Slayer." The quiet room erupted in applause and whispers. Mystic raised her right hand and the room became quiet once again. "We welcome all of you, hopefully you will all bring something to the fight that was sorely needed. Our other announcement includes the promotion of one of our own. Oz, as captain of your ship we bless you and your crew. Blessed Be."
"Blessed be." Oz replied.
"We also have another…" Mystic was interrupted by the noise of the door being opened from the outside. Everyone turned and watched as Morpheus, Trinity, and Neo walked in.
Mystic became annoyed. "This is a private gathering for changelings only."
Before Morpheus could speak, Faith broke from the circle. "Mystic, I know it may not be my place, but if anyone should leave it is Morpheus and Trinity only, Neo is one of us."
Mystic raised an eyebrow. "You heard her, Morpheus. If anyone knows the truth it would be the slayer."
"It is not true, he's not a changeling; he is the one!"
The room exploded with laughter. Neo ducked his head as even Mystic smirked. She turned in a circle on the platform looking at those who were behind her. She turned back to look at Ra, and then to Faith. As she stepped from the platform, the laughter ceased. She stood face to face with Morpheus.
"Morph, how do you explain this?" She said holding Faith's chin lightly.
"She cut herself and painted it on."
Mystic narrowed her eyes into slits as her hand dropped away from Faith. "Why do you have to be so closed minded, Morph?"
"No proof."
The room filled with glared, hisses, and low growls. "I believe your room full of proof chooses to disagree."
"Morpheus," Neo hissed.
"We came to propose a challenge." Morpheus announced to the whole room. If Morpheus expected a response he didn't get one except glares (including from Faith). "The skeptics want proof. So I propose a fight in a program of the best programmers choice, the strongest changeling vs. Neo."
**Thanks for the reviews. In an answer to the comments I received: this takes place directly after the first movie and will bleed into the 2nd, I probably won't see the 3rd until it comes out on video. It will depend on how the story progresses, whether or not this will follow into the 3rd. And as for the second comment: this is less about the Buffyverse, it more about Faith & Oz's view of it. And since I didn't take the matrix for face value your attempt at an insult didn't faze me.**