It is highly inconceivable for Neo that he would be once again standing face to face with Trinity. He was right there when she drew her last breath in her attempt to carry him across the dangerous borders towards the realms of the machines. The pangs of pain pierce Neo’s heart as if it happened not so long ago. Good thing that their sacrifice did not go in vain. The truce that was forged between humans and machines led to the demise of Agent Smith. Left in the custody of the machines, Neo thought he’d never be out of that dark and cold place. He thought he’d never lay his eyes on Trinity ever again. But there they are…
If only Neo doesn’t have his gun drawn right on Trinity’s forehead, he’d be embracing her right now. God knows how much he missed Trinity. As much as he wants to tell her how angry he was at her for not staying in Zion, he restrained himself. Morpheus’ orders were specific. Stay clear of any distractions, finish the mission ASAP. He reminds himself over and over to keep his composure or else everything will be lost.
“It is a fact of life, Neo,” Trinity began to speak breaking the eerie sound of silence between them. “For life to continue to exist, there should be death. We live in a world in opposition to each other. There is dark and there is light. There is order and disorder. There is beginning and there is an end. That is simply the order of things and there is nothing we can do about it. It is this mysterious mechanism of life that humans learn and achieve their full potential.”
Of all people, Neo is probably the most aware of that fact. The late Oracle could surely attest that Neo’s extraordinary ability is the by-product of his countless battles against the Agents of the Matrix, against his comrades and even against his very own demons. But it never occurred to him that part of his battle would entail taking down Trinity. Somehow a part of him wishes that he’d never been rescued by his team aboard the Nebuchadnezzar. He thought he was better off eliminating the Agents alone in the Matrix or peeling off the metal skins of those pesky robots. Nonetheless, he can’t blame Morpheus for giving this task to him. Neo is the only one who has the ability that can stand up against the Rebooter. This is the reason why although lacking in manpower to defend Zion, Morpheus organized a team of the best freedom fighters just to extract Neo from the Matrix. The risk was worth it. Neo now has the Rebooter cornered in the dilapidated steel warehouse outside Zion. At that moment, Neo has mixed emotions of gratitude and anger towards Morpheus. Although thankful for the rescue, he is angry because Morpheus failed to inform him that the Rebooter took on the form of Trinity. This is a piece of information that he sure does not want to miss.
All Morpheus did was to assure him that the emergence of the Rebooter is a necessary consequence in their pursuit for freedom. With the recent successful revolution waged by humans to escape from the Matrix, namely, the extraction of the humans who were used as batteries to power up the Matrix, the elimination of the Agents and all other irregularities that took place in the cyber world, all these were perceived by the whole Matrix system as a signal which triggers it to initiate the shut down sequence. And to initiate the shut down, the Rebooter was released with one purpose in mind --- to delete everything that has been part of the program, machines and humans alike.
The fact that the Matrix is nearing its end is no cause for celebration, not with this anomaly still on the loose. People and Agents have been disappearing in an alarming rate. The Agents’ defenses are futile against the Rebooter. Coupled with superhuman strength and agility, it has the ability to turn everything into ash with just one touch. It is far stronger than the Twins and Agent Smith combined but its power remains inferior against the One.
“I am certain that Morpheus told you that I am the end,” a smile emanated from the Rebooter’s lips. “He is wrong. It is you, Neo. You are the End. This is what made you the Chosen One. I am only here to facilitate change by making room to start anew. The result of the introduction of this change is a variable which the system does not recognize. What we know so far is that your race would have been dead a long time ago were it not for the intervention of the Matrix that extended the timeline of your existence. There is a 98.97% probability that humans will be facing extinction without the Matrix.”
“Yes, Neo. You will be able to stop me,” Trinity continued as she took off her sunglasses revealing her green eyes. “This is not something beyond the comprehension of the Architect of the Matrix. But he willed it so in order to leave you two choices. First choice is for you to take the less tedious path for your race to escape suffering by embracing the long overdue extinction of your race. We can accomplish this only through me, if you will allow me to reboot the digital and material world. And the second choice would be for you to lead the human race to an awakening full of frustration, famine and slow death, all these on your account.”
“As you can see, Neo,” Trinity said as she took a step closer to Neo touching the tip of the gun with her forehead. “There are no more possibilities left for you and your people after you pull that trigger. The earth is already dead. The only chance that it may be able to live again is to cleanse it from impurities. And there is only 46.85% chance it will…”
BANG!
The startling sound resonated across the halls of the worn-out establishment. The tip of the gun emitted smoke. A second later, the lifeless body of the Rebooter fell like a log.
“You’re right. We have to get rid of impurities,” Neo uttered calmly as he gently places the gun back in its holster. He slowly paces back to the cover of darkness without taking his eyes off the immobile creature. “And we prefer to do it in our own accord. We may not have the mathematical precision of a machine to calculate the success of our struggle for a better life, however, there is something that our race has been notoriously known for and which the Matrix will never comprehend… we take chances… no matter where it leads.”
