My Matrix

I took the red pill after much hesitation, I stared at it from every angle, then refused the water on the stool for fear of it being poisoned. I slaked the small red pill with my saliva. I swallow then coughed slightly. The man sitting in front of me smiled at my unwillingness.

"Now, come with me." I nod my head rising from my over stuffed chair.

"Where we going?" I ask.

Without answering he opens a door. I see other people that look like him. Mysterious eyes that seem to know something no others do. And plus each and everyone of them was wearing black. Black leather, black spandex, black polyester, black, black, black. And the thing I didn't understand was that the room seemed dark to me, and yet each person wore sun glassed. I felt like I was in some weird twilight zone mishap episode. But then I think of the Wizard of Oz when I see the machinery, for I am reminded of the old man with all the buttons and such behind the draw back curtain. Suddenly I get the urge to click my heals together and scream 'There's no place like home!'

I close my eyes and imagine my home. I picture my mother sitting in her French Decoupage room cross legged, listening to the sounds of waves while doing yoga. Then I see my little brothers sitting ideally getting brain washed by the television. And then there I am, in my room reading my book, blasting heavy metal remix's. All because there's nothing better to do. Then I realize that if there is 'no place like home' it IS NOT my home.

I knew no one in the dark decomposing room. But it seemed to me they all knew who I was. Two boys about my age whispered something to one another. Most smile at me; I make a quick count of all the people in the room, at least ten, and they all stared at me.

"By the way," says the first man I meet, the one who seemed to be the leader but didn't look a day over twenty-one. He smiles at me showing clean straight white teeth. I picture this guy in his teens, with a huge mouth of metal. I smile because I love braces. "My name is Ganarth."

My lips turn slightly at the corners.

"Okaaaaay, Darth Vader" I answer with a giggle.

"Please, lie down." Ganarth jesters to a patch work or rips and tares of what looks like a very, VERY old dentist chair.

"I swear I've been flossing." I hold up my hands in scouts honor. Ganarth frown but says nothing. I roll my eyes and then someone snickers behind my. I ignore it and sit down on the dusty chair.

"This will feel weird" Says a women next to me.

It's my turn to frown. "How weird like on a scale of one to" Something sharp is inserted into the fleshy part of the underside of my arm. "ten." I finish. It's removed, and I suck in a mouthful of air. My lungs feel as if bricks. I breath more deeply but, nothing.

"Are we on line?" Says someone.

"Yep, I'm waiting for the signal." Answers another.

"Dose it usually take this long?" Asks someone farther away, they sound frightened. I can't see it because have my eyes closed, but I can feel their strange questioning looks at one another. I hear the beep, beep, beep of the computer. Then the sound of typing keys floats to my ears. Someone begins to tap their foot restlessly. My body now feels like lead. Heavy and unmovable. I get the sudden urge to scream out my agony, but refrain. I don't even make a sound though it is the worst pain I have ever known, I make not a murmur. The beeping becomes more apparent, more frequent.

"Is it working?" Ganarth asks hesitantly. His words echo in my mind. Then I hear nothing, feel nothing. And then I become weightless, as if floating in a cloud of pure blissful ignorance. I love it. But in a flash it is all gone and all that is left is the strange feeling of breathlessness.

"I've found her." those words bring me back to Earth; but it is no Earth I have ever known. I begin to choke uncontrollably on a weird thick burning liquid. I open my eyes but see nothing. My lungs need oxygen but as I gape my mouth wide to breath, I can't. I flail my arms seeking a way to live. A skin type wall breaks above me, I force my head upward, and I feel somewhat relieved. I breath deeply and open my eyes once again.

I wish I hadn't.

I wish that I had stayed were I was. What ever I was in. Not breathing; but it is now to late. I realize this like I know my heart beats. Or at least it seems NOW it dose.

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I don't remember blacking our. For I KNOW I didn't faint. Only sissy girls faint and I am NO sissy.

"Are you feeling better Fay?"

I sit up just to feel and see that am as naked as the day I was born. I blush from the tip of my toes to the roots of my hair. I try to cover myself with my arms. The man who asked the question turned away from me, then throws something rough looking over his shoulder.

"Put these on." he says simple. He moves around the bright room, ignoring me. I stand keeping my eyes on him. He is older, for his hair is whitish gray with the hint of youthful brown. He stands erected messing with something on a counter. I look at the clothes. Gray pants like his hair but shadowed with blue, and a white smock. I glance around the room quickly absorbing my surroundings, white, JUST like a doctors office. But the floor is tiles, almost red looking.

So this older dude MUST be a doctor person. I smack myself on the forehead. Nahh he just likes to stand around in a doctors room messing with doctor-ish looking things!

I dress, but I don't like the loose pants with NO flare what so ever at all! I snort. Who came up with this horrible fashion design? There is also a scratchy knitted top with quarter long sleeves. (for you deprived dorks who DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS it is sleeves that are basically to your smiles elbow and FYI this will be the writing I will use when I am talking to you. NOT one of the characters, just for future references.) But at least the fashion less people thought to give cotton under things, which reduced the chaffing on my already sore skin.

Halleluiah!

The room begins to spin, then someone walks through the door.

"Are you alright Fay?"

I didn't hear who ever it was, but suddenly the floor looks REALLY close.

"Gotcha!" I hear Ganarth say as he picks me up. I blink up at him. He lays my softly back on the hospital looking bed. "Really, that's twice you've fainted today."

"I don't faint okay Darth Vader I… I black out. There IS a difference." I rub my aching head. "And what do you mean," I stop and glare at him. "that that's 'twice today'?" I mimic his deep commanding male voice.

Ganarth starts to tell me about my collapsing at the breeding ground-

"Wait, what?" I demand shirking. "Breeding grounds for what! And why the hell was I there?"

He sighs. "You see humans became more an more dependant on AI's, that's Artificial-"

"Intelligence, I know what it is." I cut in impatiently. I tap my fingures on the hospital bed thing.

"Yes well, these AI's became out of control, getting a mind of their own." He pauses to see if I was going to say anything else, I raise my eye brows at him in annoyance. "They started killing humans." He said speaking again. "We could do nothing to stop them, they became too clever. They started to breed humans to feed on. In the end we fled to the inner grounds of the earth for protection. Millions died." He sighs. "That is all really that I can tell you. I was brought here the same way you were. I was saved. You should be thankful." He looks away as if recalling some far off distant time and place. "And that…"

The man who had to be the doctor, came over to us, Ganarth sitting on a stool and me on the bed. The Doc opens my mouth. Ya sure what ever he's checking out my teeth or something. But no, he shoves something down my throat. I begin to gag like any normal person would. The Doc takes it, and walks back the counter, then dose some weird doctor 'ah huh' then says nothing more.

I touch the skin around my throat. "You were saying?" I cough and glare at the back of the Doc's back.

"Yes well, we humans umm… were a dieing breed. Zion is the last remaining human city. And your, well you're here because…" He shacks his head. "You're a key, Fay, one key. You could help us destroy all are enemies. That's why you were chosen to know. That's why you're here."

I swallow dry. "I feel so…"

"Used?" the doctor guy says not turning around.

"Ya, among anything." I blink several times. "Why do you call me Fay?" I get some weird cool ideas in my head. "Is it because of like some secret word for me being a key? Or, or is it because of some strange language you use to fool your enemies. Or…"

Ganarth grins. "It's because you fainted at the breeding grounds. You're the only one I know to have done so."

"I don't faint." I say gruffly, think of all the cool things it COULD have been.

"Of course." His small smiles fades. "You should get some sleep you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow." Ganarth nods toward to the Doc guy, who whips out this freaking long needle and walks to me. Before I can even blink Ganarth holds me down. He must have seen the panic MUST ESCAPE HORRIBLE PAIN! Look in my eyes. For I couldn't move. The small scream a was about to yell I hold back by biting my bottom lip. The shot goes in and I feel numb all over. Someone says something but I've already fallen fast asleep.