Chapter 7—Self Substantiation
"How long have you been watching this boy?" asks Morpheus in the mess hall at breakfast.
They are seated around the table, hovering over bowls of mush as usual. This morning, though, it feels strangely empty, almost as though the ghosts of fallen comrades are looking in on the ship, watching over their living counterparts. Neo shivers and shakes himself. That kind of thinking will get him nowhere today. Today he must prove himself once again.
"A couple weeks," says Link.
Trinity's eyebrows shoot up pointedly at Morpheus, but he seems not to notice. Neo braces himself for the coming argument.
"You believe he's ready?" This is directed to Neo.
He pauses for a moment, taken aback. He has not expected that the actual decision making will fall to him, simply that it will be up to him to implement whatever plan his captain comes up with.
"I…" He starts to say that he is not sure, then realizes that this will not be seen as an adequate answer. He also realizes that nothing he can possibly say will please everyone.
"Do you believe he's ready?" repeats Morpheus, more urgently this time.
Neo swallows hard. This is undoubtedly a test. He closes his eyes for a moment, picturing Michael Popper—Kid—in his mind again. The image is of a lost boy, a boy who sees things that others cannot, and who is tormented by the world for his gifts. A boy who needs to be saved.
"Yes," says Neo at last. "I believe he is ready."
Beside him, Trinity clinks her spoon against the side of her bowl more violently than usual. It is a subtle gesture, but Neo already knows her well enough to realize that he has displeased her. He sighs and turns to face her, mouths "I'm sorry." She just shakes her head and rolls her eyes.
"Your lesson to learn. Everyone's got to be able to live with their past, face their demons." She gets up and leaves abruptly, without so much as a further glance. Morpheus follows, but stops in the Core, dialing something into the Matrix feed monitors.
Neo stares after her, baffled, and jumps at the sensation of a hand on his shoulder. He turns to find Link staring at him, dark eyes filled with sympathy. Neo feels his face grow hot.
"Don't take it personally," says Link. "She gets defensive when she's upset. Gut reaction."
Neo nods.
"I know. It's just…why this? I've never seen her so upset over not getting her way. She doesn't strike me as that kind of person."
Link's face darkens a little, and Neo knows he has hit on something more significant than simple arrogance here.
"It's not like that," says Link softly. "Trinity…has demons of her own."
"Having to do with freeing a Potential too soon?"
Link nods silently.
"The first time Morpheus put her in charge of a mission, she jumped at the chance to impress him. Watched the monitors day and night. Found this guy, was actually half convinced she'd found the One, or at least that was the way Tank told it."
Neo stares down into his bowl, feeling suddenly nauseous. He motions for Link to continue.
"She pushed to get him out, and Morpheus agreed with her, got…caught up in his own enthusiasm. They pulled the guy out…he couldn't take it. Went insane and killed himself within a few weeks."
"Jesus," whispers Neo for what feels like the hundredth time in the past few weeks. There simply are no words to describe the horrors he has seen.
Link nods soberly.
"Get over here now!"
It is Morpheus' voice, filled with tension. Neo and Link bolt from their seats and make a run for the Core.
"What is it?" asks Neo, falling into one of the chairs and leaning over his captain's shoulder.
"Agents," says Link, sitting hard in his own chair and pulling on his headset. "They're onto Popper. We've got to get him out."
Morpheus punches into the comlink and leans forward over the console.
"Trinity, I need you in the cockpit. Now." He gets up and runs in the direction of the ladder. "Neo, I need you to go in on this one. I'm sorry it's such short notice, but we're likely to lose this one if we don't move now."
"Wait!" calls Neo as his captain disappears up the ladder. "What am I supposed to do?"
"Jack in," says Link. "It all starts with the jack in."
Neo nods slowly and lies down, grimacing at the cold feeling of the data spike in the back of his head. The next thing he knows, he is inside, tall buildings of the Matrix looming all around. And his cell phone is ringing.
"Yeah?"
"Neo, listen to me very carefully. We don't have much time." Trinity's voice, hard and patronizing. Full of tension.
"No shit."
"Stop it, Neo. Just get the damn job done."
"Okay, okay, what do you want me to do?"
"Call the Kid's cell phone. Give him the usual, direct him out. Tank's going to upload his number to your phone."
"Whoa, whoa, where is he?"
"Lincoln Highschool, it's about two blocks to your east. Get there quickly, you may need to pull him yourself."
"ME?"
"Yes, Coppertop. You. Now get moving."
The phone clicks dead. Neo takes a moment to get his bearings, then jumps in an empty cab and orders the driver in the direction of the school. They arrive just in time to see several agents go sprinting up the steps and in the front door. Neo grabs the phone and dials.
"They know you know," he whispers into it. "They're coming for you. Get out. Get out now."
"This is crazy," says Trinity, not caring that she is talking to her captain in a most disrespectful tone. Moments like this call for attitude.
"I know, Trinity, I know. We may be in over our heads here. But we don't have a choice."
"You're going to kill him!" Her voice sounds practically hysterical in her own ears, and she flinches at the sound.
"They're going to kill him if they catch him. Either that or use him to find and kill us."
She grips the edges of the copilot's chair and forces herself to breathe evenly. Now is not the time for hysterics. She is not used to losing her grip on her own emotions.
"All right, so what do you plan to do?"
"Just fly," says Morpheus. "Under the powerplant."
"Are you sure? He's not ready."
"Found him," calls Link on the comlink. "He's almost out."
"Without the Red Pill?" calls Trinity. "How can you have a signal on him? That's not possible!"
"I don't know. But I have one."
Trinity sighs and maneuvers the ship up to the very top of the tunnel, placing a hand on the heavy leaver that operates the ship's claw-arm.
"Link, I need you to guide me here. He can't be ready. He just can't."
"Do it, Trinity," orders Morpheus. "He's awake. I know it."
"He can't be! No one woke him up. You're going to kill him, Morpheus."
"DO IT!"
She closes her eyes and pulls.
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