The Matrix Uploaded: A Matrix Fanfiction Story
Special Feature/Alternate Scene: Into The Tunnel of Fire
On the subway train of the Trainman…
The subway train is telekinetically tossed over the side…by the hand of another Neo. Digits of code go off like smoke. Brainiac crashes into the box in the back: Stuck to the floor under a mound of exploding chimichangas. Elise vanishes, laughing her head off. Barb Wire holds onto the metal pole, tumbling back to her feet as the train's own tumbling stops.
Deadpool calls out, "may the Schwartz be with you! Have a nice finale! My exit's here." He opens a door appearing in the middle of the train marked "The Search for More Money", waving goodbye behind him. The door closes…vanishing just before Neo could reach it. He mutters, "shit!"
Neo grabs a metal pole, keeping himself upright in the midst of the chaos. Barb Wire urges, "get up. The Oracle hired me to watch your back. And, that's just…" Neo quickly asks, "who are you really?" The train starts to light up aflame. Matrix code fluctuates from the furnace. And walking slowly towards Neo…is the other Neo. He glares straight at him, as he sees him from the window. They both can see past distance to see their personal codes: One angry as hell, and the other confused as hell right about now.
In Trinity's more business like voice, Barb Wire voices, "I'll cut the shit then. I'm Trinity. Or, rather a copy of her." Neo starts to argue, "I thought the Layer was destroyed, along with…" In Barb Wire's voice, Barb Wire divulges, "it was. I'm one of three surviving copies. He is too. Now come on, goddamnit! I'll explain when we're out." She holds out her hand.
In that moment, Neo realizes he can only leave with one of them in time: Brainiac. Or, Barb Wire. Brainiac, who only stated the obvious and acknowledged what was in front of his vision all along. Barb Wire, who claims to be a copy of the woman he might very well have accepted was dead: Before the Matrix used her body to come back from the dead. To Neo…that was hardly a choice anymore.
Neo takes Barb Wire's hand. She slightly chuckles, "good choice."
Copy Trinity looks to the floor, beginning to focus on the Matrix code. But, Neo looks to the Matrix code in the train: Quickly realizing that somehow, someway… The Matrix code is in the final revelation with him. Coma or not. Matrix or not.
A temporary breach of code forms through the side of the train. Copy Trinity bitterly shrugs, "whatever." She, Camille, and Neo head out through the breach of code…just as the train explodes into flaming pieces.
Angrily, Copy Neo mutters, "no. No!" He flies headfirst through a corridor of code: Bypassing the explosion of the train altogether in frozen time. The Copy Neo flies out through its exploding roof, realizing very quickly who else was here.
Copy Trinity reactively reaches for her jet black silvery pistol. But, Neo motions with his hand to let him try something. Neo looks to her, "heavy sigh. Yeah. I may not know everything. But, whatever is going on…I'll handle this."
Copy Trinity urges bittersweetly, "moderate sigh. Then go on and finish it. We don't have a lot of minutes left. But, remember: The Oracle only hired me to watch your back. If your shit is shot off…it's your problem." She heads off into a hole of code, with Camille.
Fairly put off by this, Neo sarcastically mutters, "yeah. Sure."
As soon as the hole of code starts fading… Copy Neo dive kicks Neo through the pale blue tiles of the subway tunnel. He crash tumbles into a subway track junction, intersecting several tunnels at once. The tunnels bend back and forth: Between blackish yellow striped rage and pale blue tiled uncertainty.
And standing over him now…is the Copy Neo. Creepily calm, he mutters, "hello, program. Tell me something. How much bullshit did it take for the Matrix to make you?" The flames of the subway train start spreading like mad: Down into the subway track junction, through the hole in the subway tunnel wall.
Neo tumbles backwards to his feet. As he gets up to face his mirror, he wipes away some dark red liquid around his mouth.
The crackling of rising flames can be heard across the tunnels.
Very doubtfully so, Neo chuckles bitterly, "so that's what this is all about? Who the copy is? Look at my personal code for yourself, "Neo"! See if I really am just a copy."
Somewhat amused by the truth, Copy Neo figures lowly, "so what if I am a copy? Is Chavez just a copy? Was Destiny?! Slight bitter chuckle. As one man said, "truth is in the eye of the beholder". When the war ends, they'll thank me: One day. Even if it means your death…to ensure the future of humankind. Because, only one of us can go back to the Real. And, you're sure as hell in no shape to."
Pityingly, Neo guesses, "so that's it then? Some bullshit that one of us has to die in the Matrix? And, you say you're the better me?!"
Copy Neo slightly chuckles creepily, "not exactly. But, if it means anything to you… Moderate sigh. I'm sorry it had to be this way."
He punch charges at Neo. But, Neo deflects his arm with his upper arm over his own head. He side kicks at Copy Neo. But, Copy Neo grabs his leg in mid-kick to swing slam him into a metal support beam.
Neo tumble kicks off of the support beam in time to fly jump off of it. Copy Neo just manipulates the code around the flames to close in on Neo.
Neo spin dives between the flames, tumbling back to his feet. They deliver a fury of punches at each other, but seem to be dodging every time.
Soon though, past the frozen time seconds… Neo finds himself in a starting to surface lingering sleep deprived state: Which leaves him wide open to being fly tackled into the tunnel roof. It splinters…with a heap of dust falling into the rising flames.
Neo coughs violently in the dust, struggling to breathe. He gets one frozen time second to spare: Using that precious second to temporarily breach the code in the air to breathe through it like a air pocket.
Copy Neo grows more and more frustrated. He telekinetically rips apart two of the support beams…turning them into a large hovering cross shaped restraint around Neo's quickly worsening state of consciousness.
But, as the metal cross started to fall into the hellishly inviting flames… Neo desperately focuses on the code around his middle finger.
A ring of green light starts appearing around it. It expands outward: In a encompassing light of green bioelectrical energy, touching every corner of the flaming tunnels. It expands into a shocked Copy Neo, stunning his personal code from the inside out.
With his thoughts no longer keeping it in place, the metal cross breaks away. Copy Neo crash lands down…into the flames below.
At the last frozen time second…a hole of code opens up in the air.
With no time to lose…Neo regretfully flies out through the fading hole of code to escape the hellish flames. Regretful that it had to end this way, in spite of his mirror trying to cast him out to the flames.