"Are the drugs wearing off?"

Neo sat on the foot of Smith's bed as Smith himself shook his head, hiding his face in his hands. The morning daylight was shining through their little window, but they hid in the dark, in the corners where Shadows like to linger. Smith said the light was hurting his eyes, so he went under his thin covers, but Neo pulled them back.

"I don't know…" Smith replied.

"They gave you a lot…most of them were injections…"

Smith rubbed his eyes.

"I didn't even know this place had a hospital." Neo goes on. "There were all these tubes…and machines…they were going to put a tube in your throat if you didn't start breathing again…"

Neo looks away, his eyes moving around, trying not to picture it all again. He voice is soft, and he is afraid of it. Afraid of it all, and the fact that it looked completely familiar to him.

"A tube…?" Smith looked up, and Neo nodded.

Smith immediately dug his head into his hands again so he would have to look at anything anymore. What happened to him? What was happening to him? He's thinking more clearly, and now he's questioning himself again. Again and again, more questions. He sighs, and looks up at Neo.

"You didn't sleep did you?" Neo asks.

Smith shakes his head.

"I had a dream. A new one." Neo says.

No, no more dreams, Smith thinks to himself. No more dreams. Don't tell me about your dreams, when all I can have are nightmares. No more dreams, ever. None of these nightmares to linger throughout the mind.

"Still someone died in it…" Neo continues. "But…I think he was okay with it… Like he's the one person I've watch die…that was really ready to die. Anyway…there was this Asian man…and he was leading me through a hallway. It was long and white, and it sort of looked like this place, and I assumed it was the Asylum. He was leading me to a way out… He had all these keys around him, and one in his hand, and then we were running. I don't know from what, but he started running and I started running…He led me to a door, and I kept running, but he had stopped. I looked back very worried for him, but he just nodded to me, and as the door closed, he was shot several times…I don't know who killed him, but as I laid next to him, he seemed fine with it. He gave me this key and he told me where I could go to leave these place…and he died…"

"Perhaps it was his purpose." Smith says.

"Purpose?"

"His time to die."

"The purpose of life is to die? Makes you feel insignificant…"

"We are."

Neo raised his head, and looked over at Smith, scooting closer to him. Neo finally realized they had never discussed the ideas of death of a God. Neo hadn't even really thought about it by himself.

"What do you believe Smith?" Neo asked him. "About life, I mean…"

Smith looked up at Neo, and considered this for a moment.

"We live. We die. That is all." Smith told him.

"I thought you said there was a purpose in anything."

"There is a purpose in everything we do…but there is no purpose in life."

"You're atheist, Smith." Neo joked a little, giving a weak smile.

"Don't label me with such words. Religion. A human invention, a concept to make humans feel special, when really they are no different from dogs. To allow them to say they have a soul, and others don't. Religion the cause of all conflict."

Smith looked away from Neo as he said those words, knowing that they might offend Neo. And Neo was indeed taken back by the comment, and very surprised. Neo frowned at Smith, but eventually came closer to him again.

"Well I believe that there is a purpose in life. I just don't think I'm the One to find it out. Perhaps it is as simple as love." Neo smiled.

"Love…another invention. An illusion."

"Hey, don't say it like it's stupid or something. You're not in love, it's different when you are."

Smith would go no further on the subject.

"There's a big plan in life. It's all planned out, and in the end it all comes together." Neo motioned with his hands this coming together.

Smith huddled up some more, and put his face in his hands again, and Neo put his hand on his shoulder.

"You're okay now right?" Neo asked. "You're all better?"

"I don't know…"

"What does that mean?" Neo frowned.

"I don't know…" Smith said again.

"Oh Smith…be okay. Can I do anything?"

"No."

Neo frowned and sat back again.

"Aaron said you're supposed to take this pill." Neo held up a red pill and gave it to Smith.

Smith grabbed it.

"You didn't get any sleep did you?" Neo asked.

Smith shook his head.

----------

"You should eat."

"I don't want to."

"Come on. Please eat?"

"No."

"Please?"

"You dragged me out of here, what more do you want?"

Neo stopped and Smith kept going. Smith looked back and stopped, waiting for Neo, and Neo was frowning at him, sad and lonely look, the kind that made his happy brown eyes pathetic.

"Are you angry with me?" Neo asked.

Smith shook his head.

"Of course not." Smith told him.

"You seem upset with something." Neo said.

"I'm not."

"Yes you are, you're lying."

Smith frowned, and Neo bit his lip. And there was yet another moment of silence that the mad never really notice. Smith looked away to his right, and Neo walked towards him, putting his head on Smith's shoulder.

"I'm sorry for whatever it is I've done." Neo said.

Smith waited for a moment, and shrugged Neo off, and began walking away.

"You've done nothing." Smith said.

But the way Smith said it, Neo really knew he meant, "You've done something nearly unforgivable." And Neo stood there for a moment unsure of what to do, how to go on. This wasn't like Smith, he knew it wasn't. And if he knew Smith, he knew that it would be difficult for Smith to forgive him…if he ever would. Neo watched a little longer, and ran after him.

What was he supposed to do? There's too many things happening all at once, all this chaos silenced to look like nothing. Trinity, Michelle actually speaking to him, he still thought about it, picturing her there, watching him sleep. Dreaming she would join him. And then there was Smith! Smith upset with him! Smith angry, without being angry, Smith afraid, without being sad! He knew all this, he knew everything, but what could he do to help Smith? And the dream! The dream so much more different the rest!

Yes…the dream was somewhere else…Not Zion, not this place, somewhere else, somewhere…far away perhaps. Wait, what did the man with keys say to him?

Smith's rubbing his face, his head hurts, Neo can tell. Neo grabs Smith's arm.

"Maybe…we could go fight? You can hit me really hard if you want." Neo suggested.

"Mr. Anderson…" Smith began, shaking Neo off his arm. "You wouldn't be able to understand."

------------------

No, he could never understand. How could he? He hasn't seen what he's seen. He hasn't thought what he's thought. No, he's not like him. They're completely different, he was just too blind to see it. No, he'll never understand. He'll never see what he sees, or smells what he smells. No, he's not like him! He's unique! He's different!

And Neo nearly did a back flip bending down to dodge one of Smith's punches. He ended up rolling to the side, trying to kick swipe Smith into falling over, but he jumped back.

No, they're not like each other. He doesn't want to be alike anymore. He could never be like Neo. He can't dream like Neo, he can't see like Neo, he can't be happy like Neo. Why even keep trying? Why fight a hopeless battle? Outnumbered by yourself? Words would never have worked, words only go so far, it is the mind that decides what to really hear and understand. Explanation is irrelevant. All that matters is now Smith knows, he is not like Neo. He'll never be like Neo. He'll never understand Neo, and Neo will never understand him.

Smith charges at Neo before the man even has a chance to get up, kicking him with his knee in the chest. Neo flops over onto his back, forcing himself to roll onto his chest and push himself up with his arms. Smith charged again, and Neo flipped to the side to dodge. Smith hooked at Neo's face, and Neo barely ducked in time.

No use even trying to see through those happy eyes. He doesn't know how to be happy, what is the use? Neo doesn't know about his dream. Neo doesn't know what it's like to stare at a dead man, still smiling you, expecting you to do something, asking something. Those happy brown eyes, still happy even in death, still asking so much, that Smith would never be able to give. All he wants is to be happy.

Smith punched Neo in the chest, and Neo had to flip back to get out of the way.

Why can't he be happy? What's wrong with him? Is he defected? Is he the truly mad one? He wants to be happy! To feel more than this empty fear! Why won't you let me be happy? Why do you do it! Why do you go on! Look at us! Look at what we've become! Let me smile!

Neo dodged and punched Smith in the ribs, Smith kicked Neo in the head with his right leg, and stumbled as he jumped back, only to start charging for Neo again.

Stop looking at me with those happy eyes! So alive! So glad about it! Stop smiling at me! Stop touching me! Get away from me! Get away!

Smith punches at Neo, and Neo grabs his fist.

Stop it!

And Neo bangs his head against Smith, and the two jump back from each other. Neo takes the offensive jumping forth with a kick to the chest, Smith grabs Neo as he is in the air, and throws him to the ground.

Smith is alone again, there is no Jones, there is no Brown. There is no happiness, or joy. There is only the inevitable fear when he closes his eyes, and all he can see is Neo. Neo choking him to death.

Neo's on the ground, and Smith jumps on him, putting on hand around his neck.

"Smith!" Neo screams.

Yes, no more happiness in those brown eyes is there? No…no, only fear. The joy is gone, replaced with one of the most primal emotions, inventions of all time! Fear!

Smith stares down at Neo, and slowly loosens his grip.

"Smith…"

Neo grabs Smith's hand, and pulls it away from his neck, and Smith sits there, his knee on Neo's chest. And where there was once anger, is now replaced with nothing. Smith's eyes were full of anger and something horrible, but now it's vanishing, being pulled away by an invisible string, and it leaves nothing behind. Smith's grin goes away with it, and now he's just looking down at Neo. Neo smiles up at him, and Smith closes his eyes, slowly falling over to his side, where he lays down and rests.

Neo rises to his knees, coughing and rubbing his neck, and Smith…Smith still lies there, his eyes closed.

Neo nudges him.

The world has faded away now, for Smith…the world is gone. He felt for a while there…outbursts of anger and frustration, desperation, envy, hatred…but not he felt it…leaving him, being pulled right out of him. Someone reaching inside him, picking which parts to stay in, and which to take out. He felt their hands clawing through his back, tearing away these feelings. The world is gone again.

He is numb again.

"Smith…?"

Smith sighs, and slowly opens his eyes, to look at his own hand that lies beside him.

"I'm sorry." Smith says. "I didn't even realize…"

Neo sits there next to him.

"It's okay, Smith…I understand…" Neo whispered.

Smith laid on his side, almost covering his eyes.

"I had dream, Neo…" Smith whispers.

"A dream?" Neo bends down closer. "Tell me…"

"I can't…."

"Please, tell me?"

There was a strange expression on Smith's face. One Neo had trouble understanding, and was frowning at. There was a daze in his eyes, and he wouldn't look at Neo. His mouth was slightly open, as if he wanted to say something. There was…sadness there inside him, and anger, desperation, other things? And it all formed into a look of sear sorrow. Like he had just given up a war, given up on everything. Like there was nothing he could do now, nothing left for him there.

"I dreamed that I stood in a hallway…and the walls were stained with blood…I could see Jones and Brown and they were looking at me, and…" Smith whispered.

"Jones and Brown, again? But Smith…" Neo interrupted.

"I was dying."

Neo had one of those little gasps he imagined mothers had when they saw their children fall down.

"Yes…dying. Have you seen that hallway Neo? Before in your dreams?"

"No…I'm sorry Smith I haven't."

"Oh…"

"Was I in it?"

Yes, Neo, yes you were there with me. I stood by you as you died, and you were coughing up so much blood, you were bleeding to death you had cuts all over you. And then when you died he rose to your feet and grabbed me by my neck, and you started to kill me.

"No." Smith says.

Neo frowns.

"Neo…I will stay here with you, okay?"

"Okay Smith."

"I just…need to rest…"

Smith closed his eyes, and went to sleep. And Neo sat there next to him, watching and eyeing the walls of the Asylum. Neo would sit there for hours, not even leaving for food. He would sit there, and watch the very sun set. He would sit there, and just wait until Smith was ready to leave.

They didn't know it at the time, and it would be a long time before they would ever realize just how fast they were moving when they were fighting. The others saw, the sane and insane watched from afar, almost afraid. How fast they moved…when they seemed to be in two places at once. Too fast, far too fast to be anything human…The punches, the kicks, the dodging, they all seemed like blurs at the time.

Michelle, Trinity saw from inside the Asylum, pressing her hands on the glass windows. She watched them…move so fast, too fast. She watched them…as Neo was only trying to survive, and Smith…Smith was really trying to hurt him…And she watched as they sat together on the grassy fields of the outside area. And she kept walking by making sure they were still there, still safe.

Brothers named Enoch and Enosh run to their King, to tell of the fight. And Kind Armel will only believe his assumptions about the men named Neo and Smith are true, they have Angels and Demons following them.

The doctors also saw, enjoying their lovely window view of the outside, with their one way mirrors. Yes, indeed they saw, they saw everything. Everything.

------------------

The world is gone now. It slipped away.

It's back to how it once was only days ago. Where the mind is at peace, and the face is unemotional. There is nothing in his eyes, no anger, no happiness. He has returned to observing, and watching after Neo.

He's numb again, and he isn't sure if he likes it.

It's like he wants to scream, but can't. Or wants to cry and can't. A force inside him that is trying to push him forward with all its might, and still he can't step forward, still something binds him to the ground to which he stands. Something he can't understand, something that seemingly seems to be built into his own broken and beaten mind.

Smith wakes up in his bed and once again Neo is gone. The sun is almost completely gone.

Smith had a dream.

He rises up to rest his back upright on the wall, and he sighs to himself. He raises his hand to see that it is shaking, he frowns for a moment but quickly puts his hands under the covers so he can't see it. And he rests his head on the wall, looking at the entire world.

It feels like he's drowning almost. Like the entire world is underwater, it's hard to move, hard to hear, and hard to see. As if he were floating away in the water. The current has him doesn't it? Yes it's drifting him away.

Neo you won't leave will you? No, you wouldn't leave, would you? Not even for her? But you look at her so differently than me. What is that makes her better than me, Neo? What makes you want her instead of me? What have I done? What have I done to be different than you? If we were the same would you stay with me? Why do you go to her? Why do you leave me, even after all these years you've stayed by my side? What makes her so great? Why do you do it? Why, why? Is it for freedom? Or truth? Is it for love?

Tell me what love is, tell me why it's worth leaving me behind to die.

Does he love? Can he control if he does or not, or is it out of his power? I love. But what if he doesn't? What if what he feels is not love, and he only thinks it is? I love. Does he? I love. I do not love. I hate. I do not hate. I am angry. I am not angry. I am sad. I am not sad. I am beaten. I am not beaten. I am alone…

What is this? These things coming from the memories? Why can't he feel them anymore? Why do the memories bring only him pain? What did he do wrong?

Why is it all numbed again?

Was he always like this?

Can he make it stop?

He doesn't understand it. This love, this illusion created to give more purpose in breeding than it needs. He doesn't understand, he doesn't know if he wants to understand it. Love, the word, the emotion seems to be destroying more than it is creating. Is it this love that is separating him from the world? Was Neo his only real connection to it, that's how he could feel it? And now with Neo…leaving has the connection to the world being lost?

Was the world he felt even real? Was he even real? Maybe none of it is, maybe that's why it's so hard to feel it now.

Why did this start with Jones and Brown? Who are they? Why is this happening so quickly? Who is he?

Make these questions stop, give upon me the answers I seek. The answers I need so that I may go on with this twisted life I've nearly forgotten. Answers, give me answers to these questions of why and who. Tell me who I am! What purpose did I serve! Why has the world left me!

Am I truly insane?

And all these questions, and hopes, and wonders, this confusion, and desire. All the screaming and the faces of few memories, the blood and the killing, the love and the hate, the numbed and the hurting. All contained with him as he sat down on the bed, closing his eyes.

Smith had a dream where Neo was killing him.

Smith was falling.

Smith's hands were shaking.

--------------

The doctors said they had to go inside now, the sun was going and everyone had to go to sleep now. But not Neo, no, no. Aaron carried Smith back to the cell, and Neo lied you see. He said he was going to go to the bathroom, but that's not really where Neo is going, no he lied. Because in all this time sitting down next to Smith, Neo knew he had to lie. Because he could hear it, somewhere inside him. He would close his eyes and see the man with the keys again in a white hallway, that Neo assumed was the Asylum. The man with keys would always smile, look around to see if anyone was there, and then say something to him.

Finally Neo could hear what he was saying all this time, and the Key Man told Neo to repeat them, and Neo did again and again and again.

And now there was a distinct voice inside his head, telling him what he was told. A Voice…not his or Smith's, a new voice, somehow familiar. It would make Neo smile.

The sun was almost gone, and the night guards were coming. It would be around this time that Michelle would be walking towards her black little car, and Neo would usually watch as she drive away. Not this time though, no he had something to do, the voice telling him where to go and when. It had to be now, it had to be this way! Before anyone could ever see him!

This was it.

Nothing else mattered, this had to be the only thing he was thinking about. Forget Smith and Michelle just for a moment, just for a little moment, that's all he needs. He'll go back soon and take care of Smith, and Smith will be so pleased when he gets back he knows it, he believes it. He had to part from Smith, even though they've never done that before in all their lives that they can remember. But it had to be this way, at least this one time, it was worth it, Neo knew it.

Smith…who was alone and somehow suffering, angry and suffering for some reason. Neo knew how he could make it better, or yes he knew. He knew this would end it all, this would make Smith happy again, or at least not angry anymore. He knew it, Smith had to forgive after this.

"Down the windy halls where the so called diseased lie and begin to wither into something they can never really be again. The heart can mend with great time and care, but the mind is a different story. Once broken the mind can never fully heal, and those the so said sane try to fix, are only making them pretend to be something they could never really be. Like you, Neo, they are asking you to be something you are not. You must follow these sane men to the doors which only they can pass, and when the sun leaves the horizon, that is when two men shall go through these doors. They shall leave something behind for you, Neo, and this you must keep no matter what." Neo told himself.

The guards were yelling at people to go back to their cells, and Neo ran into a hallway, hiding between a doorway as he watched two guards pass by. Neo poked his head out of the doorway, getting some distance between them. He did know where the sane men goes, and those doors only they can pass, the difficulty was getting there.

But Neo, being Neo, and looking strange whenever he crouches down, being such a tall and skinny man, was able to find a way. And in the corner he stood, between a door and another wall, he saw two men pass by through the doors, and down on the ground, something was left for him.

In those moments Neo's hands were shaking.

-----------------

Smith was peering through the window of his door, the door now locked from the outside from the night guards. He was pacing around almost, shaking and rubbing his hand to make it stop shaking like it was, to get whatever was causing that to go away. To make the numbness go away. He was waiting for Neo, to which he assumed was getting in some kind of trouble. He saw someone as best as he could and he jumped into his bed, as if he had been doing nothing this entire time.

They were two large night guards, larger than regular actually. One opened the door, and the other had Neo raised off the ground by the sides of his arms and was being carried by the guard. He was placed down, and the guards left.

Neo had the biggest grin on his face.

"Why did you leave me again? Wait…what is it?" Smith asked.

Neo just grinned.

"Tell me." Smith said urgently.

Neo looked through the window making sure no one was there, and he jumped next to Smith on the bed, and still he was grinning. Yes, this, this will make up for whatever he did to Smith. Smith can't be upset after this. Not after this, Neo's gift to Smith.

Neo closed in on Smith, and slowly opened his mouth.

And there lying under Neo's tongue, was a key. Neo grabbed it, rubbed it on his shirt, and held it up to Smith.

"Do you see it?" Neo asked.

"It's…It's…" Smith began.

"It's a key. A key, Smith! He told me it would be there and he wasn't lying to me!"

"Who?"

"The Key man! The man with the Keys, he told me, Smith! He's going to help us get out of here, I know he is!"

Smith looked up at Neo, still a little dazed. Unsure of what thought to pursue further. The possibilities of this key, their possible escape, what they would do if they did get away, who would he be then, or if to go on about how could Neo leave him, ask him there and now. But no, there's too many of these thoughts, not one can be distinguished from the other.

All that could be formed was that there was a key. A key.

Neo grinned putting the key into the lock on the door, and hearing that beautiful click a door makes when it is unlocked. Neo smiled the biggest smile he had ever smiled since he last saw Trinity, Michelle. And he laid his forehead on the side of the door. Smith came up behind him and placed his hands on the doorknob turning it.

The door opened.

"Where will we go?" Neo asked for a moment looking down the empty hallway.

"I will stay with you Neo." Smith said stepping into the hallway.

For as long as I can.

----------------

Next Chapter: Open the Door

"I can only show you the door, you must open it."

Next Chapter we'll be able to...well revisit some of our inmates in the Asylum.

This was one of the chapters I decided to add on in later revisions of my little story outline, which I don't usually do. Usually I keep it up in my head, but I feel like I'll forget with all the homework my school has me doing.

Still having trouble with the spirals? Do you want me to tell you guys?

Please R/R