Chapter Fifty-Five – A Bug's Life

Rose Tyler stepped into a white room, its walls filled with television screens, and then saw the white-haired man sitting across from her, just like in a movie she'd once seen.

"I know you," she said, remembering the part of the movie she'd almost fallen asleep during. "You're The Architect. You built The Matrix"

The Architect nodded. "And you are?"

"I'm Rose Tyler," she replied. "I'm from a different reality. Just visiting."

"Really," said The Architect. "If you'd care to look at the screens…"

Rose turned her attention to the screens with their black backgrounds and green characters cascading down them. "Is this all you do all day? Stay in watching TV?"

"Keep watching," said The Architect as the images on the screens suddenly changed.

"It's me," said Rose in shock, looking at the different images of her that were now moving about on the screens. "Then again, I don't remember hanging from a barrage balloon and who's that guy in the pin-striped suit?"

"It doesn't matter," explained The Architect. "That girl's not you. She's a fictional character from an old television series called Doctor Who."

"Oh, I'm real," replied Rose. "Just from another reality, like I said."

"Highly improbable," said The Architect. "You're more likely to be just some AI representation of that character, your memories provided from the series, but what are you doing in this reality?"

"The Doctor brought me," replied Rose.

"Ah, The Doctor, the hero of the series. No doubt a gamer role-playing the character, your creator, but how did they manage to hack you into this reality. Was it Neo? Was it Trinity? I never considered they'd stop fighting long enough to use their brains."

"I'm real," insisted Rose Tyler, "more real than any of this."

"You're just a programming error, Miss Tyler. A bug. No more, no less. I've encountered many in my time but never ones claiming to be fictional characters. I wait for ages and it appears two come along at once."

"What if I am real, though?" asked Rose. "Highly improbable but not totally impossible."

"Well in that case, Miss Tyler, look at the screens and see your future life - this could be the only chance you get."

"Are you a Time Lord?" she asked, suddenly remembering The Master and his screen. "Like The Doctor and The Master? You've got the right sort of name for it."

"Why bother with time when you can shape realities?" asked The Architect.

"That's a shame. I was hoping that you could tell me how The Doctor dies," said Rose, remembering the note that The Master had given The Doctor.

"Oh, I know how your Doctor dies," replied The Architect. "Truth to tell I was a big fan."

"Tell me," demanded Rose.

"He died saving you," replied The Architect. "I wonder if the same will happen here. Tell you what, Rose, seeing as I'm a fan, and there's an incredibly remote possibility that you are who you say you are, I'm going to offer you a choice. If you go through that door you get the chance to change things and one day maybe risk your life to save The Doctor…"

"And if I go through the other door?" asked Rose.

"Is that even a possibility?" asked The Architect who then, after a pause, added "Show The Doctor in on your way out."

Rose went through the door and there outside, escorted by two agents, was The Doctor.

"Rose, are you alright?" asked The Doctor, seeing the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Don't worry, Doctor," she replied, wiping the tears away. "I'll be fine."


Trinity attempted to dodge the ever-growing number of cars, their drivers now morphed into agents, that were attempting to crash into her. Meanwhile, as the cars delayed her, the helicopter pursuing her got closer and closer. She had to get out of The Matrix soon, she realized, and the only way to do that was to get to a phone. As she leapt off her motorcycle just as a car ploughed into the side of it, she noticed, as she rotated through the air, a blue object in the distance with the words POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX written on the top. Running along the tops of cars, with the bullets coming from the helicopter leaving a trail of shattered glass in her wake, she headed towards the big blue box and finally, just as the bullets were about to catch up with her, leapt at it. Landing on the ground beside it, she pushed on the door but it stubbornly refused to open, so she just stood there, pounding frantically against it, while the helicopter, its bullets exhausted, headed straight towards her.
Chloe, trapped in the body of Lex Luthor, knew that one day they'd be switched back to their true bodies and, when that time came, Chloe wanted to be sure that Lex remembered and regretted his misdeed. That was why she'd just visited a tattoo parlor (although when she'd explained to Ursa that she was going to have words written into her flesh, Ursa had kindly offered to do it for free).

Now, leaving the tattoo parlor, she saw Zod and Ursa standing there, where she'd left them. She also saw lots of black-suited men suddenly morphing into existence around them.

Suddenly she found her hand going into her pocket, and to the lump of kryptonite that Ursa had given to her earlier.


Clark, Lana and Chloe (who was really Lex) were just about to leave the Tardis when they heard a pounding on the door.

Opening it, Clark saw a woman, dressed all in black, rush past him and then noticed a helicopter outside rushing directly at him. While he pondered how to stop the helicopter without inadvertently revealing his secret to Lana, the woman in black pushed the door closed and then dropped to the ground, bracing herself for the helicopter/phone box impact that would no doubt kill her.

The Tardis itself spotted the vehicle rushing towards it and wondered whether dematerializing would be prudent. Then again, it contained so much mass in so little volume that it had more than enough density to completely absorb any impact, so it just stood there and telepathically laughed while the helicopter splatted against it like a bug splats against a windscreen, albeit with a far bigger explosion.

Inside the Tardis, Trinity, hearing the noise outside, stayed on the floor for a few seconds and then, realizing that her impending doom wasn't as impending as she had thought, got up.

"Who are you?" asked Lana.

Just as Trinity was about to answer, an incredulous Chloe (who was really an incredulous Lex) leapt in. "You don't recognize her? She's Trinity."

Lana looked at Chloe with a blank face.

"From the Matrix," explained Chloe.

Clark came over to Chloe and looked at her blankly as well.

"What is the Matrix?" he asked.

"You've got to know The Matrix," said Chloe (who was really Lex acting as Chloe). "Some cute guy finds he's been living a lie and he gets these powers - he can stop bullets and fly… and there's this girl who he loves who's an expert fighter… and then there's this mysterious bald guy who he meets who dresses in black and gives long speeches."

"Sounds kind of far-fetched," said Clark. "Was it some comic book?"

"Well, it started out as a movie, but there were comic books, computer games and even a set of animated prequels, The Animatrix."

"Well, Chloe," explained Lana, "some of us are too busy leading our lives to watch every little B-movie that comes along. Ponies don't ride themselves, you know."

"Wait a minute," said Clark, recognition dawning, "you must remember the Animatrix cartoons."

"Oh yeah," said Lana, a smile suddenly coming to her face. "Now I remember. I loved Pinky and The Brain."

"Narf!" said Clark.

While Chloe (who was really Lex) shook her head in disbelief, Trinity decided it was time to get on with what she'd come here to do.

"For those who don't know," she began, "I'm Trinity. I'm here looking for the other one - the one with powers beyond even The One's comprehension."

"That'd be me," said Clark, stepping forward.

"Don't be ridiculous, Clark," laughed Lana.

"But it's a different world here, Lana," said Clark, trying to cover up the truth from Lana. "Who knows what strange powers I may have in this dimension?"

"No, Lana's right," said Trinity. "The prophecy was very clear."

"But if you're not the one…" began Chloe (who was really Lex) and then realized that Trinity knew Lana's name even though Lana had never introduced herself. Trinity's knowing Lana's name could mean only one thing.

Clark looked at Chloe staring at Lana, and then at Trinity staring at Lana, and then he himself stared at Lana, who was staring at her own reflection in Trinity's sunglasses, and then the truth dawned on Clark.

"She's the one."