Neo Blinks, a blink that feels strangely long.
In the distance in his mind he hears a phone ringing.
As he opens his eye from the blink, he realizes his surroundings have changed dramatically, and while he's still standing, the computers and equipment are all gone, and there, in the middle of the room is a singular black phone, and it's ringing, incessantly.
Neo, startled by this new surrounding, looks to the right and sees Cypher and Trinity, as he sees Morpheus walk to the phone, he looks to his left and sees Apoc and Glitch.
Morpheus picks up the ringing phone, "We're in" he says.
"What the hell," Neo says.
"Kind of a trip, ain't it, " Cypher says, adding "feels different than our simulations."
Neo, still confused and getting his bearing, bites his tongue.
"Shall we go?," Morpheus says.
"I'll take point," Cypher says, and quickly heads to the door before anyone can respond.
Neo leans over to Trinity, "Something isn't right"
She's already moving though, and doesn't hear him, so he quickly follows her, out the door.
Neo steps outside, and is immediately taken aback by the green hue to the world, thinking to himself in a way that's apparent with is body language.
No, no, no, something is definitely wrong here. This isn't my world….
Neo watches Cypher, who is walking with extraordinary haste away from the group as Neo follows him.
"We'll be back in an hour," Morpheus says.
Neo continues watching Cypher, who pulls out a cell phone, dials a number, and drops the phone in the trash can, then proceeds to watch Cypher as he vigilantly watches Morpheus and Trinity walk to the other side of the car, as Cypher then gets into the driver seat, never once paying attention to Neo.
Neo, completely confused, looks down at the phone in the trash can, and picks it up seconds after he can hear it connect, as he hears a female voice on the other end.
Cypher closes the door.
"Sorry, wrong number," he says, quietly, and snaps the phone shut as he puts it into his pocket, with his back turned to the mirror making sure Cypher can't see any of it.
"What was that Neo?," Trinity says from the other side of the car.
"The car. It's so old. Couldn't you guys have gotten something newer and less conspicuous?" he says.
She smiled, and without saying a word, slipped into the rear left seat of the car as Morpheus did the same with the passenger's seat.
Neo looked out the window as Cypher pulled away.
The world, he thought to himself, looked so…. Drab. How did they not recognize the difference between this and the world they pulled him out of?
Then he looked at Cypher.
Thinking. Why is he here?
Neo lost track of time, briefly, as he watched familiar sites go by, not fully understanding why they looked like pale, old versions of the same places he once found so vibrant and colorful before.
"Unbelievable," Morpheus said, as he looked over his shoulder seeing Neo look out the window, "isn't it?"
Neo looked over at Morpheus, somewhat incredulously thinking.
Why doesn't he remember?
Neo shook his head, affirming Morpheus, but didn't say a word as he looked back to the streets.
Are they seeing what I'm seeing, Neo thought. Surely there's got to be a way to tell….
Then Neo had an idea.
"God," Neo said, as he pointed at a row of jewelry stores.
"What?," Trinity replied.
"I used to eat there," Neo responded.
Neo knew there had never been a restaurant in this district. While it looked similar, albeit drably, the establishments hadn't appeared to change. Surely they'd respond to an unlikely assertion he thought…
But Trinity stared at him with a blank face, expressionless.
"Really good noodles," he said.
Proves nothing, Neo thought.
He hesitated.
"I have these memories from my life," Neo continued, "None of them happened."
Neo didn't believe what he was saying. To him, the memories and experiences of his past in this lifetime were equally as real as the experiences he'd remembered from the past lives before he blinked and wound up in this…
What was it… a memory sequence he thought?
Should I question free will he thought?
"What does that mean?," he said out loud.
As if responding to what he was thinking and not to what he actually said, Trinity responded.
"That the Matrix cannot tell you who you are," she said.
"But an Oracle can?," Neo responded, looking at Trinity with a tinge of disapproval and no longer as a human, but as a simulation herself.
"That's different," she said.
But he saw right through her, and ignored the answer, as he glanced forward seeing Morpheus clearly engaged in the conversation without contribution.
He thought for a moment.
"Did you go to her?," Neo said.
Trinity continued looking away, as if trying to hide her own disappointment of her cover being blown.
"Yes," she said.
"What did she tell you?," Neo responded, catching on to her tells, genuinely curious if that would change the nature of her reply.
Trinity hid a grimace, but just barely "She told me… "
Trinity got lost in thought.
"What?", Neo said.
She looked away.
Can't respond with the scripted answer on this one, she thought.
But she knew she lost. Right then and there, she didn't have a response for him.
Fortunately, Morpheus broke the awkward silence, as Neo looked at her incredulously.
"We're here," Morpheus said.
Neo looked forward.
"Neo, come with me," Morpheus added.
As Morpheus exited the car, Cypher said "Trin and I will wait right here for ya!"
Trinity was lost in thought, as Morpheus leaned in before closing the door.
"We won't be long. Does anyone want some cookies from the Oracle?"
Trinity, biting her lip, obviously frustrated, responded "Sure"
Cypher shook his hand, "Naw, I'm good"
The two walked away from the car towards the apartment building, and as they rounded the corner out of sight of the car, Trinity began hitting the back of the front passenger's seat of the car,
"FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK," she said.
He knows.
"Yeah. How the fuck did you know?," she said.
"He picked up the burner. This one's smarter than the rest. Said nothing as he put it in his pocket," he said.
"FUCK!," Trinity yelled again, hitting the back of the seat.
"Calm down, we'll get through this," Cypher said.
"How can you say that, he's probably handing the burner to Morpheus right now," Trinity responded.
As they entered the lobby to the run down apartment, Neo saw an old blind man sitting there.
Suspicious, Neo thought, as he waited to talk to Morpheus about the phone.
The elevator was thankfully quick, and Neo spoke as the doors closed.
"So is… uh. This the same Oracle that made the uh… the prophecy?," Neo said.
"Yes. She's very old. She's been with us since the beginning," Morpheus responded.
"The Beginning?," Neo responded.
"Of the Resistance," Morpheus said.
Neo was incredulous again. Was Morpheus a man, or was he like Trinity? A program as well?
"And she knows what? Everything?" Neo Said.
"She would say she knows enough," Morpheus replied.
Neo thought about him telling Morpheus that he's not the one, his memories from before. Did he even remember me telling him that?
"And she's never wrong?," Neo said.
"Try not to think of it in binary terms, Neo, she's a guide, she can help you to find the path," he responded," Morpheus responded.
"She helped you," Neo said.
"Yes," Morpheus responded.
"What did she tell you?" Neo said.
Morpheus smiled. But said nothing as he walked out the elevator door.
The story's changing, Neo thought, and there's the door. Gotta do it now.
Neo pulled out the phone.
"Morpheus," Neo said, " stop for a second. I have something for you."
No sooner had the elevator door closed behind Neo, had Morpheus turned around.
"Yes, Neo," Morpheus said.
Neo handed Morpheus the phone, "I think it's a burner. Cypher threw it in the trash as we got into the car and it was dialing someone. I think he's allied with the machines, and Trinity might be as well,"
"I know, Neo. What tipped you off?," Morpheus said.
"The colors. It's all green here," Neo responded.
"And I assume your world wasn't the same?," Morpheus responded.
"No. What the hell is going on, Morpheus?," Neo said.
About then, he heard the elevator door open behind him, and before he could turn around, he felt his legs give out and the world turned to black.
Surrounded by darkness, Neo could hear a disembodied voice.
It was a female voice.
Like the voice he heard on the phone.
She whispered.
"Play into the charade. Put on an act. Your life depends on it," the voice said.
And as if the lights were turned back on again, Neo's eyes opened, as if in a blink.
He was back in the elevator.
"Try not to think of it in binary terms, Neo, she's a guide, she can help you to find the path," he responded," Morpheus responded.
It took Neo a second to remember what he'd said before.
"She helped you," Neo said.
"Yes," Morpheus responded.
"What did she tell you?" Neo said.
"That I would find the One," Morpheus said.
On the way out of the elevator, Neo checked his pockets for the phone.
It was no longer there.
As they walked to the Oracle's apartment, Neo noticed the walls… now had graffiti on them.
They weren't like this before he thought…
"I'm tellin ya, I have no fucking clue what you're talking about," Cypher said, "I never told you Neo picked up the burner. I dropped it. Looked in the rearview mirror. And he didn't see a thing," Cypher said.
And he added "And yes, I'm sure of it!,"
"Either you're full of shit, or I'm losing it," Trinity said.
"Trin, love ya to death girl, but I think ya lost it a long time ago, if ya ask me," Cypher said.
"I wasn't askin," she said.
"I know you're Neo. Be right with you," The Oracle said.
"You're the Oracle," Neo Said.
"Bingo," she said, as she looked over at him.
But she looked different. Older. Gray hair. Caucasian.
Neo cut her off and said "Not quite what you were expecting, right?."
Her smile turned into a frown, as the lights cut out again.
"This is your last warning. Put on an act. Your life depends on it," the voice said.
"I know you're Neo. Be right with you," The Oracle said.
"You're the Oracle," Neo Said.
"Bingo," she said, as she looked over at him.
But she looked different. Older. Gray hair. Caucasian.
"Not quite what you were expecting, right?," the Oracle said.
A pregnant pause.
"Almost done!," she said, putting on her oven mitts.
She turned back to Neo "Smell good, don't they?"
Neo smiled, "Yeah"
"I'd ask you to sit down, but you're not going to anyways. And don't worry about the vase," she says.
But Neo had remembered breaking the vase the past iteration. And was standing clear off to the side.
"The vase is fine," he said.
Within seconds, his knees buckled again, as he lost consciousness and the world turned to black.
"Ok. Clearly threats aren't getting us anywhere. You know what to say and do. Just do it," the female voice said in the blackness.
Neo tried to respond, but it would seem as though he didn't have a mouth, let alone a voice.
"I know you're Neo. Be right with you," The Oracle said.
"You're the Oracle," Neo said.
"Bingo," she said, as she looked over at him.
Don't act like she's different, don't notice it, don't notice it, Neo kept telling himself, over and over.
"Not quite what you were expecting, right?," the Oracle said.
A pregnant pause.
"Almost done!," she said, putting on her oven mitts.
She turned back to Neo "Smell good, don't they?"
Neo smiled, "Yeah"
"I'd ask you to sit down, but you're not going to anyways. And don't worry about the vase," she says.
Neo was on point this time.
"What vase?," he said, intentionally yet making it appear to be accidentally hitting the vase to knock it over and break it.
"That vase," she said, looking over at him.
"I'm sorry," he said, genuinely. It was still personal property, he thought, so why does it have to be like this? That thought trailed off.
"I said don't worry about it," the Oracle said.
Neo was curious though. He didn't have much of a choice on his actions, but what was guiding her?
"How did you know," Neo said to the Oracle.
"Oh… " the Oracle said, with sincerity, followed by "What's really gonna bake your noodle later on is… would you still have broken it if I hadn't said anything?"
Am I going insane?, Neo thought, as he looked at the broken vase questioning how many times he'd repeated the events until he finally did the right thing…
… He couldn't escape the suspicion this was all scripted…
"You're cuter than I thought," the Oracle said.
"I can see why she likes you," she added as she crossed the room and sat down in front of him.
They're in this together, he thought. Trinity. Cypher. The Oracle. Maybe even Morpheus. Is the whole world simulated? He thought.
"Who?," Neo said, knowing that's what he was expected to say but not knowing why, since it was beyond obvious she was referring to Trinity.
"Not too bright though," the Oracle added.
He wanted to slap her. But he just stood there and stared at her without saying a word.
"You know why Morpheus brough you to see me," she said.
He shook his head, subtly affirmatively.
"So?," the Oracle said, "What do you think? Do you think you're the one"
He wanted to scream. But he tapered his emotion, and responded with a straight face.
"Honestly I don't know," he said.
Unlike before, when he asserted he wasn't to Morpheus and everyone else, he was being sincere now. How else could he be in a simulation standing the potential that everyone and everything around him was simulated as well, when he knew he wasn't?
At this point, he was realizing there wasn't better explanations…
The Oracle lifted her drink and pointed to the plaque overhanging the entry way he'd walked in through.
"You know what that means?," she said.
He slowly turned around.
"It's latin. It means know thyself".
Neo looked at the words on the wall.
TEMET NOSCE.
Neo, with extensive training in Latin, mentally noted the mistranslation the Oracle gave from Latin to English in the usage of the archaic form of thy. Odd, he thought. Is history changing?
"I'm gonna let you in on a little secret," the Oracle said. "Being the one is just like being in love. No one can tell you you're in love. You just know it… through and through. Balls to Bones."
Too much to think about, Neo thought. She's wrong. But if I tell her she is. I do all this over. I don't want to do it again, though. Tell her what she wants to hear, Neo, not what you're feeling…
"Well," the Oracle said, somewhat impatiently.
He couldn't look her in the eyes.
"I'd better have a look at you," she said.
She walked over to him, and puts her hands to his neck, acting as a doctor would with a patient.
"Open your mouth. Say 'Ah'," she said.
"Ahhhhhhhhh," Neo said.
The Oracle looked at him good, before finally stopping, somewhat dismayed, and pulled back, looking at his hands as she said… "Ok… Now I'm supposed to say… Hmmm, that's interesting, but… then you say.."
Tormented, Neo says "but what?"
"But you already know what I'm about to tell you," she said.
It was then he realized that she was following a script like he was. By her tone, by her body language, she was saying what was expected of her, and wasn't deviating because she too, had that voice reminding her of her lines. She was different. He knew it. She played along because she had to.
"I'm not the one," Neo said.
Smiling inside, putting on his best act, but looking her in the eye saying something different than he felt as he nodded negatively "I'm not the one"
He needed her to know he was. Even if the words didn't come across.
"Sorry kid," but she was much better in control of her facial expressions than he was. But there was a party of her that wanted to jump in excitement, but she refrained from tipping her hand.
"Ya got the gift. But it looks like you're waiting for something…. "
"What?," he said, not detecting that she'd gotten the message.
"You're next life, maybe," she said, "who knows."
BINGO, he thought. She knew, he was certain of it now.
"That's the way these things go."
He looked at his hands, realizing subtext was his only answer. He had to get better with body language. If they're in the Matrix and the only option on the outside is the hellish landscape there that he vaguely remembers as the dream he didn't want to return to, then staying in might require deception of the Matrix itself to lead it to believe you're still asleep at the wheel. Putting on an act.
That's why this all felt so scripted.
He laughed as he realized how crazy he would sound if he voiced his thoughts.
"What's funny," the Oracle said.
He thought quick.
"Morpheus," he said,
"He uh…, " reflecting on Morpheus's reactions, he realized that Morpheus was in on it too which is why he had Neo see the Oracle. He needed to learn how to communicate in a way that couldn't be detected by the Matrix itself.
"He almost had me convinced," Neo wanted to add 'that he too was a machine, but he knew better.
"I know," the Oracle said, resuming her act with sincerity, "Poor Morpheus"
"Without him, we're lost," she said.
Neo remembered the prior iterations, but there was something more to this than that. Neo knew that Morpheus was priority number one for the police of this world, which suggested he was priority number one for the machines, he'd escaped them in London. But was there more to this… Green…
"What do you mean, 'Without him'?," Neo said.
The Oracle looked at him with complete sincerity, unblinking, as if to ensure the message was getting across. "Are you sure you want to hear this?"
He nodded his head in approval.
"Morpheus believes in you, Neo." She said, holding back the overwhelming desire to tear up, "And no on, not me, not anyone else can convince him otherwise. He believes it so blindly, he's going to sacrifice his life to save yours. "
"What?," Neo said. But he knew what before asking.
For the first time he realized this all sounded biblical.
Thyself he thought. Archaic.
"You're going to have to make a choice. In the one hand you'll have Morpheus's life, and in the other hand, you'll have your own. One of you is going to die. Which one will be up to you."
Neo blinked.
Images of the new testament came to his mind.
Is this the Matrix modernizing the story of the bible? It it trying to turn me into Jesus?
"I'm sorry, kiddo, I really am," the Oracle said.
As if to affirm his suspicions of this being religiously based, she also added.
"You have a good soul," and there it was, "And I hate giving good people bad news."
"Don't worry about it," she said, "As soon as you step outside that door, you'll start feeling better"
But Neo knew he wouldn't. He was starting to realize the implications of his own paranoia and fears and trying to tear it all down. The Oracle knew it too, as did Morpheus. The war was never on the outside world with Zion, which he now believed was a simulation itself.
It had always been here. Inside the system.
He knew then that the machines didn't understand, as the Oracle added.
"You'll remember you don't believe in any of this fate crap," she said with pleading eyes.
"You're in control of your own life," she added, "Remember?"
Neo blinks, and in that moment, he remembers a conversation with Morpheus…
"Do you believe in fate, Neo?," Morpheus asks.
"No," Neo responds.
"Why not?," Morpheus asks.
"Because I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my life," Neo says.
"I know exactly what you mean," says Morpheus
Neo comes back to the moment, looking down, pensively, he's back with the Oracle…
How can she know that? He thinks
"Here, " she says, "Take a cookie, I promise by the time you're done eating it, you'll feel right as rain"
About to walk out, remembering Morpheus's offer for the cookies, Neo turns around and says.
"Do you mind if I get a couple extra cookies for the others?"
The Oracle smiles, knowingly, placing a few of the cookies in a bag, hands it to Neo, without saying a word, which he then places in his pocket, as he thanks her and walks out.
Morpheus had to have told her, he thought, as he rounded the corner where Morpheus was in wait.