Card 5: Queen of Hearts
In the Morning everyone was gathered in the mess, still wearing some of the gear to keep them warm. Tank turns the nob as it releases some oatmeal goo into the bowl "Here you go, buddy. Breakfast of Champions." he states placing the bowl down in front of Neo. He took it gripping the spoon as Tank sat down and dug in. "If you close your eyes, it almost feels like you're eating runny eggs." Mouse informs Neo.
Zelda shook her head as she eats a spoonful of the goo. "Yeah, or a bowl of snot," Apoc states as he took a spoonful. Neo looks at his as he drops it back into the bowl. "Do you know what it really reminds me of?" Mouse asks as Neo looks at him. "Tastee Wheat. Did you ever eat Tastee Wheat?" he asks, Neo shook his head. "Hey, Z. did you?" he asks her, Neo looks at Zelda as she shook her head and kept eating her breakfast. "No, but technically neither did you." Switch reminds him. "That's exactly my point. Exactly. Because you have to wonder now... how do the machines really know what Tastee Wheat taste like, huh?" Mouse answers.
Zelda sips her drink, "Maybe they got it wrong. Maybe I think Tastee Wheat tasted like actually tasted like, uh, oatmeal or, uh, tuna fish. That makes you wonder about a lot of things. You take chicken for example. Maybe they couldn't figure out what to make chicken taste like, which is why chicken tastes like everything." Mouse rambles on. "Shut up, Mouse," Apoc said.
Then Mouse stops talking and looks at him, "Mostly likely they broken down the chemistry of each food they countered in the past, understanding the every food tables that made the food delicious to some and disgusting to others, so they later installed the software for tastes so the food within the Matrix has protein, vitamins, synthetic amino, and minerals-- everything a body needs to survive." Zelda calls out, everyone stops and looks at her. She pokes at her food then stops and looks at them. "What?" she asks, they all said nothing and went back to eating, "How did you know that?" Neo asks her. She shrugs at him, "Took down a Sentient once, hacked into the mainframe and learned everything from it, but it's strange. I've never once seen the encoded Matrix, but I could read it well, like fluently." she answers.
Neo nods at her and they both eat their sloppy breakfast, "She right." Bozer calls out and Neo looks over at him. "It's a single-celled Protein combined with synthetic aminos, vitamins, and minerals-- everything the body needs." he agrees with her. "It's doesn't have everything the body needs." Mouse mutters and looks over at Neo and leans in closer towards him. "So I understand that, uh, you've run through the Agent training program," he states and Neo looks at him. "You know, I, um... I wrote that program." Mouse declares. "Here it comes." Apoc moans as Switch just grins. "So what did you think of her?" Mouse asks him. "Of who?" Neo asks, confused by the question. "The woman in the red dress. I designed her. She, um... well, she doesn't talk very much, but-but if you'd like to meet her, I can arrange a much more personalized milieu." he offers him.
Zelda snorts as she controls her laughter. "The digital pimp hard at work." Switch jokes as Zelda look away, trying not to laugh. "Pay no attention to these hypocrites, Neo." Mouse said, glaring at Switch then he looks over at him. "To deny our own impulses is to deny the very thing that makes us human." Mouse advises him. Neo looks away and glances out from the corner of his eyes, right at Zelda.
Then the door was opened and everyone looks up at Morpheus, "Dozer when you're done, bring the ship up into broadcast depth. We're going in." Morpheus tells them. "In, Sir?" Zelda asks him, "I'm taking Neo to see her." Morpheus answers and he walks out from the mess. Cypher sighs as he looks over at Zelda who only glares at her and shot a look over at Trinity, who reminded quieted the entire time. "See who?" Neo asks as he looks at Tank. "The Oracle."
~8~8~8~
Everyone was gathered in the Main Deck, Tank took his seat in the Operator chair in front of the web of monitors "Everyone, please observes. The fasten seat belt and no smoking signs have been turned on. Sit back and enjoy your flight." Tank states as he types away on the keyboard as everyone was being loaded up into the Matrix.
In the abandoned hotel, the phone in the wide-open room was ringing. Near the windows of the room, everyone was gathered in front of the phone, wearing their suits and shades, then Morpheus walks forward, picks up the phone and answers it. "We're in," he answers.
(A/N: Zelda looks like this)
Then they went downstairs to the lower levels, then the back door open and one by one they step outside into the open dream world. Cypher, Trinity, Zelda, Neo. Who stops and looks down at everything around him. Switch, Apoc, and Morpheus step out as well as Mouse was left guarding the headquarters. Neo walks down the steps as he looks around. Then Morpheus looks at Apoc and Switch. "We'll be back in an hour," he informs the two.
The nodded at him and he walks down the steps. Zelda exhales then from the corner of her eye, she saw Cypher pull out his phone, opens it and then drops it with the trash bin. This confused her, but she kept it in mind as she opens the door and got in the car.
~8~8~8~
Cypher drove down the road, Neo was looking out the window, Zelda sat in the middle as Trinity kept her eyes forward. Neo watches as people were just passing by "Unbelievable... isn't it?" Morpheus calls out and Neo looks at him. Trinity then looks at Zelda as she remains clam but kept her glare on Cypher. "What?" Trinity asks and Zelda looks at her. "What?" she asks. "I know that look you're giving. What's wrong?" she asks, Zelda exhales and leans in closer. To her, "I don't trust Cypher. I think he's up to something." she warns her, Trinity shot a look over at Cypher momentarily then back at her. "Are you sure?" she asks. Zelda nods at her, be on your guard." she warns her, Zelda then nods at her. "God." Neo mutters and Zelda looks at him, "What?" she asks and he points out onto the street. "We used to eat there every day after work," he said as he points out the noddle place.
Zelda couldn't help but smile at the memory. "They had really good noddles," she adds and he smiles a little at her. "I have these memories from my life. None of them happened." Neo states as he sounded disappointed. Zelda exhales and nods at him. "Except for, Riley." Neo states and she looks back at him again. "You were the only real one in the life," he states and Zelda's heard was jumping like crazy. Then he looks at her as she remains calm, but had a smile. "What does that mean?" he asks her. "It means the Matrix has no control over who you become," she answers. "But an oracle can?" he questions her. "That's different," Trinity calls out, Neo looks over to Morpheus, who turns away from them.
Then he looks back at Zelda as she looks forward with a straight face, "Did you go to her?" Neo asks Zelda to nod at him. "I did, about half a year ago," she answers him. "What did she tell you?" he asks her. Trinity looks at Zelda as she was quiet for a moment then turns to him, unsure of what to say. "She told me..." she states but then was cut short. "What?" he asks again. The words were stuck in Zelda's throat unable to answer the question. Afraid of what Neo would say if she did, then she looks away.
He was confused by her silence as she didn't say a word. "We're here," Morpheus calls out. Getting Neo's attention. "Neo, come with me." Morpheus states as he got out of the car.
~8~8~8~
An old man sat in the waiting lodge as the two walked inside and Morpheus nods his head at the man as the old man nods his head back at Morpheus, who presses the button on the elevator pad. Neo just looks at the old man in confusion.
Then the elevator doors open and ten Morpheus and Neo step inside and the doors close in front of them as Morpheus pressed the button for the floor. "So, is this the same Oracle that made the, uh... the prophecy?" Neo asks him. "Yes. She's very old. She's been with us since the beginning." Morpheus answers him. "The beginning?" Neo asks him. "Of the Resistance." Morpheus answers again, Neo nods at him. "And she knows what, everything?" he questions.
And Morpheus just smiles. "She would say she knows enough," he states. "And she's never wrong?" Neo asks again. Morpheus just sighs "Try not to think of it in terms of right and wrong. She is a guide, Neo. She can help you to find the path." Morpheus answers as he looks at him. "She helped you?" Neo questions him. "Yes." Morpheus answers. "What did she tell you?" Neo asks him as the doors then open and Morpheus smiles at him, "That I would find the one." he answers and they both walk out from the elevator. They then walk down the hall and came to a stop in front of a door.
Neo looks at it as Morpheus looks at him, "I told you can only show you the door. You have to walk through it." he reminds him, Neo looked at him, momentarily then turns his gaze to the door, he reaches for the handle, but the door was then open and a woman looks out at the both of them. "Hello, Neo. You're right on time," she informs him then steps to the side, offering them to step inside, Neo steps inside, followed by Morpheus. She then closes the door as Neo turns to Morpheus. "Make yourself at home, Morpheus. Neo, come with me." the woman tells them and Neo follows after the woman as Morpheus took a seat on the bench.
They both walked inside the apartment as there were children and another woman living there. "These are the other potentials. You can wait here," she informs him and walks off into the kitchen. Neo exhales as a few of the children stop and stared at him, Neo exhales as he looks over and saw a girl makes blocks float in the air as she passed them to her friend. He couldn't help but chuckle at it. Then he turns his gaze to the young boy as he picks up a point, stares at it, then makes it bend, twist and bend back into place as the boy then looks up at Neo. Offering him the spoon.
Neo walks over toward his, knees down and grips the spoon. "Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth." the boy informs him. "What truth?" Neo asks him. "There is no spoon." the boy answers him. Then Neo looks back at the spoon. "There is no spoon?" he asks. "Then you'll see that it is not the spoon that bends. It is only yourself." the boy informs him. Neo looked at him momentarily then turns his focus on the spoon in his hand. He was calm and exhales softly as he looks at the spoon and saw that it was now starting to bend to the side. But then his focus was torn away as the woman places her hand on his shoulder.
And he looks up at her, "The Oracle will see you now." she tells him, he looks back at the spoon, then offers it back to the boy, then he stood up and walks into the kitchen lowering his head under the beads curtain and looks at the woman, sitting by the oven. "I know you're Neo. Be right with you," she calls out.
He just stood there, "You're the Oracle?" he asks her, "Bingo." she states and looks at him "Not quite what you were expecting, right?" she asks him, he said nothing as he looks away. "Almost done," she states as she stood up, pulling her oven mitts on. "Smells good, Don' they?" she asks him. Neo nods and smiles a little at her "Yeah." he mutters as she opens the oven and pulls out the tray. "I'd ask you to seat down, but you're not going to anyway and don't worry about the vase," she informs as she pulls the tray over towards the cutting board.
Neo was confused about her words. "What vase?" he asks, then his elbow hits the side of a vase right next to him, he tried to catch it in time, but then it fell and shattered on the ground. "That vase." The Oracle answers him as she took of her mitts. "I'm sorry." he apologizes to her, but she just smiles as she pulls of her apron. "I said don't worry about it. I'll get one of my kids to fix it." she assures him, he just looks at her, "How did you know?" he asks her. She hums at him as she picks up a box of matches, cigarette in her hand as she looks at him. "What's really going to bake your noodle later on is... would you still have broken it if I hadn't said anything?" she asks him, places the end of the cigarette in her mouth and lights it.
Neo just looks at her, then back down at the vase, then back at her as she places the box of matches down. "You're cuter than I thought," she states as she walks over and sat down. "I can see why she likes you," she states and Neo tilts his head a little. "Who?" he asks her. "Not too bright, though," she states and inhales the cigarette. Neo knew of three women and one of them likes him, but who. "You know why Morpheus brought you to see me." she informs him, he gulps and nods at her "So... what do you think?" she asks him, tapping her cigarette in the ashtray, picking up her glass then looks up at him. "Do you think you're the one?" she asks him. He looks away, "Honestly, I don't know." Neo answers her.
She nods then points up at the sign above the door, "You know what that means?" she asks him as he turns and looks up at the sign above the door. "It's Latin. It means Know Thyself. I'm gonna let you in on a little secret." she tells him and he looks back at her. "Being The One is just like being in love. No one can tell you you're in love. You just know it... through and through... balls to bones." she informs him and Neo looks away from her. "Well..." she states as she places on her glasses and stood up, "I better have a look at you," she states as she walks in front of him.
Then she grips his face, "Open your mouth. Say Ahh." she orders him, "Ahh." Neo said as he opens his mouth. Then she looks at his eyes, the sides of his head, then she looks at the structure of this face, then pulls away and looks down at his hands that she took into hers. "Ok. Now I'm supposed to say, Mmm that's interesting... but..." she states then looks at him, "Then you say," she states, "But what?" Neo asks her. "But you already know what I'm going to tell you." she informs her and he just looks at her, "I'm Not The One," he answers her. "Sorry, kid. You got the gift... but it looks like you're waiting for something." she states as she turns away, taking her glasses off and walks towards her cookies, then Neo looks down at his hands, then he looks at her, "What?" he asks, rubbing his hands together. "Your next life, maybe. Who knows? That's the way these things go." she informs him. Then Neo chuckles to himself. "What's funny?" she asks him.
He looks at her, "Morpheus. He, uh...he almost had me convinced." he informs her as he walks over towards the table and places the plate of cookies down. "I know. Poor Morpheus. Without him... we're lost." she informs him as she took a seat back at the table. Neo tilts his head a little at her, "What do you mean... without him?" he asks her. She inhales on her cigarette and looks at him, "Are you sure you want to hear this?" she asks him. Neo said nothing and nods his head at her. "Morpheus believes in you, Neo. And no one, not you, not even me, can convince him otherwise. He believes it so blindly that he's going to sacrifice his life to save yours." she informs him and Neo took a step forward. "What?" he asks her. "And you're going to have to make a choice. On the one hand, you'll have Morpheus' life. And on the other hand, you'll have your own. One of you is going to die. Which one... will be up to you." she warns him.
Neo just looks at her then looks away, "I'm sorry, kiddo. I really am. You have a good soul... and I hate giving good people bad news. Oh, don't worry about it." she tells him and he looks back at her, "As soon as you step outside that door, you'll start feeling better. You'll remember you don't believe in any of this fate crap. You're in control of your own life. Remember." she reminds him then grips the plate of cookies. "Here," she states and he looks at her as she walks up in front of him, holding the plate of cookies up. "Take a cookie. I promise by the time you're done eating it... you'll feel as right as rain." she informs her as he took a cookie from her plate.
Then he walks out of the kitchen past the children and stood in the hall, looking down at Morpheus, was just smiling at himself, then Morpheus stood up as Neo turns to him, "What was said... It was for you... and for you alone." he informs him then he places his shades back on and walks towards the door. Neo looks down at the Cookie in his hand, took a bite and followed after Morpheus.
~8~8~8~
The car pulls back up to the abandoned hotel as Apoc stood up and Switch pulls away from the frame as the car then arrives, it pulls over and came to a stop, then Morpheus and Trinity step out, as did Cypher and Neo. Cypher looks at Neo and smiles at him, but Neo said nothing and steps away, allowing Zelda step out of the car as well, she shot a look at Cypher, then slams her door close and follows after Neo.
He sighs to himself and closes his door as well and they walk back into the abandoned hotel. As they entered the hotel, Zelda felt her hand twitching, she stops and looks down, seeing that her digital marking on her wrist were glowing, or glitching through her arm sleeve, she grips her arm as she tries to calm down.
Neo notices that she stop and he looks at her, "You alright?" he asks, her hand then stops twitching. Then she looks at Neo. "I'm not sure," she answers and hurried after the others. Everyone walks up the steps to regroup and pull themselves out of the Matrix as Neo slows down and saw a strange black cat. It meows and walks off. He smirks then turns back as he saw an identical black cat, repeating the same act and walks off. "Whoa. Deja Vu," he states, then everyone stops and looks at him. "What did you just say?" Trinity asks him.
Neo looks up at her, "Nothing. Just had a little Deja VU." he answers her, then Zelda looks at her arm seeing her marks flickering. "What did you see?" Trinity asks him as the other step closer towards them "What happened?" Cypher asks him. "A black cat just went past us... and then another one that looked just like it." Neo answers her "How much like it? Was it the same cat?" Trinity asks him. "Must've been. I'm not sure," he answers then Trinity looks over at Zelda as she was standing behind her. "Zelda?" she asks and Zelda removes her coat and saw her markings flickering. "Shit." she mutters and they looked up at Morpheus, "Switch, Apoc," Morpheus calls out and they pull out their guns as Switch went up and Apoc went down.
Neo just watches them as he looks back at the two, "What is it?" he asks and Trinity looks at him. "A Deja VU is usually a glitch in the Matrix. It happens when they change something and Zelda can sense the Deja VU." Trinity warns him as Switch cocks her gun. Zelda looks around the room, looking for what was changed. But then they heard the sound of choppers, "They're here." she calls out and looks at Morpheus. "Let's go." he orders and everyone hurries up the stairs.
They make it up threw flies of stairs when Zelda gasp loudly everyone looks at her as she felt her body jerks in pain as she grips the rails and fell to her knees. "Zelda!" Trinity calls out as she steps back down next to her. "Riley!" Neo calls out as he kneels next to her, "What Happened?" Cypher calls out as the other hurried next to her. She groans as her marking were burning. Then she raised her head as she could see what was going to happen. "Oh no," she mutters covering her mouth. "Zelda, what's wrong?" Trinity asks her and Zelda looks at her, lowering her hand. "Mouse..." she whimpers. Then they all heard the gunshot upstairs.
Then they went dead, Zelda squeezes her eyes tight as she lowers her head, "Damn it." she mutters as Neo rubs her back. Then they heard, the doors being broken down, then Morpheus looks down, seeing the lights shining downstairs. Then Trinity turns back to Zelda. "Get up, Zelda." she tells her, Zelda and Neo look at her, "Get back up on your damn feet and move," she orders her, holding her arm out, Zelda's resolve hardens and she grips Trinity's arm and lets her pull her back to her feet. Then they all stood up and began to run up the stairs, making it to the top floor.
They ran down the hall and came to a stop at a window, Morpheus pulls back the curtains as he found the way out was bricked in. "Ohhh... that's what they changed." Cypher states as Morpheus pulls back and removes his coat. "We're trapped. There's no way out." Cypher complains. "There's always a way out, they only blocked the obvious way out." Zelda informs him as Switch walks past her, "How can you be so sure?" Cypher questions her, and she glares at him, "There is always a loophole." she informs him, "Relax, give me your phone." Morpheus tells him, then Zelda held up her phone to him, "They'll be able to track it." Trinity warns him as he took Zelda's phone. "We have no choice," Morpheus tells her as Morpheus makes the call.
Neo looks around as everyone had their guard up, "Operator." Tank answers angrily. "Tank, find a structural drawing of this building. Find it fast." Morpheus orders him as Zelda looks around the room, trying to find a way out. Switch and Apoc saw the men running up the stairs. "Got it." Tank answers, "I need the main wet wall." he orders and the two then pulled away and back to the group. "Switch. Straight ahead." Morpheus informs her. Then they moved forward, "Neo." Apoc calls out, making Neo stop and Apoc pulls out a gun and offers it to him. Neo looks at it and took the gun from him.
Then he looks back at Apoc. "I hope the Oracle gave you some good news," Apoc tells him, Neo nods at him and then they both hurried after the others.