Chapter 15

Questions for the Oracle

Neo was dancing with Trinity, when he felt a shiver. It was warm in the crowded cavern, enough that every body was covered in a glistening sheen of sweat, including him. Even in the warmth he suddenly felt his whole body go cold. Then he heard a primal rasp "It is here, originally crafted for her alone." He roughly pulled away from Trinity.

"Neo?"

"Faith, I have to find Faith." He turned and ran. He could feel Trinity follow.

He skittered to a stop in the mess hall to see Morpheus holding Faith securely as she sat on the table.

"What are you talking about?" Morpheus demanded.

Faith gasped, Neo fell to his knees as images of a petite blonde haired woman holding an axe shaped weapon, the woman handed it to Faith. ((It feels like its mine)) The woman used the weapon, which Neo couldn't identify, to fight off enemies; as she fell she tossed it to Faith. Faith used the axe half to slash heads off and cut through the bodies of the enemy and used the sharp wooden end to stab through the hearts of the monsters she was fighting. She was fierce as she plowed through the horde.

He shook his head to clear it and looked up as Faith stood, pulling away from Morpheus. "I have to find it," she spoke.

Morpheus' eyes narrowed. "That was the matrix, it wasn't real; didn't your captain explain that?"

"Yeah, well, explain this." She walked over to Neo and picked him up off the ground by the back of his neck. She then placed him on the table. "Or this?" She flipped onto the table across from where Neo sat. Then she cart wheeled and flipped down the length of the table. At the end, she flipped onto the next table and the next until she reached the end of the hall. At the last table, she ran down the table, leaped off, ran up the wall, spun around and kicked the edge of the table. With the force of the kick, it slid and the opposite end embedded itself into the wall.

Morpheus blinked.

"Who do you know outside the matrix, can do that?" She caught Neo's eyes, "and in case you're wondering you did win in there. I'm meant to fight out here, not in there."

"Why?" Neo asked.

"Because it's what the slayer was created for, the matrix just got in the way."

"And the one?" He asked.

"A buy product of the slayer power, but you are their champion in the matrix."

Neo watched as Morpheus began to seethe. Faith just smirked as she flipped over to them. She landed in front of Morpheus and kissed him on the lips.

Faith knew what she was doing when she kissed Morpheus, she watched as he saw the slayers of the past fighting demons and the growing population of machines. She pulled away. "Dream about it," she turned away, "come on, El, we have to talk to Oz."

Neo had no idea, what just happened. How was Faith able to do all that? Wasn't it supposed to be impossible? "Morpheus?"

His captain looked up at Neo in confusion and anger.

"How?"

Morpheus continued to stare at him. For a second Neo thought he was in shock, but then Morpheus spoke. "We should leave."

"Because of Faith?"

"Because the war still rages on and we need to fight."

Faith ran from cavern to cavern, she finally found Oz with Frost and Ra just outside the party.

"Faith, what happened?" He asked.

Faith could see Ra trying to appear invisible and Frost's alert eyes. "We have to leave right away; I have to go find it."

"What?"

"The scythe."

"The what?"

"The slayer's weapon," Ra explained, "but it is just a myth."

"We have one in the matrix, I know it exists, it's here somewhere. I have to go to the Oracle, she'll help." Faith caught a look in Frost's eyes. She then noticed Ra. "What's going on?" She asked looking between the two of them.

"He knows more than he refuses to tell." Frost growled out.

"I told you all it is something you must all discover for yourselves." Ra told them.

"Fine," Faith said, "screw him, Oz, when can we leave?"

"I have to get clearance and state my reason, but tomorrow. Get sleep, that's an order. El, find the rest tell them we may be leaving tomorrow and to meet at my room at noon." El nodded her head and ran off.

"Thank you," Faith said as she turned to leave.

"I'm coming with you." Frost said as he joined her.

Soon Oz and Ra were alone.

"You will have to tell them." Oz spoke.

"You know I can't."

"Why, because you say so or because she told you not to."

"Her words to me were, 'In the darkness it will call to you, telling you your true past, others will follow each with their own path, you should not interfere. They will demand answers be strong and let them find their own way. For they cannot discover their true destiny by your aid, for she only will set them all free. When she cut the bonds, makes the deal, you all shall be free.' I didn't understand it then, but now that Faith's here I do. I can't tell them, because I can't set you all free only she can."

"What deal?"

"I don't know; it may not be a good thing, but it will be her choice not ours."

"And the 'it' in the darkness?"

"Do you ever have to make a hard decision and as you are deciding a voice tells you an outcome that you believe to be wrong. That is the thing in the darkness, it may have a name, but I do not know it."

Oz thought this over as he appeared before the council the next day to request for leave.

"How is it that both challengers' ships want to leave on the same day?" One council member asked.

Oz wrinkled his brow in confusion.

"Morpheus had also requested for leave. What is your reason?"

"Faith requests a meeting with the Oracle."

"Morpheus asked for the same thing."

Again Oz was confused.

"We can only guess that your little challenge opened up some minds. We will honor your request; your check out time is 6pm. Good luck, Captain."

Oz nodded his head. "Thank you," and left.

As Oz headed toward his room to meet with his crew he got on an elevator to find Trinity inside. In the past Oz had very little contact with Morpheus' favorite crew member, when he got on he could feel her watching him.

"What did Faith do that spooked your captain?" He asked.

"I don't know, he refuses to talk about it." She paused. "Is she really a slayer?"

He nodded his head.

"He mentioned that she gave him visions."

"Of what?"

"Her past and other slayers, it really scared him."

The doors opened at Oz's floor. "It may not make a difference, but tell him we are on the same side."

"I know, and tell Faith to stay away from Neo."

"She's been trying to, she doesn't want to interfere, Neo doesn't understand."

"Understand what?"

"Faith and Neo are part of one another, she can see into his destiny, but he doesn't understand that."

The doors closed before Trinity could stop them.

Twitch sat calmly and watched as the twins seemed annoyed that they were leaving so soon. He smiled slightly, wondering what it was like to have so much family in Zion. He had a few friends, but he considered the ship his true home. When he had first come to Zion, there were extra rooms, so he was able to request where he could live. He had chosen one on the lower decks. After living on a ship for so long, he was used to falling asleep to the sound of an engine. He couldn't rest in silence, even in the matrix silence unnerved him. He was used to sleeping in a noisy environment. He was happy to be returning to the ship. He looked over at Faith, their reason for returning, and decided that he liked her. Not in the 'I love you' sort of way, but in the sense that he could enjoy his time on the ship with her. Frost on the other hand, well, Twitch felt like he should watch his back when the changeling was around. El he noticed seemed madly in love with the man. Twitch looked up as Oz entered the room. All eyes turned toward their captain.

"We leave at six." He announced. "Roin, the ship's medical supplies need to be restocked. Frost and Twitch, you need to refuel the ship and get the engine running. Faith, El, go to the armory, we need bullets and harpoons. Go to the ship first and give them the empty shells," he looked at Faith, "remember everything gets recycled. Kale, check with the programmers for new training programs and any news on the Oracle's location. Ivy, we need clothes one extra set for each of us and extra blankets. You have your assignments, any question?"

Twitch raised his hand.

Oz nodded at him.

"And I assume our almighty captain will get us food."

"What else do you expect me to do?" Oz answered with a smile. "Alright let's go people, we only have 6 hours."

Faith and El carried the box of empty shells into the armory as Trinity and Morpheus were leaving. Morpheus watched Faith with shielded eyes. It was as though he expected her to send him reeling into her mind again.

"Good luck out there," Faith called after him.

He ignored her.

"Don't kill any slayers in the matrix cause I'll come after you." Her voice was cheerful, but there was an edge of a threat in it.

BAM! A chest dropped.

Faith lowered her chest and grabbed the offending hand off of her shoulder. She flung it around as she spun flipping Morpheus onto his back in the process. He grunted.

"Never surprise a slayer, because this is the type of ass whipping you will receive."

"You really do think you're better than us." It sounded like Trinity's voice, but Faith wasn't so sure.

"What did you say?" Faith hissed.

"I said you really do think you're better than him."

"No, I'm just know more, about who I am, what I am here for, destiny, soul, power, death, life, internal, external, I've seen it all. He hasn't and with me around hopefully he'll never have too."

"What you think you're his protector?"

"The slayer is the matriarch, she protects, his power was made from the slayer's, therefore he…" She froze realizing what she was about to reveal, what she was about to say. "The One is the offspring of the slayer." She spoke as though she herself was just realizing this as well.

Trinity had watched all that was taking place, but when Faith spoke that thought Trinity froze. "Is that what the changelings are?"

"Maybe," Faith replied, "I think the Oracle has some new questions to answer."

Oz had just finished refueling the ship and was waiting for El and Faith when the elevator doors opened and Trans exited.

"What's up?" Oz asked.

"I'm here to tell you that you have a window of two days to visit the Oracle."

"What?"

"Didn't you request to see her?"

"Well, yeah, but two days?"

"They need you back here to report whatever information she tells you."

"Why?"

The elevator doors opened to Faith and El, who rushed off and headed for the ship.

"Faith?" Oz asked.

"No time, I just realized something important about why exactly I have to go see her."

"What?" Trans asked.

"Something odd," El replied as she entered the ship.

"Faith?" Oz asked.

"Something about the connection between Neo and myself," Faith began to enter the ship.

Trans glanced at Oz, "I'm coming with you."

"What?" Both Faith and Oz asked.

"I need to, Zion is making me stir crazy and Ra is driving me up the bloody walls."

"Do you have permission?" Oz asked.

"Yeah, I asked when they gave me the message."

Oz gestured to the open hatch. Trans smiled and entered behind Faith with Oz following.

"Ivy, let's get out." Oz called into the ship as Twitch and Frost pulled up the ramp behind him.

They felt as the engine roared and the turbines began moving. Frost followed Twitch to the engine room as Faith and El went up to the guns. Trans followed Oz to the main command, as Kale started checking on the computers hooking them to the matrix. Ivy put on her headset and waited for the Zion security to open the bay doors.

Morpheus and Trinity made it back to the ship where the rest of the crew was waiting just in time to see the Apollo's Chariot exit Zion.

"Everyone get in the ship now! We're leaving!" Morpheus commanded.

The crew rushed on board as Neo moved toward his captain.

"What is it? What did she say?" He asked. Morpheus looked up at the man he believed to be their savior, but Neo could see something in his eyes. "What did she say?"

"Neo, I think you need to stop worrying about her and focus on your own destiny." Morpheus spoke as Tank closed the hatch behind them. "She didn't say anything, but it is very clear that you two are moving in different directions."

Neo didn't like that answer, so he turned without a word and headed for his room.

"Neo," Morpheus tried to call him back after realizing that he should have stayed quiet.

The next morning Frost entered the mess hall to find El alone staring at her bowl with her back to him. As he walked around her to get his own food he noticed that her bowl seemed only half full. She lifted her spoon, looked at it and then tilted it letting the goop slide off the spoon and plop back into the bowl. He took his portion and sat across from her. She either hadn't noticed him or was ignoring him he couldn't tell.

"So you like it rough?" He asked.

El stood. "Well, we both know who it is you want, so I'll leave you to her."

"What?" He stared up at her.

"I saw you, Deacon." She spat out his first name. "I saw you kissing her, I saw you kissing Ivy."

"El, I wasn't kissing her…"

"Really then what were you doing giving her CPR while standing up?" She spat out before he could explain.

"She kissed me, El!" He too stood. "She grabbed me, I would have rather stayed there and listened to your friends blabber about computer stuff, in there the matrix I was a little computer savvy."

"So what do we do?"

"About?"

'Is he really that dense?' she thought to herself.

As she thought he leaned over the table and kissed her. She was surprised for a second, but then leaned in toward him and deepened the kiss.

Faith started to enter the mess hall, but when she saw the pair she turned and left taking Twitch, who was behind her, with her. He smirked and mouthed, 'finally'.

Neo glanced over at Morpheus as they both quietly ate breakfast.

"How far out do we have to get before I can go in?" He asked.

"About two days' travel away in any direction, but north."

"Why north?"

"It's restricted, without the sun the North Pole still exists just as it was. It is rumored to be an extensive labyrinth of caves, it's too cold for the machines and for humans to survive, but it is also very dangerous. If you ever meet any in Zion there is a group called the Out Landers, it is their domain."

"They're humans?"

"A few, most are changelings who have adapted to the extreme cold and can live there."

"What do they do there?"

"There is a rumor that there is a Holy Grail type object there for the one person who is worthy, that is one of the things that you have to ask the Oracle about."

"It's supposed to help me defeat the machines?"

"No, one knows, but the Out Landers and the Oracle."

Faith watched as Oz showed her everything she needed to know about the operation and maintenance of the guns. She memorized everything he was telling her. He loaded the guns and showed her everything.

"When we go back to Zion we take these empty shells with us and they recycle them. Everything gets recycled, there is a crew called the Scavengers that lives in the sewers and collects bits of dead machines and destroyed ships and takes it all back to Zion to be recycled. We might come across them at some point, they hide their ship in dead ended tunnels and have guns hidden in holes to shoot at squids as they pass by."

"Sounds dangerous."

"It is, but they love it, a lot of them are pulled out of the matrix just because they are excellent marksmen."

"So everyone out here really has some type of job to do, huh?"

He nodded his head.

"Do you miss it?"

"The matrix?"

"Sometimes, I miss the sun, definitely not the moon."

She smiled.

"Do you?"

"I miss slaying in it purest form, the high it gives me."

"The hunt, the animalistic freedom, grass."

"Textures, the feel of a stake plunging."

"Are we really talking about slaying?"

"Sure, that and other things."

"Well, I don't know much about the others things, but tapping into your changeling powers in the matrix is a really great high."

"I'll bet."

"Ready?" Kale asked as Faith, Twitch and Trans laid back. Their two days wait had went by quickly and now they were going in. Hoping to beat Neo in, they awoke so early that Frost, El and Roin were still asleep.

"Ready," Faith replied as Oz shoved the jack into her head.

Faith stood in the construct and began simulating her outfit as the other two arrived. She wore a white tank top, low cut black jeans, steel-toed boots and a long black leather-duster jacket. She watched as Trans dressed himself in all black, pants, shirt, boots and a long duster. Twitch was dressed similar to Trans except his hair was blue with a shirt to match. They loaded up Faith took the same amount of guns as the other two, but also grabbed a sword and a spring loaded stake wrist cuff.

"You sure you'll need that?" Trans asked.

"I'm a slayer, where I go trouble always follows."

Twitch smiled as he loaded his gun and snapped the clips in, "well, I'm not complaining."

Faith watched as the construct disappeared and they found themselves in the same small repair shop as before. Twitch led them outside, where a black BMW X5 was waiting. "Someone has expensive tastes," Faith spoke, as she got in the back her phone rang.

"What's up?"

It was Kale, "Move now!"

"Twitch, back us out." Faith commanded.

Just as they pulled out of the spot, a car began to materialize in front of them.

"Fuck," Faith whispered as she looked up to see Morpheus, Neo, and Trinity exit the building.

As Twitch pulled out onto the street, Faith rolled her window down. "What's the hurry? She'll still be talking to me by the time you get there." She yelled out as Twitch drove off. She turned back to the guys as Twitch dialed his phone.

"Kale, how were they able to do that?"

"Got me, they must have been dialing just as you hung up. You're all clear to drive straight there, but hurry up."

As they got closer Faith could feel Neo, she turned around and saw their car gaining on them. "He just won't give up, it's just another block right? I can run."

"I'll go with you," Trans spoke.

"I'm fast."

"I'll make you faster."

Twitch stopped at the red light, "Trans, go with her, and hurry up, I have a bad feeling." As they both slid out, Twitch called out to them. "Keep in touch."

Faith began to run toward the building, but Trans grabbed her.

"What are you doing?"

He didn't reply, instead he gripped her arm tighter and then pulled her through the wall of the building next to them. Once inside he loosened his grip. "These buildings are all connected, then we just cross an alley and we're in the Oracle's building, you in?"

She grasped his hand tightly, "lead the way."

Neo watched from the passenger seat as Faith and a man got out of the car and ran straight through the wall of a building. "What the hell?"

Trinity slammed on the breaks, "go!"

Neo leaped out of the car and began to run.

He leaped over dumpsters anything and everything in his way.

Faith arrived at the Oracle's door, but just as she reached for it the door was pulled open from the inside. There at the doorway was the Oracle.

"Ah, good you're just in time."

Faith looked down to see the Oracle holding a carpet bag. "Going somewhere?"

"Times are changing, and his questions are not as important as your answers."

"So I am looking for something?"

"Something, someone, you have to seek out the voice in the dark, it lives in the labyrinth of ice."

"Great more riddles." Faith sighed.

"You feel him coming?"

Faith paused and stretched out with her 'slayer' sense. "Yes."

"Then shut-up, listen and escort me to the elevator. I will talk with him when the time is right." After she spoke Faith took the bag and hooked her arm with the Oracle's and started toward the elevator. "Events are unfolding as we speak that are to lead Neo to his destiny, but you my dear need to find yours sooner. You are the warrior, the protector, prophet, savior and mother. You are the light in the caves, the knowledge you seek will unfold from your soul. What you have said so far is all true, keep answering your own questions, train, hone, find your daughters and never forget the past for it will come back."

Faith let the information run through her head. "I understand."

The elevator dinged, Faith turned her head as the door open. There was a man, Japanese by the looks, dressed in a karate outfit including the black belt.

"He is my protector." The Oracle smiled proudly.

Faith handed him the Oracle's bag. He nodded his head respectfully, Faith did the same.

As the Oracle stepped onto the elevator she held out her arm to stop the doors from closing. "You will have to make a very hard decision, both choices will have consequences, but you will choose the right one." She smiled, dropped her arm and the doors closed.

"FAITH!" Faith heard Neo scream, but she didn't move. In her mind she could see Neo running out of the Oracle's apartment and running toward him. Before he could get close enough to touch her, her phone rang.

"Slayer here."

"Faith, you have to get out now, sentinels!" Kale ordered.

"Take Twitch and Trans out, I might take a little longer."

"Faith, take Neo with you, there's a pay phone down at the Fish Market on Pollack Ave."

Faith clicked the phone shut, grabbed Neo's hand, and ran.

"Let go!"

"No, time Sentinels are closing in on our ships."

"What?"

When they reached the stairwell, Faith felt an odd twinge as Trans appeared before her.

"Ass, you scared the hell out of me!"

He didn't reply, except to grab both her and Neo's hands. "Jump!"

Faith bent her knees and leaped up, but instead of landing all three floated straight up ward.

"What the Hell!" Neo exclaimed, except they were traveling through a wall as he spoke so he sounded muffled. They popped up on the roof of the building; they were surrounded by police officers and two helicopters.

"Faith Wyndom-Price, you are under arrest!"