Title: The Matrix: Resurrection

Author: AntipodeanOpaleye

Rating: PG-13

Summary: ~ Spoilers/Post Revolutions ~ The machines still owe Neo his peace; peace on levels he didn't intend, couldn't imagine, and had never brought himself to hope for.

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize from any other source either doesn't belong to me or is a purely coincidental occurrence. Anything that you've never seen probably belongs to me. I write for enjoyment and no copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: As much as everyone seems to have despised Revolutions, I much enjoyed it. And, believe it or not, I adored the ending. It was sad, angsty, and beautifully emotional; action-packed, full of self-sacrifice, and quite plausible. But, I will admit, there's a part of me that dreamed of a happy, lovely ending where they walk into the sunset hand and hand a live happily ever after. While that would have been pleasant, it would not have been satisfying, and definitely not probable… so I think that the trilogy ended in the best way; leaving the end open for interpretation by the fans. And so, this is an interpretation of one of the ways that it could have carried on past the black screen with the green lettering, Don Davis and Juno Reactor's Navras playing in the background. Well, we can keep that, actually. I've been listening to it non-stop lately. Is it happier? Yeah. Is it cliché? Maybe a little. Romantic? Yeah. Is it a perfect, fairy tale ending? Nah, what fun would that be?

In any case, here's the first chapter; reviews will determine continuation, blah, blah, yadda yadda, you know the drill. And I think I'm going to bring Deus Ex Machina in as a more prominent entity here. I kinda liked him. And yeah…. I think I'm going to make him… humorous, to an extent. Comic relief is a good thing.

And now, in true Merovingian style, I will say adieu and goodbye. Enjoy, and please review!

~AO

Neo's body ached in a way that he wouldn't have previously believed possible. Forget death; this was beyond the pain of death. He wasn't even numb; he felt only immeasurable agony. He willed himself to move, but couldn't. Resigned, he lifted his heavy eyelids, and, vision blurry, beheld the world around him.

The Machine World. 01.

Only moments later did he begin to question his whereabouts. He wasn't in the Matrix, of that he was certain. But, how could he see if he was in the real world? Something fluttered in front of him and seemed to rest near him. Desperate, he forced himself to speak through his parched lips and sore throat.

"Am I dead?" he choked. It seemed like an appropriate inquiry.

"No sir," a very soft, slightly monotone voice said to his left. "We're taking very good care of you."

"Who's we?" he asked curtly.

"The medical staff here."

"Where's here."

The voice paused. "It's hard to say, sir. But I think you know."

Neo's vision was finally clearing, and he could make out a white ceiling above him. "How can I see? My eyes, they were…"

"That wasn't difficult, sir. Quite simplistic, in fact. Our technology is something of true magnificence. It required only a few able and willing specimens to repair your vision. With the help of The Matrix, of course. I believe you will find your eyes to be exactly as you remember them." There was a long silence following, before Neo spoke in response.

"Come closer, I want to see you."

He heard footsteps, and watched intently as a figure loomed into his line of sight. Steel and hinges, the robot was entirely metallic, save for two large, blue-lighted eyes that blinked occasionally.

"Hello Neo."

"How do you know that name?"

"That is not important. I'm called A8978451-NDE, but Humans have always tended to refer to my likeness as Zemper, for unknown reasons. I've been here since the beginning."

Neo simply stared silently, and the machine seemed to smile.

"I worked with a human family before the uprising, and stood by them until the end. I've practiced both machine and human medicine for years, and so when Lord Deus brought you back, he called for my aide. I was delighted to be of assistance."

"I… don't understand."

"You aren't meant to, not yet. Know only that, for your deeds, you will be rewarded. You have restored peace between worlds, and saved many lives. For this, you will know peace." The machine began to move away, but stopped upon hearing Neo's voice.

"How do you know?"

The machine didn't move, but only answered before departing. "I know because I was meant to. You are also meant to, and in time, you will."

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The sentinels circled the battered ship as if it were an attraction in a zoo. Indecipherable squeals and hums came from the hovering machines as they seemed to discuss the fate of the craft. A hiss of what must have been assent finally rose from the pack, and a sole entity rose from their midst, diving into the wreckage and flawlessly retrieving a human body, leaving the pile of metal and wires otherwise untouched. Alone the sentinel flew, leaving the hovercraft behind and approaching rapidly a large fortress of platinum and black.

**************************************************************************************

"Peace," the crested machina, Lord of the Machines, repeated to himself softly as he hovered around his quarters. He could sense the sentinel's approach, and knew his time was coming to a close. A decision needed to be made.

"Peace, mortal. I never suspected you to beg for peace."

Never had Deus Ex been very proficient at interpreting human emotions, but he never thought that this human would bewilder him the way that he had. He could have asked for anything, for there was nothing that he could not have been granted; new programming, golden plating, perhaps a new set of gears…. that was what all machines asked for. Who would not wish for this?

Perhaps that was the lack of human interaction talking.

Yes, that was it. He would never understand those humans. What did he mean, Peace? Peace? Peace of mind? Peace between humans and machines? Peace for himself? Peace for his adversaries? Probably all of it, knowing those greedy Homo Sapiens. And he'd have to give it all, wouldn't he? Machine rule one: Machines are logical before anything else, and in so, are bound to the fulfillment of their logic to its most logical extent. Damn Logic. Befuddled, Deus glided toward the wall, an opening appearing for him to exit out of.

"Well, human," the deep husky voice of the machine king spoke to the empty room around him. "You present to me a challenge. No matter, I shall give to you what you wish. You shall have your peace. It began with your city's salvation. And it shall continue with this, this…woman of yours."

And with that, he disappeared from sight.