Chapter 14
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The Trinity
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A knock on the door, followed by a 'come in!'
Ghost's eyes meet Trinity's as she hurries to push herself in a sitting position, wrapping more the blanket around her shoulders since she's not wearing anything else than her underwear.
"You look awful"
He says, lingering in her tired features and in her many bruises.
"Thank you, bro. What every woman wants to hear"
She teases giving him what should look like a scolding gaze. She's amused instead.
She doesn't complain as he reaches out for the blanket, moving one side away to reveal her baby bump. His hand touches her belly.
"The Oracle knows about him"
He says looking at his own hand and not at her. And yet he can feel it... her breathing stopping for a second at his words.
"You saw her?"
A nod.
A different Oracle from the one he met so many years ago. But it was her, he has no doubt about it. He could recognize her, exactly like she did.
... ... 'on that time you asked me one question. If she would ever love you. I told you: only as a friend as her brother.'... 'yes I remember that smile. I recall asking what you were thinking, but I can't remember what you said...'
... ... I thanked you
... ... why?
... ... because I felt freed
... ... from what?
... ... expectation.
Ghost looks up at Trinity.
"I don't know how she knows... but she does. She said that the child is important. Does this make sense to you?"
... ... the child is important... I can't tell you why, but I believe that one day the child will change both our world and your world forever.
... ... is that why you called for me?
... ... no... I am trying to prepare those that stand in the front lines of our coming trial. We stand upon the edge of a precipice. The fall from which we will not return. Each of us must find courage when we are most afraid to do what we must that is our only hope.
Trinity's eyes widen but she doesn't reply.
She moves to get up, focusing in not wincing at the pain coming from every little movement.
"The data from Zion?"
"Still loading while I came here to you."
She sighs and nods.
She takes off the blanket from her shoulders and looks reluctantly at the sweater on the chair. Putting it on is going to be an hard task due to the many bruises and cuts on her arms. In every other moment she would have just wear a top tank.
Ghost seems to read her thoughts. Or better, he does.
"Wait, you can wear this" he says, unbuttoning his own jumper and taking it off. The old jumper wouldn't be supposed to be a cardigan, but it was so worn out that the fabric had been divided in two frayed sides on the chest and then fixed at one side with a couple of buttons "it should wear loose enough on you"
A smile.
That smile. He can live for that smile.
... ... 'Ghost. you still love her don't you'
... ... 'as much as she loves another'
... ... 'that is a hard path to walk'
... ... 'Nietzsche said it best one must want nothing to be different, not forward not backward, not in all eternity, not only bear what is necessary, but to love it.'
... ... 'I'm putty. You're a good man, Ghost. If somehow we do survive, if the path does continue, I hope it is made by others like you'
.
.
In the mess hall the silence is a huge weight. There's a definite chill in the air, the tension clearly touchable between the three in there. Neo sits at the table, Morpheus is in front of him. Niobe stands up, her arms folded as she shakes her head.
... ... I don't understand it... Everything was done exactly as it was supposed to be done. The prophecy was clear. Once the One reaches the Source the war should be over...
... ... In a few days, it will be... If we don't do something in the next few days, Zion will be destroyed
... ... How do you know that?
... ... I was told it would happen
... ... It's impossible. The prophecy tells us-
... ... It was a lie, Morpheus. The prophecy was a lie. The One was never meant to end anything. It was all another system of control...you said it yourself, how can the prophecy be true if the war isn't over?
... ... I'm sorry. I know it isn't easy to hear but I swear to you, it's the truth
... ... I have dreamed a dream ... But now that dream has gone from me...
Morpheus folds his hands, his index fingers touch his forehead. He's unable to make sense of what happened, lost, searching for a response he doesn't have, no more.
They all turn to the door as it opens and Trinity steps in. Her eyes meet Neo's as she silently just stands near him. He can feel her, at his side, and yet, for the first time it's not a comforting feeling. He feels like he betrayed her trust, he disappointed her, he disappointed his unborn son. Trinity's hand moves on his shoulder... her reassuring touch reminding him she's still there for him. Nothing changed. He finds her hand on his own shoulder, holding it in his.
"I've got the projections, Sir. It's true..." Trinity's voice is firm as she puts on the table the paper in her hand. But she sighs like struggling to say what she has to. Her eyes meet Niobe, then Morpheus again "Based on point of entry and their past speed, it looks like the Machines will reach Zion in just under seven days"
"Holy Christ!"
Niobe's hand runs on her forehead as Morpheus just watches his own folded hands instead.
For the first time no word can come from his mouth. So many years looking for the One... it had been his mission for his entire life... and what was the point?
The sense of failure crushes him enabling him to think straight. For the first time in his life he feels hopeless. Just a nonsense puppet. The shadow of the strong man who incited the crowd in the Temple in Zion, just weeks earlier.
"Morpheus, there's something I need you to hear..."
Trinity's voice is just more than a whisper, but in the silence of the room it echoes anyway.
Two captains. One of them is a believer, or at least he was. One of them isn't.
Neo holds Trinity's hand tighter as she sits down in turn.
Her report of what happened in the turrets is detailed, item by item, like her reports use to be.
She can still see it... multiple red eyes turning blue and staring at her.
She can hear it... the noise of metal crushing against metal as it hits the other sentinel, somehow pushing it away and changing its trajectory.
She can feel it... the impact of metal parts all over her, crushing her... the struggling to breathe... the pain... the pressure which suddenly fades allowing her lungs to expand again... the tentacle which intentionally removes an heavy piece of metal from her body.
Morpheus shakes his head.
"I don't believe it" he says, unable to trust her words "It makes no sense"
"It's exactly what happened, Morpheus"
The Captain shakes his head again.
"You can't really be sure you were clear of mind"
It's Trinity's turn to shake her head at Niobe's words, and she meets Neo's eyes this time.
"I was enough to know that squid should have killed me. And yet it didn't. Purposely"
"It makes no sense" Morpheus replies "I can see what those squid did to you, Trinity. Look at yourself now. They almost killed both you and Apoc"
Once again she can see the sentinel scanning her body. She can feel the sort of vibration against her skin as the cold metal skin makes contact with her... like the purr of a cat... relaxing, calming, peaceful...
... her heart rate which slows down, her laboured breathing which calms down... the little one in her womb who calms down. The tension in her baby bump which fades, her cramps which loosen.
Trinity shakes her head again, standing up this time.
"It makes perfectly sense to me instead" Trinity looks right in Morpheus eyes
"We are rebels. We fight machines with just one purpose. To free mankind from the Matrix control. We risk our life, every single day, for what we believe in. And yet, less than one year ago Cypher betrayed all of us. He was supposed to be a mate, a friend, and yet he was up to kill us all. Why? To have his own freedom. To go back in the Matrix" her eyes meet Neo's "the freedom from the Matrix control wasn't the kind of freedom he really wanted. He wanted a different kind of freedom. The freedom of choosing the Matrix instead of Zion" her eyes move back on Morpheus "What if it's the same for machines? What if some of them want to be freed from that kind of control? To be free to choose whose side they're on?"
"They are machines, Trinity. Choice imply thoughts and feelings" Morpheus says.
"Both thoughts and feelings are just chemical and electrical interactions"
It's Niobe's voice this time, and Morpheus just stares at her.
"It can't be" he says again "They're the enemy. We can't allow ourselves to think anything else"
"Do you think I don't know a sentinel is supposed to be just a machine, with the only purpose to find and destroy us? I know it shouldn't be supposed to be merciful. And yet, it exactly what it's been. I know a friend almost killed me months ago. And today a sentinel saved me and ..."
Trinity pauses, like pondering if telling or not what she was about to say. Morpheus talks in her place instead.
"It's a war, Trinity. It's us or them. We can't allow ourselves to have doubt about we are on the right side, against them"
Trinity's hand moves on her back and she takes a long breathe. Her eyes meet Neo's again, swallowing and inhaling deeply again before speaking. She knows she should sit down, and yet she doesn't.
"Maybe we're wrong. What if the only chance we have is us and them instead?"
Trinity's eyes meets Niobe's and they stare at each other as Morpheus stands up instead, giving just a glance to both Neo and Trinity and heading to the door.
"We all need to rest now. Tomorrow we'll try to contact the Oracle again. If this is the end I want to hear it from her mouth"
Trinity feels Neo's hand on her lower back as she watches Morpheus stepping out of the door. Niobe stops on that same door instead. She turns and gives her a piercing look, then turning again and walking away.
Trinity shakes her head again, this time inhaling deeply as she strokes her back and her hand moves on her lower abdomen pressing on it.
"C'mon, you need to lie down"
She shakes her head and just sits down instead. One hand still on her belly as she puts her elbow on the table and covers her eyes with the other hand.
"Trin, what is it?"
She can feel the fear in his voice, and she just takes another deep breath.
"There's something in my mind that I can't -" she hesitates, stroking her belly again, then meeting Neo's eyes. There's something in her look that he can't get, like, once more, there's something she wants to tell, but she's afraid of what could it mean if she does.
"Trust me, Trin" he says as his dark eyes melt in the blue of hers "I trust you with my life, you know it. Whatever it is..."
She swallows.
"The Oracle's words... and the ones the Architect told you..."
She stops, her lips open like to go on, but she closes them again.
"What about them?" He incites her, feeling again her hesitation.
... ... Your life is the sum of a remainder of an unbalanced equation inherent to the programming of the Matrix.
... ... You are the eventuality of an anomaly that, despite my sincerest efforts I have been unable to eliminate from what is otherwise a harmony of mathematical precision. While it remains a burden assiduously avoided, it is not unexpected and thus, not beyond a measure of control which has led you inexorably... here.
... ... "May I really save Zion if I reach the Source?"
Trinity can remember the Oracle's nod. And yet there was something in the Oracle's eyes she couldn't explain, like if she was keeping something from them.
... ... You are here because Zion is about to be destroyed, its every living inhabitant terminated. Its entire existence eradicated. The function of the One is to now return to the Source, allowing a temporary dissemination of the code you carry, reinserting the prime program after which you will be required to select from the Matrix twenty three individuals, sixteen female, seven male, to rebuild Zion. Failure to comply with this process will result in a cataclysmic system crash, killing everyone connected to the Matrix, which coupled with the extermination of Zion will ultimately result in the extinction of the entire human race.
A question. An answer. Neo's return to the Source would have, in a certain way, saved Zion, or better he would have lead to its rebuilding.
And yet, once again...choice. The problem is choice.
... ... "Because of the choices you've made, Neo, I'm afraid, your path is much harder... but you have something the first One didn't have. And it's both your bigger weakness and strength"
... ... "You're tied to the One, Trinity. Intertwined with his life like never before. Your life will depend on him and his on you. You've made a choice which changed everything. Now you have to understand it"
... ... "What if I can't? What if I can't help him in the path he has to take?"
Trinity can still see the Oracle nodding at her question , then giving her a smirk and one of her Cheshire-cat grin.
... ..."Oh, trust me. There's always another way"
The same exact words the key-maker had told as they tried to escape from the Merovingian's palace.
... ... "The most important choice of your life. It's not been up to you. But it changed everything"
... ... "I'm interested in one thing, kids: the future. And believe me, I know, the only way to get there is together"
Their eyes meet.
"I can't stop thinking about it, Neo" she says "it's a one-track mind" she gasps at the kick which hits her stomach and exhales slowly, swallowing before talking again.
... ... "You're tied to the One, Trinity. Intertwined with his life like never before. Your life will depend on him and his on you. You've made a choice which changed everything. Now you have to understand it"...
"What if the prophecy isn't a lie. What if we misunderstood it instead?"
Her eyes painfully meet Neo's.
... ... "The Oracle told me that I would fall in love, and that the man I loved would be the One..."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean... there's another interpretation"
... ... "You'd fall in love, and the man you loved would be the One"
"Our son" Neo's voice is low but clear. A statement not a question.
His hand finds hers and he holds it tighter as she bits on her lower lip.
"But how can he?" Neo shakes his head, not looking away from the blue of Trinity's eyes "He hasn't been born yet... and Machines will destroy Zion in less than a week"
Trinity sighs, repeating once more the Oracle's words.
"... you have something the first One didn't have. And it's both your bigger weakness and strength" she swallows, looking down at her baby bump and then up in Neo's eyes again "It's exactly what our son is, Neo. Our weakness and our strength. He's not born yet and he's already changed my world... my mind. And yours. I'd give anything and everything for him. Exactly like you'd do. It's not just you, or me, anymore. It's the three of us, together"
Neo stares into her eyes. And her words are clear in his mind.
"The triune form of the Godhead. A Trinity" Neo smirks and she knows it's clearly his attempt to play down "you know it sounds quite hilarious, Trin, don't you?"
She runs her tongue on her lips, holding back a smile in turn.
"I'm not saying I'm right, I just say I-"
"I've always known you made of me the One, Trinity. You've always been part of this. I'm the One with you. Only with you. Without you I would have been just another guy"
Trinity bites on her lower lip again at Neo's words, trying her best to stay in control of her emotions, well knowing how her pregnancy hormones aren't helping at all in this. Neo sees it coming.
"And I remember having told you the same on our first night together... buried inside you to the hilt."
She closes her eyes and can't help the tiny smile which play on her lips at that memory.
... ... "You feel this? Were're one. There is no 'One' without you"...
"Such a poet!" she teases as his hand finds her cheek, and his lips hers.
He holds her, kissing her temple, as the Oracle's words turn now in his mind either.
... ... "I'm interested in one thing, kids: the future. And believe me, I know, the only way to get there is together"
It's Neo's turn to speak.
"You're right," he says letting go of her just for being able to look better in her eyes "What happened in the turrets today, it's not a coincidence..."
She stares at him, her eyes darken.
"Neo..."
From the tone of her voice he already knows she's going to say something he won't like, and it's his turn to swallow.
"I know I promised you to stay away from the Matrix... for the safeness of our baby... but," her eyes meet his painfully "there's not a safe place for me, nor for him, anymore... we've clearly had a reminder a few hours ago..."
Neo's eyes linger on her many bruises and nods.
"If it's true, Neo... if the only way to get there is together... both the Machines and us... then, there's something I have to do"
Neo looks down at his own hands as she talks. Her words making more and more sense as she goes on, despite the sting they trigger in his stomach. What she's suggesting is dangerous, it doesn't matter if she already did it once.
"It's something just I can do... " she says looking away from his eyes just t look down at her baby bump again "and you have to understand it..."
"I can't" his eyes pierce hers "I'm not letting you dealing with the Merovingian again, Trinity, not alone"
"It's the only chance we have, Neo. Morpheus is too blinded by his rage and his frustration right now, to consider any other opinion than his. As far as I respect him, there's no time... I can't afford it. We can't afford it. And if there's a chance, just one, Neo, to give a future to our son, we have to try"
He nods this time. Painfully and fighting against himself... but he nods, and holds her hand tighter.