12. Merovingian And Persephone

Enigma can see a large clock when they step into the towering lobby of glass and gleaming metal. People in suits and glamor clothes just sauntering around, busy with their activity. Four of them enter an elevator.

"What can you see, Neo, Enigma?" Morpheus asked.

Both Neo and Enigma check around. They give a brief moment with the Oracle's words, albeit keeping Trinity's death secret. To say they're not surprised with the revelation regarding Enigma's power is an understatement. "It's strange," Neo stated, "the code is somehow different."

"As it made with precise movement," Enigma added, jiggling her foot.

"Encrypted?" Morpheus guessed.

"Maybe," Neo replied at the same time Enigma said, "probably."

"Is that good for us or bad for us?" Trinity asked.

"Well, it looks like every floor is wired with explosives," Neo mentioned.

"Bad for us."

The elevator opens. "Here we go," Morpheus said. They exit the elevator and find a man. He asks something in French. Maybe asking about their intention. "Yes, we are here to speak with the Merovingian."

He nods. "Of course, he has been expecting you. Follow me."

▪︎1001▪︎

Inside a restaurant, they are led past the power lunches toward the far wall of tinted green glass which casts a money-colored hue over the city below. Both Neo and Enigma catch an Indian man escorts away by a big man. He glances at them before averting his eyes.

Enigma quickly recognizes Merovingian from her vision. She spots a woman sitting next to him, possibly his wife. Surround them, there're four other people Enigma feels aware of. A pair of twins in white clothes and dark sunglasses smiles wickedly, while another two dress like rockstar fans Mouse used to talk about.

"Aha, here he is at last. Neo, The One himself, right? Or to be precise, Neo and Enigma, The One themself?" He alluded with a smug smile. "Words speak very quickly now, with the infamous Red Queen of Wonderland as The One." He stares at Morpheus and Trinity. "And the legendary Morpheus. And Trinity, of course, si belle qu'elle me fait souffrir. I have heard so much, you honor me. Please, sit, join us." He gestures to the woman beside him. "This is my wife, Persephone. Something to eat? Drink?"

No response from the four of them as they all sit down.

"Hmm... of course, such things are contrivances like so much here," Merovingian shrugs. "For the sake of appearances."

"No, thank you," Neo declined, still holding Enigma's hand beneath the desk.

"Yes, of course, who has time? Who has time? But then if we do not ever take time, how can we ever have time?" He drinks his wine. "Château Haut-Brion 1959, magnificent wine, I love French wine, like I love the French language. I have sampled every language, French is my favorite. Fantastic language, especially to curse with." He starts speaking French. "You see, it's like wiping your arse with silk, I love it."

Enigma had never learned French before. Maybe she should learn some.

Morpheus, calm as usual, speaks. "You know why we are here."

"Hmph... I am a trafficker of information, I know everything I can. The question is, do you know why you are here?"

"We are looking for the Keymaker," Enigma stated.

Merovingian scoffs. "Oh yes, it is true. The Keymaker, of course. But this is not a reason, this is not a 'why.' The Keymaker himself, his very nature, is means, it is not an end, and so, to look for him is to be looking for a means to do... what?"

Neo starts to find this guy annoying. "You know the answer to that question."

"But do you? You think you do but you do not. You are here because you were sent here, you were told to come here and you obeyed." He laughs. "It is, of course, the way of all things. You see, there is only one constant, one universal, it is the only real truth: causality. Action. Reaction. Cause and effect."

"Everything begins with choice," Morpheus remarked.

"No. Wrong. Choice is an illusion, created between those with power, and those without. Look there, at that woman."

Enigma looks in Merovingian's direction, at a woman with a nice dress.

"My God, just look at her. Affecting everyone around her, so obvious, so bourgeois, so boring. But wait... watch. you see, I have sent her dessert, a very special dessert. I wrote it myself."

A waiter sets a chocolate cake in front of her. She takes her fork.

"It starts so simply, each line of the program creating a new effect, just like poetry. First, a rush... heat... her heart flutters. You can see it, Neo, yes?"

Suddenly, Neo gently directs Enigma's head away from the woman, as if he doesn't want Enigma to see it.

"What's wrong?" She asked, using her skill, confused.

"You don't want to see it," Neo simply said, sounds... edge? Nervous?

"She does not understand why. Is it the wine? No. What is it then, what is the reason? And soon it does not matter, soon the why and the reason are gone, and all that matters is the feeling itself. This is the nature of the universe. We struggle against it, we fight to deny it, but it is of course pretense, it is a lie. Beneath our poised appearance, the truth is we are completely... out. of. control."

Enigma quickly notices the woman already stands up in hurry.

"Causality," Merovingian remarked. "There is no escape from it, we are forever slaves to it. Our only hope, our only peace is to understand it, to understand the 'why'. 'Why' is what separates us from them, you from me. 'Why' is the only real social power, without it you are powerless. And this is how you come to me, without 'why', without power. Another link in the chain. But fear not, since I have seen how good you are at following orders, I will tell you what to do next. Run back, and give the fortune teller this message: Her time is almost up." He stands up. "Now I have some real business to do, I will say adieu and goodbye."

Enigma quickly stands up, not wanting to leave. "We haven't finished yet," she insisted, sounding cold than she can imagine.

"Oh yes, it is, child. The Keymaker is mine and I see no reason why I should give him up. No reason at all."

"Where are you going?" His wife asked.

"Please, ma chérie, I've told you, we are all victims of causality. I drink too much wine, I must take a piss. Cause and effect. Au revoir."

With that, he's gone. Four people stand up, probably going to kick them away.

"Touch me, and that hand will never touch anything again," Trinity warned as one of them tries to touch her shoulder.

As they're all escorted back into an elevator, Enigma spots the twin blows a kiss at Trinity, to which Enigma responds by giving the twin the finger in annoyance.

"Well, that didn't go so well," Neo commented.

"Are you certain the Oracle didn't say anything else?" Morpheus questioned.

Enigma shook her head. "She just say that."

"Maybe we did something wrong," Trinity guessed.

"Or didn't do something," Neo suggested.

"No, what happened happened and couldn't have happened any other way," Morpheus concluded.

"How do you know?"

"We are still alive."

Suddenly, the elevator opens and Persephone already standing outside. "If you want the Keymaker, follow me," she asserted.

▪︎1001▪︎

Persephone leads them into a man's toilet room. "Out!" He ordered a man inside to get out. "I'm so sick of his bullshit," she grumbled, taking her lipstick and using it on her mouth. "On and on, pompous prick." She stops. "A long time ago, when we first came here, it was so different. He was so different. He was like you," she alluded to Neo and turns around. "I'll give you what you want. But you have to give me something."

Neo and Trinity glance at each other for a brief moment. "What?" He asked.

"A kiss."

"Excuse me?" Trinity averred.

"I want you to kiss me as if you were kissing her."

Enigma doesn't like this. At all. "Why?" The blonde wondered.

"You love her," she looks at Neo. "She loves you," she glances at Trinity. "It's all over you both. And she's the proof of that love." she points out to Enigma. "A long time ago, I knew what that felt like. I want to remember it. I want to sample it. That's all, just a sample."

Trinity quickly takes her gun. "Why don't you sample this instead?"

"Trinity," Morpheus denoted in a hard tone before she puts down the gun.

"Such emotion over something so small," Persephone observed. "It's just a kiss."

"Why should we trust you?" Neo asked, feeling discomfort.

"If I don't deliver you to the Keymaker, she can kill me."

Neo looks at Trinity's eyes. In his silent stare, Trinity gives him a brief nod, telling him to do so, despite how much she knows neither of them ever want somebody else to kiss them. "All right," he steps closer but Persephone stops him.

"But you have to make me believe I am her," she insisted.

"All right," he repeated and gives her a quick kiss.

Persephone turns back. "Terrible. Forget it."

Inside, Neo truly wants nothing to do with this woman. But problem is, she's their only lead to get the Keymaker. "Wait," he stops her. "Okay."

"I'll give you my candy after this so your mouth's fresh," Enigma spoke, trying to comfort him, feeling how much Neo hate this. And truthfully, Enigma hates this as well.

"Thanks," he said. He takes his sunglasses, looking at Persephone and trying to imagine Trinity instead before kissing her.

A minute passed. Neo slowly steps back, putting back his sunglasses as Persephone feels immense glad. "Ah, yes. That's it." She looks at Trinity. "I envy you," she confessed. "But such a thing is not meant to last."

Neo tenses as the nightmare come back to his mind. Enigma grits her teeth, her shoulders tense with her hands tightly into fists.

"Come with me," she said, seems not to bother.

▪︎1001▪︎

She leads them through the back of the kitchen, down a hall, into a small office. She takes a key from her purse, inserts it at the keyhole. She opens it, showing them a modern chateau from the Renaissance era.

They all follow her into a library, where two men sit on a sofa. They get edge upon four of them. "It's all right, boys! They're with me," Persephone assured them before alluding them. "These fellas work for my husband, they do his dirty work. They're very good, very loyal. Aren't you, boys?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"They come from a much older version of the Matrix, but like so many back then, they caused more problems than they solved. My husband saved them because they're notoriously difficult to terminate." Persephone reaches something inside her purse. Enigma's eyes widen as she takes a gun. "How many people keep silver bullets in their gun?" She fires one of them. Straight one of them with a bullet on the head. "You can either run to the restaurant and tell my husband what I have done, or you can stay there and die," she told the last man. "He's in the ladies' room," she added, opening a door by using a book. "Hurry."

They quickly follow her again. This time, into some sort of basement. Like a dungeon of sort. Persephone pulls a heavy iron bolt from one of many doors, opening it. Both Neo and Enigma step closer, finding an old man wearing glasses stop with his work. Many keys display inside.

"My name is Neo," Neo introduced. "This is Enigma."

"Yes, I'm the Keymaker," the Keymaker greeted, taking the new key. "I've been waiting for you two."