scarstar – I agonised over those bits, because both of them aren't easy characters to describe! Kind of like MOPI characters…Mike and Scott both caused me moments where I felt like throwing the computer at the wall…Thanks for the compliments and the review!

Sydney Andrews – I hope the bit below about Kes answers some of your questions. I fixed that sentence by the way…that's what I get for writing at three in the morning! I always wanted Kes as an Operator, it forces her to be passive when she's a very active personality and character. I both love and hate writing Neo and Trinity, because some of the time they're very unspoken, and then I get sick of them just not talking, so I tend to keep my Neo/Trinity moments to a minimum. Thanks for reviewing!

willaim johns – Thanks! I like to get a reply when I review, so it seems only fair that I reply. Thanks for reviewing!

Bagpipes5K2 – Because this is the sort of Matrix soap opera, it wouldn't work if Kiana didn't join the Neb (: It's actually a thought that never crossed my mind, I just really wanted to move on with the story so I thought she'd just join the Neb and then I could get a move on!

Okay, in the last chapter, some people commented that Kes is kind of bratty, more concerned with herself than others. The thing about Kes is that she's almost gotten used to a world where her whole family is important and revered, and subconsciously, she's accepted that and kind of likes it. Hence the brattiness. It's not conscious, but she has gotten a little too used to it over the years. Also, she's sarcastic, like all my characters, because I am too, and so her comment at the end is her way of expressing relief at the whole episode being over. She's glad that it's all over, that everything's going to be alright now and she doesn't have to worry about her parents, and so she expresses that with a stunning return to her cynical form. Kes is very good at being dramatic and over-emphasising the points she wants to think about, but there are some things she'd rather not think about (ie; the chance of her parents dying). She tries to clamp down on those emotions and so covers up her feelings with sarcasm.

Does that make sense? If anyone wants a more in depth analysis of Kes or Kiana, tell me and I'll be happy to explain.

This is where the plot is revealed, so an important chapter! Thanks again to Bagpipes, as always, for betaing and giving me encouragement.

Chapter V: Recovery

Kiana had no idea how long she was asleep for. Once the world had vanished, all she remembered was a lot of red light, combined with the feel of rough, mechanical steel beneath her fingers and pain down her back. She remembered the feeling of waters closing over her, and then a feeling of falling. After that, it was completely black.

She had to consciously think to open her eyelids – they had never seemed so heavy before. When she managed to prise them open, the intensity of the light around her made her eyes sting and water instinctively, even though the light was not that bright.

The room started to spin. Kiana squeezed her eyes shut, revelling in the darkness that came, and tried to calm her whirling head down. She had the strange feeling of being disconnected from her body, and that she was just a floating head in midair. Her whole consciousness felt like it was hovering several feet above her brain, and the swirling feeling wasn't going away. She forced her eyes open again, and tried to figure out where the hell she was.

Her ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton wool, and she couldn't hear anything properly. All she could hear was a low, mechanical humming, like a computer echoing in a dark, empty room. It felt so far away, but the intensity of the lights told her that it was a lot closer.

She licked her dry, cracked lips and tried to speak, but her mouth felt like it didn't know how to work. Her throat scratched and burned like it was stuck. All that came out was a pale, almost noiseless groan.

Through the fogginess of her ears, she could hear someone moving around near her. Their footsteps, ringing with a metallic sound, were coming closer towards her, she could tell.

"Kiana?" The voice was feminine, and youthful. "How do you feel?"

"Like crap" she managed to rasp out. "Where am I?"

"The Real World" the voice replied softly.

"What?" Kiana asked, but was interrupted by a fit of coughing, which made her throat burn. There was no moisture in her throat, which made it hurt more than ever. Her stomach was empty, and yet she felt slightly nauseous, the scent of bile stinging her sore throat.

"Don't worry yet" the voice reassured her. "It'll all be explained soon. Just relax, and sleep"

Kiana felt a warm hand on her forehead, and a sense of weariness overcame her. Though she was still full of questions, she let herself drift into a dream world.

The next time Kiana woke up, the room was exactly identical, so she couldn't tell whether she had been asleep for a minute, an hour or a week. The first thing that struck her when she opened her eyes that the light no longer hurt as much. In fact, she could see things better, though the minute details seemed to elude her. For example, the ceiling was just a blue-grey metal blur. But that was more than she could see the last time she woke up, so hey, it was an improvement.

Her nose itched suddenly, and she tried to raise her hand to scratch it. Her arm felt weird though, strangely heavy and leaden. As she brought it into her line of vision, the image of a hedgehog flashed into her mind. It might have had something to do with the fact her arm had been turned into an acupuncturist's plaything.

"Holy fucking hell!" she swore violently, although her croaky, disused voice took some of the effect out of the words.

"Good to know you're feeling okay" It was the person from before, but this time there was a considerable amount of humour in her voice.

"Do I look okay?" Kiana rasped back. "What the shit are you doing to me?"

"Building up your muscles with atropine" the girl replied. "So sorry, no movement. Don't even turn your head, unless you like needles being embedded into your skull"

Kiana rolled her eyes, and then realised how much that hurt, and stopped suddenly. "What am I meant to do then?"

"Sleep?"

"Helpful" Kiana replied with a drowsy sarcasm. There was the sound of light laughter above her, and then silence. Kiana knew she hadn't gone away, but she didn't have the energy to try and talk again.

There was a pause, during which Kiana began to realise she was in considerable pain. Well, what did she expect? She had needles stuck into every bit of available skin. This is surreal, she thought before drifting off into a state between waking and sleeping, almost like a self-induced coma, brought on by a combination of pain, boredom and confusion. One thought passed through her head in this bizarre limbo place. How do I know when I'm awake or when I'm asleep?

Kiana woke up in a totally different place. At first, it looked exactly the same; same old, dank steel ceiling with blue tints where it caught the light, same bolts sealing the whole structure together. However, she was in a proper bed, and wearing proper clothes. Granted, they were only dark blue trousers and a grey, thinly woven pullover, but she was feeling a little warmer than she had in days. Considering how cold the ship was though, it wasn't much warmer.

Looking around, she could see an IV bag hanging near her. Following the line down with her eyes, Kiana realised that it was hooked into her skin, through a black hole of metal. It was almost sewn into the skin, like it was blocking a wound. The IV was connected through that. Kiana grabbed it and pulled it out in one swift movement. She gasped with shock as pain rippled down her arm. She hadn't expected it to hurt like that. It was metal. Metal didn't hurt. Obviously though it was connected to her skin, and then deeper inside her body. Rubbing her arm with her hand – as though it would help – Kiana's mind began to reel in a number of abstract directions. One part of her was wondering where she was. Another was wondering how much time had passed between the night at the warehouse and now. Another was trying to piece together all the information to make a complete picture, but there were too many gaps, too many holes.

Speaking of holes, she checked her other arm. A black metal plug was there in the same place as her other arm. A sudden twinge racked through her back as she bent down to feel her legs. Reaching over her shoulder, her hand searching between her shoulder blades, she found more holes, trailing down her spine. A quick search of her lower legs found more, place symmetrically on her body.

Kiana reached up a hand to push her hair away from her face, something she always did on waking up. Instead, she flinched as her hand made contact with her bare scalp. No shred of her white-blonde hair remained. Her whole head was devoid of any hair, though her eyebrows were a thin stubble. What she didn't realise, what she couldn't see, was that they were much darker than before, almost black.

"What is going on?" she wondered to the world. "Where am I?"

Since the empty air wasn't going to answer her, she decided to find something that could. Walking on legs that felt uncharacteristically weak, she hobbled towards the door and opened it, wincing a little at the loud, clunky sound it made. Unlike when she was first unplugged, her senses felt raw and sensitive, like they had only just been exposed to the outside world.

The hallway outside was empty, but the constant humming and whirring of machines made it seem more alive, but the echoes of noise created an atmosphere of loneliness. A feeling of unease settled in Kiana's stomach, but she suppressed it and walked along the metal grate with small, soft steps.

It took her about a dozen steps before she realised she had no idea where she was going. It took her another three before she realised that it didn't matter. Wherever she went, she had to find people, people who could explain this to her, people who could tell her what had happened. Another step and this determination grew to the point that it rang out with every step that she took.

A door was ajar at the end of the hall, showing a pale, pure light. Kiana pushed it slightly, noting the thickness and weight of the door in a way she never had before, slipping into the room with a sort of feline grace. The room was obviously a sort of mess hall, as there was a table with bench chairs around it, and something that could have passed for cutlery on the side. The room wasn't empty, as there was a girl at the end with a mug of water and a dish of something that reminded Kiana uncomfortably of white vomit.

As Kiana entered, the girl raised her head, meeting her eyes with a friendly smile. "Didn't know you were up. How are you feeling?"

Kiana nodded slowly. "Not bad"

"Want something to eat?" the girl offered, flicking a few strands of black hair out of her dark eyes.

Kiana cast her eyes over the slop in the tray. "I'm good" she lied. "Who are you?"

"I'm Kes" the girl introduced herself. "I've been watching you for the last couple of days"

Kiana had a weird feeling of being a creature under a microscope. "Why?" she asked with slight trepidation.

Kes shrugged. "Procedures, checks – you'll be told more about it all soon"

Kiana raised an eyebrow.

"You'll get the answers soon, I promise" Kes assured her whilst eating a spoonful of the slop. "Sorry. I recently went on an involuntarily hunger strike and I have no intention of doing it again"

Kiana smiled, but the sight of the food – if it could be called that – was making her feel nauseous. Instead of looking at it, she took stock of her surroundings studying the room. She froze as she looked at the slightly shiny wall, in which she could see her own features faintly. Her face rose like an oval moon, just as she remembered, but her bald head shocked her. However, above her eyes, she could see the shadow of her eyebrows, much darker than she had remembered and they showed up like shadows on an x-ray. Even in a proper mirror, her eyebrows usually barely showed up. Because their white-blonde colour, they seemed invisible. Must be the light, Kiana thought, running a finger along her brows. The hairs seemed rough and almost sharp to her fingers, as the stubble was growing back unevenly.

"Are you okay?" Kes asked her with, to her credit, no hint of insincerity in her voice. Kiana realised with a start that staring into the wall and fondling her eyebrows was not a good way to maintain both her dignity and her sanity.

"Fine" she lied again, and stood up. "I think I need to sleep" she said, just as a way to end the conversation.

"Can you find your way back to your room?"

Kiana nodded. Part of the reason she wanted to get out of there was that she was feeling tired and ill, but another reason was that something about Kes disconcerted her. She didn't know why, since Kes was pretty friendly, but something really confused her. It would pass. It was just a reaction to all of this. Was it? It had to be, she told herself.

She left the room quickly and silently.

Kes didn't know why she was taking so many shifts in the Med Bay. It was kind of for the change. Usually all she did was repairing the ship or watching the Matrix. It was interesting to do this sort of work. Plus, it was mainly solitary so she got a chance to think.

One weakness that she fully admitted to herself was that she was truly awful at letting things go. And the fact that she had an impulsive streak running strongly through her meant that she had many things to think over and regret. One was the mess she was making with her life. The other was the mess she was making with her parents.

It was a shocking insight to realise that no-one had ever asked her what she wanted. She couldn't jack in and she wanted to be on a ship. That meant that she could only be an Operator. Cradle to grave, she'd just be watching other people make a difference. She'd never get a chance to do that herself.

The whole transfer to the Logos, it was mainly talk and bullshit. She knew that Niobe would accept her, as a favour to Morpheus and her parents. But maybe she didn't want to be accepted on a favour. Maybe she needed to prove herself, prove that she wasn't her parents' daughters.

Was it horrible of her to sometimes hate her parents for the burden they'd saddled her with? Not only was she born into a war where she couldn't do a goddamn thing to help except watch and pray, she was the daughter of the first person ever to kill an Agent and the One, which kind of spoke for itself. Kes had meant what she said to Morpheus about Zion. She wanted to go back, but for a deeper reason. She had to prove to them that she had a purpose. The Council, the Zionites everyone who looked at her with mingled pity and awe. She needed to go back there and prove to them that she was her own person.

There was a tiny part of her though, the voice of reason, the one that Kes tried to ignore nine times out of ten, saying that maybe she wasn't trying to prove it to other people. Maybe she needed to prove it to herself as well. Kes scowled as that thought flickered through her mind. Bloody reasoning, she thought angrily.

The computer interrupted her thoughts by beeping. Kes immediately typed her password in, the same one she'd used all her life, and checked what it wanted to tell her. It was just the results of a blood test. Nothing interesting. She looked at it anyway, just for interest's sake.

Blood Test: Kiana

Match Found

Kes stared at the screen. This is new, she thought. Even if blood types matched, it didn't show up on the screen. It only showed up if there was some sort of genetic link. She typed into the keyboard furiously, asking for more details.

After a second, the computer gave her a new message.

Matches on board Nebuchadnezzar: Neo, Trinity, Kesare

Well, the link between the three of them was obvious…Kes' eyes widened. "I can't have made a mistake" she whispered to herself. She backtracked over the computer, checking all the data she entered that day. Nothing was obviously wrong with it.

What does Kiana have to do with us? Kes wondered. She'd been watching Kiana, both in the Matrix and in the Real World. There wasn't a single thing to connect them. For starters, she was blonde. Enough said.

Still, all of this was bizarre. How could she be related to them? Kiana was eighteen for God's sake, three years older than Kes. Eighteen years ago…Kes did some maths on her fingers. Her father would have been barely unplugged, if that. She didn't have the whole story, as no-one felt it necessary to tell her. What she knew about the Neb and the war before she was born came mainly from gossip and hacking into Zion computer systems. She knew virtually nothing about her parents' lives before she was born, but she knew enough to know that eighteen years ago her parents weren't together, but she realised, kicking herself, that it was irrelevant. She was overlooking the obvious. Kiana was plugged into the Matrix. How could she be plugged in and related to two pod-borns and one freeborn? Parents and families in the Matrix meant nothing; a whole family could share no genetic material. It was only in the Real World that genetics actually counted for anything, that they actually existed beyond being an illusion of the Matrix. Since genetics counted for shit, Kiana could, possibly, be related to both her parents dating back from the time when they were still plugged into the Matrix. But eighteen years ago Trinity was definitely free…and it still didn't explain how she was related to Kes…

Still, this all led her back to the original question. What did Kiana have to do with her and her family?

Okay, there's not that much more to say…this was the big plotbunny chapter. Any comments? Please review!