a/n: alright, this is for those of you who are such great fans of the U.C., who are pushing for more Trin/Neo fluffies. The OC is not really a Neo/Trin love story, although their relationship is a major theme. The Last Exile is the answer for you guys, and so I am tryingto update it a little. Chapter 11 will be up soon - here is an introduction to it by our Rorie -
Enjoy!
-Syd
Prologue to Chapter 11
Zion, circa 2219
I would like to say here, Reader, that it is not my intention to overemphasize the charming details of my parent's courtship (indeed, as their daughter, I must admit to a mild aversion to the topic altogether). However, it seems to me that if I am to please an audience, this is the subject that will precipitate the most interest. Indeed, in Zion, it is difficult to separate the names Neo and Trinity from the ideal of True Love, and for all those whose romantic life is lived vicariously, there can never be enough details to satiate the need. I am reminded of a particular occasion where I found myself in the position of comforting a heartbroken friend. As is often the case in these situations, she was leaning on my shoulder, tears and other unpleasant bodily secretions soaking the sleeve of my shirt, railing against the insensitive bloke who'd broken her heart. "Why can't more men be like your father!" she'd wailed into my neck, nearly causing me to choke on the comfort food we'd been sharing. "I'd do anything for a man like that! Where's my hunky superhero? Where's my Neo!"
And how was I to respond to that, I ask you? My initial impulse was to argue the point, and deliver an extensive list of all my father's less charming traits, beginning with his messy living habits (which still cause the occasional shouting match between him and my mother), and finishing with his terrible singing voice, which he used to force upon me in the form of lullabies, until I was old enough to explain to him that his version of Elton John's 'Your Song' was in fact the cause of my wailing, and not the remedy. But I had learned long ago that whatever personal information I release to my "friends" invariably ends up on the front page of a gossip magazine the following day, always with a few creative twists. And seeing as I didn't want my father reading about how his questionable obsession with Britain's most openly gay pop artist had driven his daughter to tears and his wife into a rage, I decided rather to fill my mouth with a very large scoop of sorbet, thus preventing any indiscretion.
But I suppose that is what this docudrama is all about. Setting the record straight. And surprisingly, my parents openly welcomed the opportunity to tell me what really happened. Perhaps they, too, are tired of the speculation, which is rather unpleasant at times. In particular, when it comes to the story of my parent's initial union, the common opinion of my mother is less than flattering. She was afraid of intimacy. She was terrified of loving. A cold, distant woman until Neo saved her from her stony prison of self-containment and romantic exile. Or something like that.
"No, Trin was never cold," my father said to me, chuckling and shaking his head as if I'd just told a joke. "Well, she was never cold to me. Evasive, yes. But those eyes… they were always warm when she looked into mine. She couldn't hide that, not from me."
"So you knew?"
"Oh, no. I was clueless. I mean, sure I thought about it... but every guy who meets Trinity thinks about it…" his eyes wandered over to my mother, who was obligingly making dinner, chopping rather loudly to signify her desire for some help. Knowing better than to antagonize her while she held a sharp object, Dad came up from behind and slid one arm around her stomach, the other over hers on the knife. I don't know what he whispered, but whatever it was made her giggle and try to shrug him off. Mom's eyes were shining when she looked over at me.
"I can't imagine how he didn't know. Everyone else did, for goodness sakes. I made his bed. And I gave him a quasi-erotic introduction to hovercraft operations."
"I knew you were turned on by that!"
"I am still standing here!" I announced irritably. "And I'm not writing that in: By the way, Reader, my mother was aroused by the buzzing of the Neb's pads in the cockpit."
"She leaves out all the magical parts of the story," was my father's observation, to which I rolled my eyes.
"Let's take a step back, shall we?" I said, walking over to the chopping block and casually taking a few slices of mushroom. In a complicated manoeuvre, my mother fluidly spun the blade in her hand a few times, not even looking at her fingers but rather at me (in my household, this means 'stop that; you'll spoil your supper'). I swallowed and continued with my hands in the air. "What did you mean by 'everyone else knew'?"
"Oh, your poor father was the only one who didn't, by the end."
"The Oracle told me I quote, 'wasn't too bright.'" Dad admitted with a shrug. "Well, excuse me, I've been unplugged less than a month, and I'm supposed to decrypt Trinity, the queen of mixed signals. Oh, and while I'm at it, can I please be The One and stop by the Source for humanity's salvation?"
They both laughed at this, as if they weren't talking about the rather grave task of saving the entire human race. If I haven't mentioned it earlier, Reader, let me tell you, my parents are both very twisted individuals, and even though I was not born at the time, I'm sure that with the city in their hands, it was a very close call.
"Well, I know already that Morpheus knew," I said. "But what about the others?"
Mom seemed a little taken aback. "What do you mean by that… you already know that Morpheus knew? What did he say?"
"Sorry. I have to protect my sources."
"Aurora." The knife did another elegant summersault, as if this were supposed to intimidate me. Still, I wanted Mom to continue with our story, so I gave in and recalled a file on my computer from my interview with Morpheus (who, I might add, is a much easier subject from whom to extract information; may he consider me truly grateful).
I quoted Morpheus with the slightly grandiose cadence with which he always spoke when he talked of either of my parents. "Looking back on the reality of Trinity's situation, I realize she must have been frightened. And I do not use that term lightly - I have known your mother most of her life, Aurora, and she is a remarkably fearless woman. But for your father's life, she was certainly afraid. Yet through the haze of that anxiety, it was evident to those of us who knew her that there was something about Neo that gave her an indefinable joy. He made her happy, if only in those isolated moments when your mother allowed him to do so. I was in awe of the change in her, the subtle light that shone in her eyes when she watched him. And if I had any doubts as to your father's ability to fulfill the Prophecy, they were gone when I observed his affect on your mother. A heart such as hers could not have loved anyone less."
When I looked up form my work, I was shocked to see that my mother's eyes were sparkling with the beginnings of tears. She blinked them back quickly and went back to her chopping, and I listened to her rhythm for what seemed to be a long time before my Dad said, "It's ironic, that it was that joy I fell in love with. The sound of her laughter. How was I supposed to know it was a sound the crew had never heard before?"