Sydney ran out the door, hearing gunshots behind her. A piece of the tile floor flew up and cut her ankle. She ignored it.

"Help," she panted into the phone. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Switch, be calm. You will get out alive if you do exactly as I tell you." Despite hissmooth tone, Sydney heard the underlying tension in the man's voice.

"Yeah, okay. What do I do?"

"There is a janitor's closet coming up to your right. It's locked, but the key is on the ground nearby. You have to get inside and close it as fast as you can."

"But what about the-"

"Switch, trust me. I promise it'll be okay."

Sydney shoved the cell phone into the pocked of her jeans. Okay eyes, don't fail me now. Where the frig is that key?

Seeing the shiny bit of metal, Sydney stopped her sprint down the hall, shoes skidding on the polished tiles of the floor. She grabbed it, all the while acutely aware of the dark-suited man following and shooting. She jumped up, jamming the key into the lock, and swung open the door. As she pulled it closed, she heard someone yell, "Alright, she's clear!"

Then she heard the explosion. "They chucked a grenade?" she yelled. "I could've died!"

The door swung open, revealing two African-American people. One, the female, wore dark red leather and odd-looking geometric buns all over her head. The male wore a long black trenchcoat and bizarre sunglasses that had no arms, but somehow stayed on his face anyway.

"Switch, I presume?" Not waiting for the teenager's nod, the woman handed her a handgun. "Just aim and squeeze," she said dryly. "Now let's get out of here before more agents show up."

"Wait," the man said. "Her phone."

"What about it?" Sydney asked.

"Turn it off," both said simultaneously. They gave each other a look that suggested this kind of thing happened often.

Sydney obeyed, but not without asking her usual question. "What for?"

"They can trace your position through it," the man replied. "Now come on."

Sydney learned very quickly how out-of-shape she was. "Were exactly is it," she panted, "that we're going?"

"Save your breath for running," the woman advised wryly.

Then they were outside the school, sprinting toward a waiting car. "Get in," the man motioned, then slid in after her. The woman somersaulted over the hood of the car, diving into the driver's seat and putting the pedal to the medal. There was someone else inside the car, a young Asian man who couldn't be that much older than Sydney herself. He raised a hand in greeting when she entered, then loaded the sub-machine gun he was holding.

"Switch," the man said, "I'm sure you have many questions, but I'm afraid that we have run out of time. The agents know about you, they know that you know."

"Know what?" Sydney interrupted, "and who the hell are you people?"

"My name is Morpheus," the man said. "The driver is Niobe, the gunner Ghost. But that isn't important right now. Switch, you know the question, the question which brought you here to us."

"What is the matrix?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, there aren't words that can properly describe it."

"We're almost there," interrupted the woman - Niobe. "You'd better skip the bullshit Morpheus, just give her the bare essentials."

Morpheus gave a small smile. "Very well. Switch, you are going to have to make a choice. You can keep on living this life, constantly knowing that something is wrong with the world, or you can choose to see the matrix for what it really is."

"Jeez Morpheus, that the best you can do?" Niobe shook her head as the car came to a screeching stop.

The four people ran quickly inside a nearby building, an old abandoned warehouse. "Hurry," Niobe said.

There was a small sitting area set up inside, with two red leather chairs and a table. There was a small silver container on the table, which Morpheus picked up when he reached it. He sat down in one, motioning for Sydney to take the other one. Niobe and Ghost left the room through another door.

"So," Morpheus said quietly. "This is it. This is the moment you've been waiting for your entire life." He opened the silver case, taking two small objects out, one in each hand. "Switch, from this moment on, there is no turning back, there is no second chance. You know there is something wrong with the world. I can't fully explain right now, but I can tell you this - you and every other human being on the planet are slaves."

"What?" Sydney shook her head. "What are you saying? That's not possible."

"Do you believe in fate, Switch?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I hate the idea that my life is already planned out, that no matter what I do, it's not my decision. I hate the idea of being under someone else's control."

Morpheus smiled. "I know how you feel." Then he opened his hands, holding out the objects in them. They were two small pills, one blue, one red. "Switch, if you take the red pill, I can help you break free of that control, and I can show you what the matrix is. If you take the blue pill, you'll wake up in your bed and think this was all a dream. You will never get another chance," Morpheus cationed as Sydney reached for the red pill. "If you take the red, you can never go back."

Sydney paused for the briefest of seconds. Yeah, she loved her family, but she had to know. She had to find the answer. So, she swallowed the red pill with the help of a waiting water glass.

"Thank you," Morpheus said quietly.

well? what do you think? REVIEW OR BE STUCK WITH SPORKS!

-gwen