The Matrix: Altered (The Deep Down Inside Remix)
Original Fic: Altered, by trialia
Remix: Altered (The Deep Down Inside Remix) [Trinity & Neo, 426 Words, Rated PG-13], by lady_smith
Sometimes I think that I’m the only one who sees him for what he really is: a brand spanking newb, greener than code, and scared out of his mind. And that should worry me, but it doesn’t. Somehow it’s reassuring, that he’s just as scared and new as we all were, fresh out of the pod, and it makes the traitorous way my pulse speeds up around him easier to take.
He’s just a guy. A cute one. And he has dumb newb questions, which it seems to have fallen to me to answer. (Nevermind that I don’t seem to give anybody else a chance to.) And since Morpheus told him he’s older than average, naturally that’s the first thing he asks.
“Twenty-five” I tell him, and go on with the usual stuff about the mind being too attached to a lie to grasp the truth, and so on, and I surprise the hell out of myself by telling him that he wasn’t the oldest, just the oldest living.
What in the hell did I tell him that for?
And he fixes me with those huge brown eyes, and asks me “How old?” I don’t need to ask what he means.
Oh, god, Sinker, I haven’t thought about Sinker in forever. For good reason - having somebody I had a stupid, idiot crush on try to kill me isn’t something I want to dwell on. As if Cypher still being around wasn’t bad enough.
I’m a lot more cautious around Morpheus’ purported Ones now, even though I still trust and love Morpheus.
“Thirty-Eight” I say, adding “He went crazy not long after he woke up here” and leave it there. Thankfully, so does he.
We talk for a while about kids, and Zion, and before I can stop myself I mention the fucking “improvements” the fucking machines made that mean I’ll never…
He looks up again, and I catch the look in his eyes. It’s not pity, it’s almost worse than that. It’s sympathy.
"I'm on shift in five minutes. Switch should be around if you have any more questions, Neo, but I suggest you get some sleep." He nods at me, and I nod back, all cool and contained. Even so, I’m amazed at how much I’ve let slip.
Deep down, there’s a part of me that’s hoping he really is The One. For more reasons than I want to admit, even to myself.
Remix: Altered (The Deep Down Inside Remix) [Trinity & Neo, 426 Words, Rated PG-13], by lady_smith
Sometimes I think that I’m the only one who sees him for what he really is: a brand spanking newb, greener than code, and scared out of his mind. And that should worry me, but it doesn’t. Somehow it’s reassuring, that he’s just as scared and new as we all were, fresh out of the pod, and it makes the traitorous way my pulse speeds up around him easier to take.
He’s just a guy. A cute one. And he has dumb newb questions, which it seems to have fallen to me to answer. (Nevermind that I don’t seem to give anybody else a chance to.) And since Morpheus told him he’s older than average, naturally that’s the first thing he asks.
“Twenty-five” I tell him, and go on with the usual stuff about the mind being too attached to a lie to grasp the truth, and so on, and I surprise the hell out of myself by telling him that he wasn’t the oldest, just the oldest living.
What in the hell did I tell him that for?
And he fixes me with those huge brown eyes, and asks me “How old?” I don’t need to ask what he means.
Oh, god, Sinker, I haven’t thought about Sinker in forever. For good reason - having somebody I had a stupid, idiot crush on try to kill me isn’t something I want to dwell on. As if Cypher still being around wasn’t bad enough.
I’m a lot more cautious around Morpheus’ purported Ones now, even though I still trust and love Morpheus.
“Thirty-Eight” I say, adding “He went crazy not long after he woke up here” and leave it there. Thankfully, so does he.
We talk for a while about kids, and Zion, and before I can stop myself I mention the fucking “improvements” the fucking machines made that mean I’ll never…
He looks up again, and I catch the look in his eyes. It’s not pity, it’s almost worse than that. It’s sympathy.
"I'm on shift in five minutes. Switch should be around if you have any more questions, Neo, but I suggest you get some sleep." He nods at me, and I nod back, all cool and contained. Even so, I’m amazed at how much I’ve let slip.
Deep down, there’s a part of me that’s hoping he really is The One. For more reasons than I want to admit, even to myself.