"I believe death is only a door. One closes, and another opens. If I were to imagine heaven, I would imagine a door opening. And he would be waiting for me there."
― Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Das Ende Ist Der Anfang (German) = The end is the beginning
22. Das Ende Ist Der Anfang
Enigma opens her eyes. "Plug me in," she told the machine.
▪︎1001▪︎
Neo slowly wakes up. He finds Smith standing not far, looking serious as usual. Despite the rain, he senses someone else closer to him. As he raises his head, he soon finds his daughter standing a few meters from the big crack on the street, looking at him with worry expression, still standing without movement, likely scared or confused.
He's slowly trying to stand up.
"Why, Mr. Anderson, why? Why, why do you do it? Why? Why get up? Why keep fighting?" Smith asked him as Neo rolls over, pulling his arm from the wet sucking mud, forcing his legs to move closer to her.
"Do you believe you're fighting for something, for more than your survival?" He pondered. "Can you tell me what it is, do you even know? Is it freedom? Or truth? Perhaps peace? Could it be for love?"
His jaw tightens, remembering the woman he loves died as he kissed her one last time, as he keeps moving closer to his daughter, not bothering to answer Smith's questions, for that alone will remind him of her death, and he rather not think about it.
"Illusions, Mr. Anderson, vagaries of perception," Smith continued. "Temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself. Although, only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love."
Slowly, Enigma steps to him, helping him to stands up despite the rain. She wears her sunglasses, yet Neo can see her concern beneath it in her blue eyes. Oh, how much Neo wishes he can still see her in real life; how much he wants Enigma still to have her right eye in real life; how much the pain and suffering of the loss they had gone from their heart.
"You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson, you must know it by now! You can't win, it's pointless to keep fighting!"
He gently stroked her face with a sad smile. Among many things, she's his last reminder of what he will protect at any cost. This girl, who only shows up in his life for six months, is one of many reasons he will fight despite the odds against him.
"Why, Mr. Anderson, why, why do you persist?!"
Neo looks at Smith, legs still shaken while standing up. "Because I choose to," he replied.
Enigma steps back as Smith, in frustration, launches another attack at Neo. He doesn't care for her, keep the focus on Neo. Despite tired, Neo kept attacking, manages to give Smith a satisfying punch in his face. Before he can do anything, Neo hauls back and gather all his strength before slamming him with both fists, throwing him into a wall of the crater.
"It won't be enough," Enigma spoke, shook her head, frowns as if thinking of a solution. "We need another plan."
Before Neo can ask her, he hears a rumble. They both look as Smith, already covers in mud, floating above. "This is my world! My world!" Smith yelled, throwing Neo back to the ground and punches him. Then, he lifts him like a broken doll before throwing him to the ground again.
In horror, Enigma steps to Neo, not bothering with Smith to potentionally harm her. She holds his arm, looking at Smith and other him above, torn between wanting to fight or shielding Neo.
Smith steps to them, ready for another attack, then stop. "Wait... I've seen this," he noticed. "This is it, this is the end. Yes, you two were laying right there, just like that, and I... I... I stand here, right here, I'm... I'm supposed to say something. I say, 'Everything that has a beginning has an end, Neo.'"
Both Enigma and Neo glances at each other, stunned that Smith just saying what the Oracle said to Neo.
"That's it," she mumbled, as all final puzzles were put in place. A realization of their solution coming into them.
How this fight will come to an end.
How they can win and brings Smith down forever.
But that means...
Enigma sees Neo again, this time with a sad look. She shook her head when Neo gives a calm expression on her gazes with a small smile, already knowing what she's just thinking now.
"It's okay," he told her, wiping down her tears that mixed with the rain. He never wants this option, but he rather not going to lose her like losing Trinity.
"I'll lose you instead," she cried. She can't lose him as well.
"You won't," he disagreed, pointing her heart, telling her that he always be in her heart.
"What? What did I just say?" Smith frowns, not catching the father-daughter conversation. "No... No, this isn't right, this can't be right." As Neo stands up, he staggers back. "Get away from me!"
Neo can't help himself but ask. "What are you afraid of?"
"It's a trick!"
The Oracle's right. He can't see past this because he can never understand his choice. And that would be his downfall. "You were right, Smith. You were always right," Neo confessed, feeling calm and accepting. "It was inevitable."
And in a flash, Smith stabs into his chest, but Neo doesn't jerk or shock or anything else. He knows what he'll do. He looks down at his chest that slowly covering his body with black goo, the same one Smith tried back then. He looks beside, looking into Enigma's horrifying expression upon what she sees.
"I love you, sweetheart," he told her one last time before closing his eyes, accepting death take over him.
Enigma pants, her eyes still wet from tears as her hands squeeze hard, simply observing as Smith overtook Neo's body. Slowly, her eyes see the code inside Neo also changes into Smith's. But that alone is enough for her to know what she and the machine must do now.
"Is it over?" Smith asked, which his new clone nods.
But his victory slowly gone as his new clone's body trembles. Enigma smirks, shut her eyes as she screams, both in real life and in the Matrix, forcing herself to initiate a deletion upon all Smith by accessing his code from The One alongside the machine's help.
After that, everything turns bright.
▪︎1001▪︎
Sitting down on a small bench that has a sign that said 'In Memory of Thomas Anderson and Alice Lovelace', the Oracle looks at the park, waiting for the sun rising. On her laps, Enigma's RSI laying down like a sleeping girl who gets tired. But the older woman knows very well that's not the case when she found her laying on the ground beside her in the aftermath of the big fight.
Everything turns exactly as she predicted, as she hoped for. Granted, she can't predict this outcome 100%. Some of it comes from her belief in the people she helped for achieving this path.
Gently, the Oracle rakes her fingers through her golden hair, reading her. She found Enigma's lying with her codes messing inside. Her mind, once again, separating from her body, trap in her unbalance RSI. She's both alive and dead, awake and not awake. In a way, she's just like someone who suffer persistent vegetative state. Even now, she can see Deux Ex Machina already taking her body and Neo's somewhere else.
More possibilities coming to her. Some of them are not pretty, but that doesn't matter. Even if she's not sure, she believes humanity and machines will find their solution.
The Oracle smiles as the Father of the Matrix, the Architect, walks to her. "Well, now, ain't this a surprise."
"You've played a very dangerous game," he warned her.
"Change always is," she admitted. She knows the risk, planning each other's path for reaching peace between two groups. Mainly at Neo, Enigma, and Trinity.
"Just how long do you think this peace is going to last?"
The Oracle knows why he asked that. It's just a matter of time before a new problem arises before the peace breaks again. It won't be easy, but she's sure they can manage on their own, even if she can't do anything about it. Besides, she believes the connection between those three will be unstoppable - just like she hopes from the beginning - to make the future into a better one. "As long as it can," she simply replied.
The Architect scoffs, observing Enigma. "And the girl?"
"You know she won't be a problem."
"For now," he remarked as he starts walking away.
"What about the others?" She asked him back.
He turns back. "What others?"
"The ones that want out."
"Obviously, they will be freed."
"I have your word?"
"What do you think I am? Human?" He retorted before walking away for real this time.
Seraph and Sati walk to her as the sun rises. "Oracle!" Sati called. The Oracle laughs and gives Sati a warm hug. "We were afraid we might not find you," the little girl confessed.
"Everything's okay now," she assured Sati and Seraph.
"Look, look!" Sati points at the new sunrise.
"Just look at that! Beautiful!" The Oracle empathized, looking at Sati. "Did you do that?"
She nods. "For Neo and his family."
"That's nice. I know they'd love it."
Sati suddenly looks a little sad as she glances at Enigma, likely reading her RSI. "Will we ever see them again?"
As Seraph pats her head, the Oracle gives her an affirmation answer. "I suspect so," she said, remembering what she saw of the future while looking at the sun. "Someday."
"Did you always know?" Seraph queried, carrying Enigma's RSI as they walk away.
"Oh no. No, I didn't," the Oracle responded with a smile. "But I believed. I believed."
▪︎1001▪︎
She hears an engine sound. But what kind of sound, she's not sure.
Her body feels very sore and stiff. Even while opening her eyes getting excruciating. But she can endure it all. It just takes a little try and everything will work out fine. A little movement won't kill her.
The first thing she sees is the very white sky of the room. Looking at the white sky of this room, it looks like she's inside a hospital. This is evidenced by the sound of the engine that she had heard earlier on the left side. She's slowly turned her head, noticing the monitor screen showing the movement of her heartbeat. She's also found there's a vase with Aster tataricus flowers in it. There's a large window by the vase that gives her a view of a tall building she never recognizes.
The second thing she sees is a man sleeping beside the bed. She had to move her head and neck with great difficulty to be aware of this person's presence. He seems in his 50s, with long black hair and a small beard. He fell asleep peacefully, despite the uncomfortable position and pajama attire that made him seem like a lost person.
She feels a strange sensation when looking at this person. He feels very familiar... but also not. Like an invisible thread that connects the two.
She tries to move her pinky finger to this man's hand. Despite the pain from moving it, she feels satisfied when this man slowly opens his eyes. He squeezes his warm brown eyes with his eyes and his sleepy gaze turns completely wide. "Oh my God," he blurted, like never expecting her to do this. "You're awake!" He cried with joy, covering his mouth as tears shone in his eyes. "I can't believe it! You're awake!"
She wants to ask him, but when she opens her mouth, all that comes out is a hoarse voice that feels out of place.
"Hold on, hold on," he takes a glass of water, gently lifting her head so she can drink easily. "The Doctor said it takes time until you can speak normally," he explained as he presses a calling button from her bed. "I know this's all confusing and strange, but just be patient, okay? You'll get your answer."
As soon as a doctor comes, she's holding the hem of his shirt, not caring if her hand hurt so bad. She doesn't want to be alone. She wanted this man to stay by her side.
"Hey, don't worry, okay?" He touched her palm as the doctor begins the examination. "Dad will stay here. Don't be afraid, Alice. Everything will be fine."
Dad. The word feels familiar. Feels nice and warm.
She doesn't know what's really going on, but she nods slowly, believing this man's words, never stopping to stare at him as the doctor tried to ask her a few questions.
But somehow, she feels that something's missing.
Something that make her and this man complete.
Note: Since clearly there's a huge timeskip between Revolutions Resurrections, Enigma won't stay as a child. As from Resurrections, she will be 30 years old.
I'm picturing her older self as Samara Weaving. Kudos for anyone who catches the reason :)
