a/n: Back by popular demand, I hope everyone likes it...

Chapter 9
Nebuchadnezzar, circa 2199

When Neo reaches the top of the ladder, he sees Trinity is already in the Captain's chair.

"Go ahead," she says, nodding at the co-pilot's seat. "Saying 'hello' for the first time is always something… special." She turns on the map-lamp, and a dim, flickering light barely illuminates the tiny space. Her face tinged orange by the red indicator bulbs above her head, Trinity continues with nothing more than faint whispers in the near darkness. "You see, Neo… there are a few basic rules for surviving on this ship. The first, and most important, is never to piss off the First Officer. It concerns me greatly that you have repeatedly failed to achieve this first objective."

"What?"

"The First Mate on the Neb is effectively a head of staff, overseeing crew training schedules, duty shift assignments, shore leave… she is responsible for the well-being of the crew, both inside and outside the Matrix. That is, nobody makes it on a ship without having a good working rapport with this very important individual. But you're a smart-ass, Neo. And you're untidy, which she really. doesn't like"

Neo opens his mouth, but can think of nothing to say except, "Just so we're clear… you're the First Officer, right?"

She frowns. "The second priority of any new recruit is to have a good working relationship with the ship. Now, since I'm a good First Officer, and feel a great degree of responsibility for my subordinates, I'm going to try and make sure that your first encounter with the Neb is smart-ass comment free. Because the Neb is like me, Neo. She doesn't like smug. She doesn't like puns. And she doesn't like sticky fingers, so wipe those off on your pants before you touch the controls."

Neo can't decide if he should be amused or insulted as he looks at his clean hands. He considers spitting on them and rubbing them together, knowing it would send her through the roof, but Trinity seems of profoundly serious, he doesn't dare. Instead, he takes his place in the co-pilot's seat and grips the controls, glancing over at his instructor uncertainly. She nods, seemingly satisfied with his compliance, and continues, her tone notably softer.

"Good. So those are your in-flight controls." He notices that she rubs her thumbs sensually over her own grips as she speaks. "You can't hold on to her too tight; better to be gentle with her. The Neb is a more temperamental ship than most, she doesn't answer well to being handled. Think of it more as… guiding her. Leading her. Like in a dance."

Neo hardly knows what to do. He doesn't dance. Trinity, who watched him for months in the Matrix, should know this better than anyone. In fact, when he thinks back on it, Neo is suspicious that the Red Queen dragged him out to that club purposefully to make him feel uncomfortable. Putty in her hands. And now, she is doing it again.

But Trinity seems to notice his trepidation, and with a sigh she says, "So it's dancing lessons, then? Alright, sit up straight in the chair first, bottom to the very back. Shoulders level, showing respect for the position you're in – it is normally mine, after all. And just carefully rest your fingers in the grips. A hand shake. That's all we want. It's important that you two get comfortable before we start."

Start what? Neo does not quite understand the significance of holding two joysticks in his hands, but he is too intrigued by the unusual exercise to do anything but follow directions. For some reason, her manner makes him want to please her, and it is a great source of satisfaction when she smiles and says, "There you go. That's how the pros do it."

"So the Neb approves?" he asks, grinning at his own small success.

"Oh, no. This is just for me."

He raises an eyebrow and nearly laughs. "Huh?"

"Now that I know you can handle it, I think we're ready."

"For?"

"You'll see. It's… a surprise."

How she did it with three quick phrases he'll never know, but Trinity has managed to transform the shabby cockpit into something mysterious… even magical. Like a child listening to his favourite bedtime story, Neo is captivated. Her voice… the secretive sparkle in her eyes… is somehow exciting and comforting at the same time. He watches her with interest as she begins to flick switches and enter parameters on her keyboard.

"This ship is one of the oldest in the fleet," Trinity says. "She's seen and survived three major battles, and has freed more minds in her career than any other vessel. Twelve pads. Top lateral speed of 70 MPH. And she's versatile – we can turn corners better than most of the smaller ships can… with all that, the Nebuchadnezzar used to be the envy of Zion's army." Trinity pauses, scowling at the blinking red lights on Neo's control grid. She taps at them once, twice, and then slaps the side of the panel. "Shit."

"Used to be?"

Trinity gets up from her seat and leans across his chest to turn on his system controls. "No, no. Don't take your hands off… you two are bonding." The dancing fingers grace his keyboard as she continues. "Six years ago, the machines attacked Zion with an army of nearly seventy- thousand. Most of our resources were destroyed, thousands were killed. In the end, the Neb was the only ship that was actually salvageable. The new hovercrafts were built better, with newer technology. Practically speaking, this ship is a museum. They don't even manufacture parts for most of the hardware anymore. I have to make 'em from scratch."

While Trinity continues to fuss with his system controls, Neo finds himself becoming more and more distracted by their proximity. He can smell her hair from where he's sitting, and feel the heat from her body on his skin. As her delicate, feminine frame lingers over his lap, Neo notices the neck of her sweater has slipped over her shoulder, exposing a navy bra-strap on ivory white skin. He swallows hard.

Jesus Christ, Trinity. What the hell are you doing to me?

He remembers how beautiful he'd found her the night before, and his eyes fix on the slope where shoulder meets neck, jaw, up to earlobe. He leans closer. Neo has never felt comfortable around women before. In truth, he has never really felt anything around women before. He could appreciate beauty, even sex-appeal, but it was always such a detached, unaffected observation, no more moving than the morning weather report. This is different. She is different, perhaps because she is real, or because his senses are still hyperactive from so many years in the pod. But every subtle shift of her body catches his attention. His hands sweaty on the controls, he indulges in the thought of what it would feel like to press his lips against the smooth, pale skin only centimetres from his face. To bury his nose in her hair and slide his arms around her tiny waist.

God, yes.

The truth is that this strange, slender woman of the Real World, whose terrifying RSI had haunted him for weeks, is now an object of such profound fascinations for him, Neo can barely think of anything else. She is an unsolvable enigma, with her stoic blue eyes and no-nonsense attitude which seems to crumble at the most unexpected moments, Neo has to wonder if she isn't the least bit schizophrenic. But he can tell the rest of the crew trusts her, and respects her as the superior that he pretended he didn't know she was. And he trusts her as well, though he can't be sure of why. All he knows is, when she's close to him, it is the only time he doesn't feel alone.

"The army offered Morpheus an upgrade, of course. But he wouldn't have it - and I can't blame him. There was too much history between these bulkheads to say goodbye." Trinity stops what she is doing and sighs ruefully, "Sentimental fool that I am, right?"

"Hum?" Neo suddenly realizes that she's been talking to him. Cheeks flushing, he stammers, "Can I take my hands off yet?"

She shakes her head and rests her hand on his shoulder to help herself up. "No. I'm done… we can start. Although you could probably do with some more time alone with her. Not that she's shy… it's just… I have a feeling that it will probably take you a bit of extra effort to earn her complete confidence."

"Really, why me in particular?"

Remembering something Niobe told her long ago, Trinity remarks matter-of-factly, "She doesn't trust men."

Neo fights to hold back a chuckle, and fails.

This woman is just… too much.

"Excuse me and what is funny?" Trinity folds her arms across her chest, though Neo is finding it more and more difficult to be intimidated by her, the only person who has even been able to make him laugh without trying.

Still grinning broadly, Neo remarks, "I'm surprised you let Morpheus the man drive."

"Well, let's just say I have a certain understanding with the Captain when it comes to the Neb. When her last engineer left to pilot another ship, she left me specific instructions not to let anything happen to her baby."

"You don't think you may be a bit overprotective?"

"Hardly. As it is, I'm barely able to keep her together. Morpheus-The-Considerate likes to squeeze every bit of juice out of the batteries before even thinking of a tune-up. The poor thing's exhausted. Overworked, under maintained… she's just… barely holding it together."

Neo studies her face as she says this, and asks carefully, "You and the Neb are alike this way, too?"

"I'm a resistance fighter, Neo. A rebel." She smiles wanly. "That's what we do. We barely hold it together every day."

"Sounds like a hard life."

"Yeah." She looks at him fixedly. "But it's a life."

"What about Zion? Where Tank was born?"

"What about it?"

"Well, aren't there… families there? Husbands and wives, mothers and daughters? Not everyone does this. Why do you?"

If she is uncomfortable with the question, Trinity doesn't show it. Buts she doesn't answer at first, either, staring out the windshield into the dark sewers. Finally, she says, "This crew is all I have. Morpheus, Switch, Apoch, the brothers… they're my family. I have no reason to stay in Zion."

"Nobody's…" and Neo trails off for a moment, trying to summon up the nerve to ask the question he'd been pondering for the past day or so. "There's nobody waiting for you back there, then?"

She suddenly looks stricken, as if he'd just delivered some terribly bad news. Neo is shocked to see such emotion in her face. "I'm sorry," he says quickly. "I shouldn't have asked you that."

"No, I…" She struggles for composure, and Neo imagines that perhaps she lost someone, and the wound is still fresh. "There isn't anyone," she whispers. "Not in Zion."

He leaves it at that, and waits for her to speak again, still wondering what kind of life she'd led for the past ten years. If the real world has made her any happier than the Matrix did. In this moment, Neo doubts it.

"Now, let's… uhm…" she begins anew. "Let's stop stalling and see if she likes you. Hold on." Trinity flips a series of switches and one large lever above her head.

Completely unexpectedly, a buzz resonates through Neo's chair and tickles his fingertips. He gasps at the sensation.

"You feel that?" she asks, sadness gone from her voice, as if she is just as thrilled as he is with the Neb's sudden awakening. "You should feel it in the palm of your hand. If you don't, you're holding on too tight. Let her talk to you."

Neo can't help himself, and he suddenly begins to laugh. He relaxes his grip on the controls and leans back in the chair, with his head back. "Oh, wow," he manages to say, still chuckling slightly. "That's… oh, wow. I've never felt anything like that."

She folds both arms on her armrest and leans towards him, as if about to tell him a secret. "So, Neo. What's she saying to you?"

"I uh…" He pauses and looks at her, his eyes wide with a kind of child-like wonder. "I don't know… it must be… untranslatable."

"Hmmm." Trinity likes his answer. "I don't tell anyone what she says to me, either."

Neo laughs again and nods, as if agreeing with a very witty observation, or indicating to her that he understands an inside-joke.

"Well, okay then. Lesson one." She points to each of the monitors she'd brought online. "Ship Scan, Temperature, Navigation, Docking…" She decides to skip the Sentinel Detection Module, and instead points to the red button on his left. "Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles."

"What?"

"That was…"

"A joke."

"There you go." She nods. "That's your Master Alarm… radio's up front, intercom: above your shoulder."

"Got it." He indicates the controls. "Permission to let go now?"

"Granted."

Neo relaxes, taking his hands off the grips, and turns to meet Trinity's eyes. "So, now tell me how you did it."

Somehow, from the tone of his voice, Trinity knows exactly what he's talking about. "Again with Kansas City! What is it with you fellows? I should really put an updated CV on the internet."

"I'd rather you just told me."

"Oh, it's an exclusive you're after?" She leans back in her chair and crosses her legs, folding her hands in her lap. For a second, Neo is hopeful that she intends to indulge him in details. Instead, "New recruits always want to hear that story. Do you know what I tell them?"

"No."

"Nothing. I've never told anyone that story." Her eyes narrow and she smiles wickedly. "So, if I told you, it would be unfair to the rest of them, wouldn't it?"

"So to be fair, you clean their cabins, too?"

Trinity is caught for a second. Goddammit. "I'm never going to live that one down, am I?"

"Hey, you made my bed; now you have to sleep in it."

The sentence hadn't come out exactly as Neo had planned it, and an awkward silence passes between them as Trinity, with an unreadable, impassive sort of expression, soaks up the words. Neo waits nervously for her response.

"Actually, you're only off by a few years," she says coolly, deciding to let the innuendo pass. "I used to sleep in that bed. You've got my room."

"It's freezing in there."

"Oh, of that I am aware." Trinity reaches up and flicks some switches, and Neo feels the soft vibration of his chair fade away. The monitors go blank. "But cold is good. It's like pain. Reminds you you're still alive."

"Hmm." Neo presses his hand against a dull pain at his shoulder that has been there all day. "I guess I can say I've never felt more alive."

Trinity scowls as she watches him massage the soreness from his back and neck. She knows the pain will probably get worse if he doesn't start working out. She should speak to Morpheus about getting him out of that chair a few hours a day.

"Hey, how are you holding up?"

When Neo glances over at her; somehow he can tell what she means. With a groan, "God, I don't know." He looks as if he is about to elaborate, but then he simply echoes, "I don't know."

After a long moment of debating about what she should say, Trinity says, "You planted a fist in the centre of Morpheus' face on your first day. It was… very impressive."

He frowns, unable to meet her eyes. "Then I fell off a building."

She flinches. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that."

"You're sorry?"

She gets up from her chair and nudges his arm. "That was one of my programs. I'm sure it was… gender biased. Totally my fault."

He smile and nudges her back. "We maybe you should jack in and show me how it's done. You know, with uh… girl power."

His flirtatious, quasi-condescending proposition makes Trinity want to drag him down to the Core and show him what real "girl-power" was. But she hesitates. He already had enough bruises for the day.

"Maybe some other time."

"Tomorrow?"

"We'll see."

Neo wonders what kind of sparring opponent she'd be, and finds himself trying to picture Trinity in that leather catsuit again. Long, lithe legs and corseted waist. Black sunglasses. For some reason, he has a difficult time picturing it now. He can't think of her without seeing those large, slightly melancholy, blue eyes.

"We should sleep. It's really late."

Neo snaps back from his reverie. "Yeah."

He watches her turn off the various systems she'd activated, still noticing every curve under the threadbare, shapeless clothing she wears.

"Can I walk you home?" he asks.

And she spins around, arching an eyebrow. "I'm sorry?"

"You didn't let me escort you to your quarters last night."

She blushes. And he grins at this, causing her to frown back. "I think I can find my own way," she says evenly.

"Oh." He nods and winks, as if understanding a secret meaning. "So you made my bed again?"

"No."

"Folded my clothes?"

"Neo. You're being…"

"A smart-ass?"

"Funny. I was going to say suicidal."

She is teasing him again. A good sign. He offers her his arm, a little startled by his own actions. "Please. Let me. I had a really good time tonight, Trin."

Trinity seems at a loss, and eventually surrenders with a sigh, gingerly threading her arm through his, and Neo beams with self-congratulations. He helps her down the ladder, which isn't necessary but she doesn't object, and they walk arm-in-arm to the crew's quarters.

She's quiet as they walk, not speaking, or even looking at him, but her arm remains resting on his, her hand gently gripping his bicep. In fact, she is rather preoccupied, looking around nervously as if to make sure none of the other crew members see them together. In fact, Neo is very surprised she had gone through with it in the first place, as he'd offered his arm, but hadn't expected her to take it in a million years. But here she was, walking in-step with him, their bodies in casual contact, and Neo is acutely aware that his pulse has more than doubled.

When they reach her door, he releases her and she turns to face him, finally looking up into his eyes with what appears to be curiosity. As if he'd just done something that was very peculiar, and she required some explanation. "Thank you, Neo," she says softly, leaning back against the door, lingering. "I uhm… you'll be alright tonight? With everything?"

"Yeah. It's getting better." He decides to let go of his nervousness and speak his heart. "You make it bearable. Your friendship, I mean."

She opens her mouth, but no sound comes out, and there is a glassiness to her eyes that makes Neo think she is about to cry. But before he can say a word to try and comfort her, she reaches up and wraps an arm around his neck, pulling him into a gentle hug. He is startled, and places his hand on the small of her back, returning the gesture. Her body is surprisingly warm, and her embrace remarkably soft, and in that moment Neo is hopeful that perhaps, Trinity might care for him as something more than just another redpill.

"Goodnight," she whispers into his ear, slipping away as abruptly as she'd initiated the hug, gone behind her door in an instant. Neo is left staring at the grey metal, confused and strangely elated, still savouring the sensation of her breasts pressing against his chest.

They have known each other for two days, Neo realizes with a sigh. But he feels closer to her than he's ever felt to anyone. She is the only person who has ever seemed completely Real.

"Goodnight, Trinity," he says to her door with a thoughtful smile. "Sweet dreams."