RATING: PG 13
AUTHOR: Sólia
STORY: What would have happened if, when the whole crew was in the wall in the first movie, Trinity had rushed to the aid of Morpheus, rather than forcing Neo to leave him?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just before I upload this I thought I should let everyone know that, although I spell quite well naturally, and although I have proofread this and the previous chapter on many previous occasions, I did not give them a final once-over today before posting them because I'm in a huge rush. I have hatred and discord to spread. So sorry if there is anything wrong with these.
Chapter Six
Neo watched the doors close with a sense of satisfaction. Good, Trinity would be safe, if not happy. She might claw down the steel doors, but at least Agent Smith couldn't get at her again.
Smith got to his feet and surveyed Neo as the rebel readied himself for the inevitable upcoming fight.
"Something is different about you, Mr Anderson," the agent noted aloud. "I'm just trying to put my finger on it." He wondered another few seconds. "Yes, I know what it is now." He smiled. The movement was so human. It was eerie to think that Smith in fact wasn't human at all. "There's a different chemical mix in the code than last time we met. I believe it is called attraction."
Neo narrowed his eyes, but was intrigued by this news. The fact that his interest in Trinity had changed over the last few hours was visible just by looking at him in code? Amazing.
"Isn't it funny what you humans will do for those they care for?" Smith mused. "You put yourself in this position so that your friends – and Trinity, of course – could get to the bottom floor, where a squadron of armed guards awaits them. So it was a waste of lives coming here." He smirked. "And isn't it funny what humans will do for the things they want?"
---
Cypher had finally managed to pry his door open. He walked casually into the Core. Tank was there, worriedly talking through the microphone that hung in front of his face from the headphones.
"Sir, you have to stop the lift – there's a whole squadron of company on ground level," he was saying urgently. He didn't notice Cypher enter the room. "No, I think they're dangerous, sir…"
---
Morpheus listened as Tank explained about the 'company' on ground level in the lobby.
"What's that pounding?" Tank asked over the phone as Switch pressed emergency stop.
"That's Trinity," Morpheus answered. She looked over her shoulder briefly, then went back to furiously attacking the doors. Her message was perfectly clear – she wanted out. She almost fell through the doors as they opened to an empty hall. Immediately she started for the nearby stairwell, but thankfully, Switch and Apoc caught her and restrained her. Trinity was making no noise as her mouth moved angrily, but it pretty obvious that she was severely abusing her captors.
"Whoa, I'm getting nasty stuff over here," Tank commented. "I'm reading what you lot are saying… Trinity – she's pretty pissed. Funnily enough, I can't hear over the phone."
"She's lost her voice," Morpheus said, looking around. "Any ideas?"
"No one's figured out where you are yet, so no immediate hurry," Tank answered.
Meanwhile, Trinity had stopped struggling against her friends. She was saying something again.
"What's she saying, Tank?" Morpheus asked, picking up occasional words of silent speech.
"Trinity? She's saying… 'We can't go without him. Please, we can't… Ask Tank what he's doing'. Oh, um, he's… Neo's fine for now. Having a nice little chat with our friend Smith."
---
Cypher heard Tank say the name 'Smith' and set his resolve. He knew what to do. He stopped beside Apoc's motionless body and gazed into the peaceful face for just a moment.
---
"Please let me go back to him," Trinity pleaded in silence. She wished she could speak aloud. If only they could understand her. Morpheus listened to Tank for a moment, then shook his head at her. So he could understand her, at least with the help of Tank, and yet he still wouldn't let her do what she knew she had to? Furious at the injustice, Trinity struggled violently against Apoc and Switch's tight grips. She felt them loosening as she fought them off.
---
Cypher reached for the plug behind Apoc's head. Taking a deep breath, he flexed his fingers and gripped the steel inlet firmly. Shoving his conscience to the back of his head with thoughts of a peaceful, happy, warless life within the Matrix with no memories of this miserable world, he gave the plug a hard yank.
---
Annoyed with the restraints, Trinity pushed Apoc away. Unfortunately, there was more force behind the simple movement than was intended, and Apoc hit the wall. He went limp and fell to the floor.
He didn't get up. He lay motionless. All three of them stared.
Was he dead? Had Trinity killed Apoc?
---
"What the hell?" Tank demanded of thin air as Apoc's code representation ceased to move and his previously steady, regular heartbeat instantly became a long, endless bleep.
"Tank, what happened? What happened?" Morpheus asked urgently over the phone.
"My screens tell me he's dead," Tank said disbelievingly, leaning closer and squinting at the data displayed. "But nothing-" He looked over to Apoc's body and froze.
Cypher stood there, staring down at the limp body with an expression of mild interest.
"Hey. Cypher?" Tank said warily, standing but not removing the headphones or breaking the connection to Morpheus.
"Tank, what's going on?" the captain asked.
---
Neo crashed down the stairs, ignoring the thought that he might fall in his mad dash and possibly break his neck. When the businesswoman had stumbled into the hall with a horrified expression, crying, "The captives, they're dead!" Neo had taken Smith's moment of diverted attention and run for his life. Although the thought of fighting had been sorely tempting (who didn't want to be the one to take out Agent Smith once and for all?) he had recalled the times he had been told to run from agents and followed the impressed advice. Sure, he had guns – heaps of guns – but what good were they in a narrow hallway lined with doors containing potential enemies?
He could hear Smith chasing after him, never shouting or speaking like enemies in movies but remaining silent and completely focussed on his goal of killing Neo before he reached the ground level.
All Neo had to do was beat him there. Then he could think of another course of action. For now he was just going to run and contemplate the meaning of Smith's last words to him: "And isn't it funny what humans will do for the things they want?"
Who was he talking about?
---
"What is going on?" Morpheus demanded, getting impatient with worry. He pressed the phone closer to his ear, trying to hear Tank better.
Before him, Switch and Trinity stared at the motionless form of their friend and crewmate, Apoc. Both looked as disbelieving as the other. Switch was the first to suddenly drop down and roll him over. His facial expression was slack and vacant. Morpheus slowly crouched, too, taking Apoc's pulse with one hand while straining to hear anything on Tank's end.
Apoc was impossibly but obviously dead.
"He's gone," Morpheus told the women quietly. Trinity took a step back, breathing deeply but irregularly as she was overcome with panic. Switch shook her head firmly and pulled Apoc's body closer to herself.
"He isn't," she insisted. She pressed her pale fingers against his neck, trying to find the nonexistent pulse of blood. "He isn't. I know he isn't."
With no one to hear her, Trinity backed against the wall and pressed herself to it, trying to get further away. Morpheus turned to her while Switch started to shake.
"Trinity, it isn't your fault," he said gently. She wouldn't meet his gaze, but her own eyes stared, devastated and agonised, at the dead body in Switch's arms. "Hitting the wall couldn't have caused this, you know that."
There was a murmur on Tank's end of the line, then a louder mention of the same sentence.
---
"Cypher… did you do this?" Tank asked softly. The bald man didn't answer as he walked over to Morpheus, shaking his head. He stared down at the defenceless captain as Tank repeated his question, louder this time; "Did you do it?"
"Do that?" Cypher asked finally, not looking up. "Kill Apoc? I didn't do anything."
Tank swallowed. At least he was sane enough to answer. He decided to take a different approach.
"How did you get out of your room?" he asked for the benefit of Morpheus, listening.
"Who cares?" Cypher said, meeting Tank's eyes. "I want to help them. Will you send me in to help?"
"Apoc died," Tank said bluntly.
"I know. I was trying to find something wrong with him. I can't figure it out. It must have been something to do with the Matrix. Did something happen to him inside?"
Maybe Cypher honestly had no idea how Apoc had suddenly died of accidentally hitting a wall.
"Yeah," Tank agreed, sitting down again and quickly searching the screens for the whereabouts and data on the crew within the Matrix. He remembered that Morpheus was listening. "Uh, sir, everything is fine here."
"Tank, please, what is going on?" the captain pleaded. "I need to tell Trinity that this wasn't her fault."
"Well," Tank said with a cringe as Cypher leaned over his shoulder to read the screens, "the trouble with that is… I think it might have been."
"What? Tank, he hit a wall. Nothing serious – just that. How could that have killed Apoc?"
"I don't know, sir. Maybe he fractured a spinal vertebrae, maybe he burst some vessel in his brain – I don't know, I'm not the doctor in the family. All I can tell you is that he's dead. He died when Trinity hurled him into the wall."
"She did that?" Cypher asked in surprise. "You got her out, then? She must be feeling like shit. Massive headache and now she's gonna blame herself for Apoc-"
"Is that Dozer there now?" Morpheus asked. He sounded like he was getting annoyed with Tank's half-answers and vagueness. "Ask him what happened-"
"No, sir, it's Cypher," Tank said quickly, typing in a command to the computer to show him the current location of Neo. He was running full out down some stairs in an attempt to get away from Agent Smith.
"I thought we locked Cypher up?" Morpheus asked.
"He got out, dunno how," Tank said, glancing repeatedly over at Apoc. His body lay still and unanimated, with the steely plug still protruding from the back of his head. "He seems sane now." Tank turned to Cypher. "You okay now?"
"I'm fine," he replied. "I think I sort of freaked when I heard that Trinity was suffering, though. Sorry if I caused any lasting damages."
"Right," said Tank, returning to his call to Morpheus. "Sir, keep moving. Drag the two of them downstairs quickly before you get caught."
"Easier said than done," Morpheus answered. "They're both in shock."
"Tell Trinity that Neo got away and he's currently heading for ground floor," Tank said, checking on the man as he spoke. Yes, he was still running. "That should keep her moving. I don't know about Switch."
"Thanks," Morpheus said, cutting the connection.
"Great. Can I go and help now?" Cypher asked.
"Too hard to get you in, too," Tank answered, making a point of being busy. "Do us a favour and find Dozer, would you? I need him to figure out what happened to Apoc."
Without a word, Cypher turned and left the room. Tank was mildly surprised – Cypher never did anything without speaking, whether it be to complain, agree or complain.
Sólia