The Matrix Uploaded: A Matrix Fanfiction Story
Chapter 10:
As the Zion chronometers strike eight twenty…
With eyes on the lingering flames and their feet on the land… Niobe mutters, "what is she…?!" Across the way there is Rose, drinking a green glass bottle full of hormone drops like it's no thing. And there be Neo…lying in the little sea of hormone drops.
Sounding more optimistic, Cis slightly smiles back, "one way to find out. Isn't there?"
Simultaneously, almost like clockwork…
All too creepily joyful, Zeruiah chimes, "let it begin! Let it begin!" Zeruiah slams her arm into a Zion tank hovercraft's hover engines, linking her microchips to it. The hovercraft's controls overload, taking out the pilot and copilot. The Matrix 2.0 and several Matrix zombies punch out the rest of the Zion national rescue team, before they can even blink.
The Matrix 2.0 mutters coldly, "if we didn't know you any better, we would think you were being irrelevantly emotional." Zeruiah commentates, "just trying to help." The Matrix zombies board the Zion tank hovercraft, remotely taking off under the Matrix 2.0's newly established control.
The army of the assimilated march on…from commandeered Zion tank hovercraft to commandeered Zion tank hovercraft.
Around this time…
A tear falls down Cis's face. She sighs heavily, "Neo… I'm sorry I wasn't…"
In a mess of lingering mixed feelings, Neo insists sympathetically, "moderate sigh. Look. You came. What more could I ask of you?" With a hand on his, Cis slightly smiles, "thanks."
All business-like, Niobe comments, "well, good for you two. But, if we're going to stand a chance of reducing the Matrix to shit… We have to get back up to the upper levels. And fast." She hands Neo his clothes. He's quickly gathering his pants and underwear, with barely enough strength to raise his own two legs.
Rose argues, "but Proto-One still needs more healing rays to gather..."
Niobe figures, "then we improvise." She and Cis lift a half naked Neo onto their shoulders, helping him out of the hormone drops.
Rose waves to them, "good luck with microchip flower. Burp!" She drinks from her bottle of hormone drops, lying against the pipeline. Cis waves back. Cis and Niobe's hoversuits take off for the stalactites above, taking Neo with them.
Cis comments, "strange woman." Neo figures, "yeah."
Simultaneously, within a Construct Vision…
Naimah sits before a fiery red clock face: With numeral I shaped computer monitors marked I through XII, and a floating black keyboard. The growing red and diminishing green gun flares of Matrix styled code float about, reflecting the state of the security network of Zion beacons.
A woman by the name of Mockingbird voices, "moderate sigh. This isn't going to take you away from me too long, is it?" She's lying under the covers of a floating gray marble bed, with marble like black computer lens for eyes. She also happens to be Naimah's girlfriend, in the not so far off distant future of Zion.
Working fast at the controls, Naimah figures assuredly, "I wouldn't worry, Mockingbird."
Simultaneously, down under…
Zeruiah chimes, "jack-in-the-box 1…" The Zion tank hovercrafts come hard about into the ghostly vacant subways. Zeruiah chimes, "jack-in-the-box 2…"
Around this time…
Naimah figures, "just give me fourteen minutes to make cyber history, and I'm all yours."
Simultaneously…
Zeruiah cheers creepily, "…pop goes the joysticks!" The Matrix zombies launch grenades into specially targeted support beams, bringing down the Zion Military Complex's potent waters. They trickle down into the underground power lines of Zion like drops of thunderbolts. All the main telecommunications go out…leaving all the Zion troops on nationwide patrol in the dark. The lightning rods and windows all go pitch black.
Mere minutes later, the masses of the Matrix frozen time empowered Matrix zombies trod over the left unaware Zion troops. Brief flashes of dark red liquid tear away. The blackish corpses of Matrix zombies burst aflame in brilliant flashes of light. Screams of three point five million haunt the night…on and off the battlefield.
In a certain Zion hospital, from the beginning of the end…
With a Zion rifle in hand, Zee makes her stand. She calls out, "what are you still doing here? Run!" Her two assistants run for the nearest exit. Zee stands her ground. Screams fill the night air. The blackish brawlers zombies of the Matrix march in first, tearing through the doors. Circuits of passive heat signature scanner security locks explode off in rubble.
All the Zion medical assistants run as fast as they know how. But, the…mounds of rubble beat them to it. Zee's assistants are killed on impact.
The Matrix zombies march on in. Zee cries out, "noo!" She fires everything she can muster.
In a Zion hospital…
Morpheus lies there, in the dark. Holding onto his vision as best he can: Even with his painfully sinking in hormone treatments from mere hours ago. Screams fill the night air. Footsteps echo mechanically…like a Sentinel if it had feet. Fearlessly, Morpheus calls out, "show yourself, you goddamn piece of scrap! You afraid our "human emotions" will matter more than you think?"
Zeruiah's voice answers back, "afraid dear Matrix Queen couldn't make it. Well… Slight laugh. Half right. Where I go, she pays…tickets. Well, well. Your little Miss Sugar Tiara is here."
With a Zion rifle in hand, Tara mutters hotly, "you're going to wish you kept your shit away, when I shoot it out of you."
Sadistically impressed, Zeruiah laughs, "you're welcome to try. But, only one of us can keep their shit together. And it sure as hell isn't you." Tara slightly sighs, "ohh, no no no. You're fricking going to code hell." She backhand punches down Zeruiah, sending her crashing into a caving in Zion human sized canister.
Zeruiah chimes creepily, "I never asked to be saved…Callisto." She has a big cut down her side, with lodged in Zion plastic pieces. But, she doesn't care. She sits up like it's nothing…even as dark red liquid drips from her side. Zeruiah extends her own wire tentacles outward, straight into Tara. Tara fires the Zion rifle. But, Zeruiah's wire tentacles tilts it up.
The ceiling lights ablaze…in a blaze of death.
In the dark…
Cis and Niobe find their way back to the Zion Military Complex…only to find themselves too late to turn back on the light of millions. Nearing tears, Cis sobs, "no. It can't…"
Around this time, at the door of a Zion home…
The door recognizes Trinity's heat signature. The passive scanner security lock on it opens automatically…as the Matrix 2.0 steps in.
A medium frontless black haired and clean shaven man by the name of Kaiser sits on a fairly squarish black rimmed pale yellow sofa, having been keeping watch over the house while Cis is gone. He wears a Jedi like dark brown robe over bluish white. Here, in the submarine like Zion metal living room. To the left of the couch, there has been a whole Zion canister like set of drawers full of DC animated dvds: Ending with the Justice League Unlimited series, and the All-Star Superman movie of 2011.
In the next room…is the sleeping body of a fairly medium frontless haired little kid. His name is Karl: Cis and Neo's son, named by Cis.
The Matrix 2.0 has come with only a few several Zion zombies. But sadly…it's more than enough here.
Trying to sound casual, Kaiser starts to say, "what? Did you just come in to…?" The Matrix 2.0 just grabs him by the throat, with Trinity's body strength. Kaiser spin punches determinedly into the Matrix 2.0, knocking it down. The Matrix 2.0 releases its grip. But, on the Matrix's silent network of orders…the Matrix zombies shoot Kaiser down. He falls flat on the floor…with briefly seen dark red liquid dripping from his blown head. The Matrix 2.0 gets up, only minorly shaken.
The Matrix 2.0 orders, "Mister Kaiser is irrelevant now. Get the new body." The Matrix zombies slightly nod. In the Matrix 2.0's newfound collective…no more words need be spoken.
Back with Naimah…
The Construct Vision blipped away. Now all that remains…is the dark hall of a ringed Construct Vision corridor. Mockingbird has fallen to the floor…unconscious and barely breathing. Teary eyed, Naimah holds her close, "no. Stay with me. Please." The Matrix zombies fire through the corridor. The nuts and bolts fly everywhere. Naimah cries out, "noo!"
Back with Tara…
Death wails pierce any calm that was left. Tara swiftly discards the rifle…which lands by Morpheus's arm. Tara flip kicks down Zeruiah's wire tentacles, snapping them off. Zeruiah clutches her arm in writhing pain on the floor. Yet, it barely shakes.
Very amused, Tara calls out, "oh, get a…! Life?" Morpheus had just picked up the rifle, about to fire. But… The ceiling was raining blazing death. And Zeruiah was already making a break for it, blowing a taunting kiss behind her. Morpheus mutters, "go! Go without me." Tara looks stunned, "I'm not leaving without…!"
Teary eyed himself…he hands her back the Zion rifle. Morpheus insists, "but you'll survive. Go!"
With a heavy teary sigh…Tara nods. She says, "I'll have more than enough adventures for both of us."
Morpheus faintly smiles to her, still on his medical bed. She blasts her way through the caving in wall…carving up a way out at the last possible second. The room behind Tara explodes in flaming death.
Back with Cis and Niobe…
Niobe points out, "there'll be plenty of time to cry later. Right now, we got to get inside and figure out a plan."
The military complex's power is running on emergency power, and is still operational. But…the doors won't open without a moat.
Cis concludes, "heavy sniffle! Right. Sorry." Niobe figures, "let's put him down first. As soon as we see a way in, we pick him up again." Cis figures sarcastically, "oh, goodie." In the direness of the situation… Neither of them realizes that Neo is mysteriously unconscious, and glowing bright yellow: Even as they both set him down in what's left of the moat.
Simultaneously, in Neo's head…
In pitch black… Neo comes face to face with the figure with the cloak of little bright yellow pulsars. Neo tiredly looks, "look. Whoever you are… Sigh. I really don't have time for games. Just get to the point...please."
To the left and right of the cryptic figure, two spinning flaming dharmacakra steering wheels appear. One is in blue flames, the other in red flames. In a very low distorted tone, the figure reasons, "you're having a feeling. A feeling you don't know, and yet know all too well. All I offer is the truth. All the Oracle wants you to have is the choice."
Suspecting at least some hope here, Neo wonders, "and how do I know this isn't all just Matrix bullshit in my head? Trying to get me to do something against my will without my realizing?"
Ever so slightly smiling, the figure mysteriously answers him, "you don't. But…I know you more than you know yourself. That you don't like being kept in the dark. That you can't help yourself when something from the dark corners of the Matrix gets your attention, and have to know all of it before deciding upon if you should have left it alone all along. That you are the sixth one to be the body for the One."
Neo looks at him funny, "slight nervous chuckle. Really? That bad, huh?" The figure explains more simplistically, "if it rests your need to know… Think of me as a part of your personal code that's been passed on from one computational cycle to the next. One that the Oracle has looked after since the beginning of the resistance. To end all of the suffering."
Struggling to wrap his head around everything, Neo concludes, "I'm not sure if I can get used to that. But…sure. I suspected something wasn't right all along."
Thinking back to years ago, Neo remembers:
Neo sighed hard, "the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. After breaking away from the Matrix, I thought many events were just part of Matrix made propaganda. Clearly though…"
Morpheus highlighted, "you'd be surprised how much history is still intact in the Matrix: Up to a certain point. That's part of what makes it very hard to break away."
Relatively more presently…
Neo continues, "maybe it is right in front of me. But, I still can't quite place it. Right here... In my own personal code… I don't see any code defects or errors. Yet… Moderate sigh. Some of the digits are incompatible somehow. And, it doesn't seem to have the code of the Matrix all over it. I should find out why. For all of Zion. For all of our sakes. That much I know."
Already knowing what choice he'll make, the One figure hints fairly indifferently, "because you should? Or, because you want to? Remember. I'm only offering the truth." He takes out a very familiar looking chocolate chip cookie, from under the dharmacakra steering wheel of blue flames. Only with chunkier chocolate chips. Under both wheels…two chocolate chip cookies that look exactly alike have appeared.
Neo very briefly smiles…half sure and half unsure of what he's even doing here in his own personal code to begin with. He answers, "ok. Maybe you know me too well, and I shouldn't trust you. But, we'll try it your way." He takes the cookie from the One figure, and cautiously eats it. It tastes rather sweet, and he keeps eating it. Then it quickly becomes more and more bitter: Like that of the dark chocolate Mayans ate centuries ago.
The dharmacakra steering wheel of blue flames spins faster and faster, whirling blue fireballs into the fading darkness. The One figure vanishes from sight. Neo is still fighting the bitterness in his mouth. The very sight of sight itself bends before a brilliance of flashing light…as he vanishes deeper into his final self revelation.