When Greens Bloom Into Red: Neo (The Matrix) Part II
Warning: Power imbalance.
Dividers by @sister-lucifer
The GIF does not belong to me.
Things begin to shift the moment you join the Department of Psychics. You have seen his coming, in a way.
It is Neo who takes responsibility for the team you work with. Every order has to pass through him, every step, every decision, every new experiment.
To an outsider, he is careful with the strategy, the motions of the grander plan, with the people he is directly responsible for. To you, it feels like control.
On the bright side, you get to meet and interact with people like you. And for the first time in your life, you feel like you are home. Like you truly belong somewhere, with these people.
Yes, they might be slightly more lenient towards you, because Neo keeps you close. But they are genuine people who understand you and process the world in ways similar to you do.
The next surprise drops on you when you are assigned a permanent residence. It’s supposed to be a happy moment for you. And it was, until you find out that your residence is directly beside Neo’s.
Your home is a part of a gigantic, interconnected apartment complex that the Council members and the commanders occupy. Only the superior, more experienced psychics reside in them.
Then why are you a part of it? Why is your apartment just beside Neo's?
No wonder you receive raised eyebrows and surprised gazes. Yet no one questions him. Nobody ever fucking questions him.
But you do, and of course, he has an answer ready.
“You will adjust faster this way. It is my responsibility to show and teach you about the real world.”
“But I thought you said I’m doing well.”
Okay, now you are sure there is a glint in his eyes, and you are unsure if you should hate it.
“You are. You are doing very well, sweetheart. But this is for the best.”
There it is, the nickname. 'Sweetheart', 'Honey'. He does not use them often; he uses them privately, and it sends flutters into your stomach that feel…wrong, yet tempting. You cannot explain it.
He keeps you away from the Nebuchadnezzar, or any ship in general, but keeps you beside him most of the time he is in Zion.
His visits to the Department of Psychics are frequent.
In a nutshell, he makes sure to keep you close.
People notice these things. Of course they will. Morpherus notices too. But says nothing. You are not surprised.
There is a large portion of the population that basically treats him as some God.
They leave offerings outside his door. Mothers go to him, requesting that he personally look after their children.
You see how people look at you. How your colleagues look at you. There is, though, no direct comment on it. But you know of the whispers, the knowing glances.
Amid all this, Neo's nonchalance feels less like stoicism, more like a weapon. Against you, against your own identity, against your freedom.
"When will I see The Oracle?" You ask him one day when you visit his office to brief him about some recent findings and disturbances.
Technically, it is night; Zion is always dim, except for the artificial lights. One great light mimics the sun, dimming into darkness exactly around seven during the Summer and around five in the Winter.
"When it is the right time." Neo does not look away from the computer screen.
"And, when is the right time?" You press further.
Neo finally looks at you and takes off his rimless glasses.
That's better, because he looks fucking hot in them.
"You will know when it is. It's late. Why don't you go home and rest?"
There it is, the kind of tone that irks you.
"I don't understand… it has been a year since I woke up."
Neo sighs and leans against the chair. "The Oracle decides when you get to see her. Not me, not you. Not anyone but her."
You nod, defeated and holding back a sigh. Looking around his minimalist space to avoid holding his gaze for long.
"And when it is time to meet her? How will I get in? I'm not allowed in the ships." You turn to him, your tone thinning.
If he feels the shift, and he definitely does, he does not address it. "As I said, you'll know when the time comes." With that, he puts his glasses back on and resumes working.
You feel dismissed. You are dismissed.
Two days later, you have a dream that leaves you shaken for the rest of the day.
You dream of the Matrix, and you are in it. It is pouring; the building around you looks like grim ruins. You are running. You are running for your life! But you can't see who or what you're running from. Yet you are filled with terror and despair, as if you have no way out.
The same day, you receive the news— the Oracle wishes to see you. Neo is out in Nebuchadnezzar.
There has been no specified time or date, and you do not want to wait. But you do not know how to reach her either.
Curiosity gnaws at your chest. There is no way any ship is going to allow you in. With little hope, you approach Morpheus.
"Has Neo decided on a date yet?" That is the first question he asks when you request him to take you to the Oracle.
"Can you not take me? Neo's not here, and you are handling the council meetings so…"
"I cannot act on this until Neo gives a nod."
"Why?" Your voice drops, and Morpheus notices.
"I know it feels restrictive at times, ridiculous too. But whatever Neo does, he does for the betterment of Zion, and us. Besides, he has taken you under his wing."
"He's not my guardian, Morpheus, I'm a person of my own. He already dictates almost everything. He even directed my psychic training."
"And you fared well, did you not?"
You look away, frustrated, before turning to him again "I wanted you to be my mentor. Even before taking the pill, I was searching for you, not Neo!"
"I'm there; you need me, (Y/N)."
You shake your head as your frustration boils over.
"I'll see you around, Morpheus." sigh out, walking away with rigid shoulders.
You try. You really do try to stomp down your curiosity for a little longer. Until Neo returns. But your curiosity has claws, and it gnaws at your chest while you grow increasingly restless.
Morpheus has refused to take you to the Oracle without Neo's permission and Neo…You do not even know when he would return.
So you approach Casimir, another psychic who has been working in the department for more than a decade. He took the red pill when he was twelve.
If anyone can help you, it is him.
Turns out, one can be plugged into the Matrix in Zion. Not many know of this, or have access to the place, but Casimir does, and his friend, who would be handling
Returning to the… simulated world is surreal, to say the least.
"We can be recognised; try to keep a low profile." Erik's voice is slightly distorted through the flip phone.
"Noted. How do we reach the Oracle?" You ask, slightly distracted as you try to ground yourself in the Matrix. There is a faint pulse that you feel— it is everywhere. But what exactly is it?
The system has a way; it says the fourth building on the opposite side of the supermarket on North Street."
When you reach there, you find yourself walking a maze of seemingly endless hallways and no sign of the Oracle.
"You found anything?" You ask Casimir, who seems equally disappointed and clueless.
"Erik, there is no sign of the Oracle. You sure this was the location?" You ask, connecting to Erik.
He is silent for a moment, but even before he opens his mouth, you feel the hair on your body stand.
"They're here, aren't they?" You are still talking to Erik, but your gaze meets Casimir's.
You have never faced an Agent before. You have never even seen one, but you feel the static shift in the air as you run through the long corridors with Casimir while Erik directs you both towards the nearest phone booth.
You hear the approaching clicks of shoes on the stairs, and in a panic, you take the wrong door. It dawns upon you when you hear the nearby room door being banged open by Casimir.
But it's too late. You can hear the phone ringing, but the pair of shoes is right behind the door of the room you are in.
You hear the phone being picked up and screw your eyes shut.
"Why did you enter that room?" You can hear the panic in Erik's voice.
"I panicked, I'm sorry. Find another route." You whisper while opening the window.
The drop is a death sentence, but anything better than facing the agent.
You push open the window just as the door to the room is kicked open. You turn back to see an agent rushing towards you, and you jump.
The air is rushing past you so fast, you think your ears are ringing.
"The power is always inside you, the consciousness is yours, the mind is yours, and the choice is yours as well. You must take control of it."
Neo's words echo in your mind. You screw your eyes shut, but do not brace for impact or death.
There is no death here; it is not real. It is not even real. The Matrix can imprison the mind as long as the true consciousness remains dormant.
The pain is jolting, but instead of darkness, you see light.
Light, and darkness and… and a flash of codes and….
A beeping sound grows louder, and you blink again.
The codes vanish, and your hazy vision is flooded with white light. You screw your eyes shut when you feel a sharp pain emerging between your eyebrows and spreadin ga ll over your head, then your spine.
You groan, feeling the ache weighing down your back.
It's a light on the ceiling. The beeping continues, and you turn your head towards the source, only to realise shortly that you are in Zion's hospital.
"Congratulations, you survived the fall and your utter foolishness."
