Chapter 25
" What do you want, Smith?"
Smith only stared right back at him and half grinned, shaking his head. He adjusted his glasses, refusing to take them off. He knew that in vulnerable human shells like this, emotions could be reflected in the eyes, the dull, cow eyed globes that the weaker race used to observe their so called reality with, and he was quite sure that his opponent kept his on for a similar reason.
" I think we are both here for the same reason. Guidance. We both want everything, but are unsure of the means to get it… to get there, " Smith answered, brushing off some dust from his suit.
" I'll rephrase, then. What do you want from me?" Neo asked, growing irritated with the Agent now. Smith should know that Neo had no problems beating Agent's now, why was he beating around the bush? That was unlike him… unlike any machine, any program at all. They did what they were supposed to do, they served their purpose…
" When we met last, we parted in a way that was for me… un-satisfying. But even though we parted, in a way… we did not." Neo noticed the pauses he used in his conversation, knew that he was dragging it all out. It just left Neo even more irritated, pressing his hands together behind his back.
" I am still not sure of how everything occurred, maybe something was overwritten from you to me or the other way, some code replaced. I do know that I stand here in front of you, because of you, Mr. Anderson. So thanks." Neo just looked at him.
" You're welcome."
Just when Neo was about to ask if this was actually leading somewhere, Smith backed away a few steps, motioning around him with one hand. Neo, observant, looked around him and saw three doors to which Smith motioned, one to his left, on in the far front of him and one to the right.
Suddenly, the doors opened and out stepped three other Agents stepped out. This situation, although in a new environment, was like a memory for Neo, and he let one of his corners of his lips twitch as the other Agents approached them.
" I'd like you to meet my… associates. If all goes well, we won't be meeting that many times… But if something goes awry, you are going to get to see us all more often, Mr. Anderson. You see, " he said and motioned to the other still Agents, " we are no longer a part of the system. When we two, " and he pointed at Neo whilst speaking, " drabbled together, which ended with you killing me, you also set me free at the same time. Let me explain."
Neo sighed, moving the weight of his feet.
" I guess there's no stopping you, " he said.
Trinity poked her head out of the building in which she was standing, and looked down the street to where she had left Neo. He stood there still, but not alone.
Like she had suspected, he was surrounded by Agents, but she knew she did not have to worry about that. But when she looked a little closer, she noticed something she had never thought possible.
" Smith?"
One of the four Agents surrounding Neo was Smith. But… how could he still exist?
" When a program gets terminated from within the Matrix, we have to return to our mainframe, we always face deletions since we failed to comply with our purpose. But I didn't go. Something, some sense, something un-known kept me here. And in a way, it was you, Mr. Anderson." Neo sighed.
" Very sweet. But please, spare me the romantic propaganda and cut to the chase. I have somewhere I have to be, " Neo told him.
" We all do, Mr. Anderson. But you asked me what I wanted, Mr. Anderson, I want everything. That's why I've talked a few… allies here into helping me. And before you ask, they did not do it of free will… but I have certain persuading qualities one might say."
" Really?"
" Yes. And what I was getting to was that you are the only thing, the biggest threat that is standing between me and having everything… So I thought I would try to persuade you as well."
Before Neo could react, before he could retort something, Smith's hand was inside his chest. He looked around him, and the other Agents just smiled, and stepped closer. Neo, on the other hand did not feel closer to anything, instead he felt like he was floating a way, with a choking sense banging its way in his whole chest at the same time. For a short moment, he took time to read the code, to actually be able to see what was going on, and he could see that Smith was transferring some code onto him, something meant to overwrite Neo's own residual digital code. It was failing however, and as Neo felt more pain throughout his chest he began to reverse Smith's action, sending the very code back into Smith, only concentrating on getting the sensation out of his body.
He shoved Smith's hand out of him, and punched him in the face, sending him flying backwards, but found that the other 3 Agents, all obviously controlled or at least under Smith's influence, jumping on him.
And as Neo turned his head slightly, he could see Trinity run towards him in the corner of his eye.