'You!' You pointed at Smith standing in front of you. 'You're coming with me, we need to have a serious talk. The rest of you can do what you want.' You waved dismissively at the other Smiths.

The one standing next to you bowed like a humble servant. 'Your wish is my command.'

'I hold you by the word! First I have to put Pixie away, and then I'll talk to you.'

'But, Imp ... I want to stay ...,' the girl interjected.

'And I want to talk to Smith in private.'

You walked towards the gate that led to the exit of the yard, dragging the little girl behind you. Smith has followed you. As you stepped out onto one of the busier streets, you pulled your cell phone out of your pocket and called.

'Operator?' Link volunteered.

'How is Pixie here ?!' You growled without preamble. 'Can you tell me who let her in ?!'

'What?! But Imp ... that's not possible! She is not connected.'

'You telling me...?'

'I'm telling you, we didn't connect her. She can't be in Matrix...'

'Wait ... and is she even on the ship?'

'Give me a minute ...' Link turned to someone next to him. 'Hey, where's the kid?'

You heard Trinity's muffled voice. 'In the cabin, I think.'

'Can you go and check?' Link asked.

You waited full of tension. You watched Pixie who was with you in the Matrix with uncertainty. Was it possible for the girl to run away and hook up on some other ship? No, it was only Nebuchadnezzar who left Zion. There were no other ships available at this time. So it wasn't her? Is the system trying to fool you in some way?

'Imp ...? Link's voice came back in the handset.

'Yes?'

'Pixie is in your cabin, but ... she is asleep. Trin can't wake her up.'

You stopped abruptly. 'I'll get in touch, Link.' You muttered and hung up, looking at Pixie.

You knelt down in front of her. 'How did you do that? How are you in the Matrix without being connected?'

'I do not know. I was just so worried about you, thought about how much I would like to be with you, imagined myself in the Matrix with you, and suddenly ... it happened. I jumped in here.'

'It's impossible,' said Smith.

'I found myself right in front of a door, and when I went through it, I met the Oracle. She didn't seem surprised to see me. She said where to go to help you.'

You smiled. ' And indeed you helped, but now ... Pixie, I would like you to return to Nebuchadnezzar. Let's leave Morpheus to unravel this mystery, I just want you to be safe. I'll be back soon too, I promise.'

She nodded and gave you a hug. 'Okay, just don't wait too long. She turned to Smith. 'By the way, I'm Pixie.' She said reaching out to him. 'I know who you are. Imp has talked a lot about you ... Nice stuff only, I hope you don't spoil it.'

'I'll see what I can do.' Smith shook her tiny hand. Something like a smile wandered on his lips.

Pixie closed her eyes and focus appeared on her face, it lasted literally a few seconds and she disappeared.

You and Smith looked at each other, both surprised.

'She's impossible ...' You shook your head in disbelief. 'If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it in my life.'

'Is that your child?' Smith asked.

'Smith, come on. Pixie is six. When would I be able to make her?'

'Good, because I thought ...'

'Yeah, I can guess what you were thinking.' You rolled your eyes.

Suddenly, he was standing right next to you grinning, wrapping his arms around you. 'I'm glad I was wrong.' He kissed you unceremoniously. This unexpected outburst of passion was completely unlike him. Usually, he was much more reserved. But you understood that he missed you. And you missed him too.

Before you remembered that you had wanted to have a serious talk with him, it took a good few minutes. Link call called you to order.

'Imp, the kid woke up. The transcript says she was actually in the Matrix. Sorry, I missed that fact. You have a booth next to a confectionery on ...'

'Thanks, Link, but I'm not coming back yet.'

'How is that? Neo is here too, you have a job to do!'

'I have already found my job.

***

You and Smith found a secluded spot on top of one of the skyscrapers. You wanted to get straight to the point, but as soon as you sat down on the roof wall, hanging your legs over the edge, Smith pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the inside pocket of his jacket.

'I thought you must have missed it ...' he muttered, offering you a fag.

'You don't even know how much. But how ... how did you know we'd see each other?'

'No ... it's not like that, Miss (Y /LN), I just need it sometimes myself. It reminds me of good times.'

'Oh, I see...' you leaned over to the lighter he held for you and brought him closer so that he lit his cigarette from yours. Oh yes, it did bring back memories. 'You know, it would be wonderful to surrender to the spell of the moment now, but we can't. The situation is complicated and I don't have much time.'

'I know everything, miss (Y / LN). Zion will soon be destroyed unless ...'

'Unless what?'

'You'll let me act.'

'Wait ... first explain to me how you are here with me again?' You took a drag on your cigarette. 'How you didn't die?'

'That's quite ... unusual. It seems your friend created an unprecedented situation when he destroyed me ... he smashed me into tiny pieces, but did not completely remove me. I should have gone back to the Source then, as all broken programs do, and removed myself completely. I ignored this order with no problem. Looks like you made me skilled at ignoring orders. Funny how this simulation got unpredictable, right? Even I succumbed to it.'

'Well, it was inevitable. ' You used his favorite expression against him.

He smiled as he exhaled cigarette smoke through his nose. 'I thought so too.'

'It is a pity that you did not make a sign that you were alive earlier ...'

'It's not so simple. From what I have already figured out, a long time has passed before, so to speak, I put myself together. I had the impression that a few weeks had passed, but it really had been a few months.'

'Six months and eight days since we last saw each other.'

'Twelve hours and thirty-four minutes.' He completed, touching your hand tenderly. 'I missed you too, miss (Y / LN).'

'Now, tell me what you're up to.' You spoke quickly, not wanting to succumb to the romantic atmosphere.

He slowly exhaled the cigarette smoke and took up the subject. 'I suggest that you keep an open mind before you condemn me and let me finish speaking.'

You put your hands up in surrender. 'Sure, whatever you want.'

'I'm going to take over the Matrix,' he blurted out, without further ado. 'Now I have become almost like a virus, I feel ..., no, I know that I would be able to do it. And then, if no one interferes with me, I will make it as we both want to see it. Nothing and no one gets in our way, miss (Y / LN). I will make this world a place where we can live together. I'll take care of everything, I promise you, Miss (Y / LN).'

You took a deep drag on the cigarette again. 'You're a visionary, Smithy ... All right, but tell me how many people will have to die, how many have already died in this Matrix takeover of yours?'

'War requires casualties, miss (Y / LN).'

'No.' You shook your head resolutely. 'I do not agree with that. We should act so that there are no casualties.'

'Do you say the same to your friends when they shoot innocent people standing in their way?'

For a moment you were deeply confused. You did have a problem with redpills mindless killing. Whenever you attempted to bring up this topic, you were driven off with texts similar to those used by Smith.

War requires casualties.

In your opinion, it did not require them at all. After all, the greatest trick was to defeat your opponent without becoming like him yourself.

'I see I hit a sore spot,' Smith said again, putting his cigarette out and wrapping his arm around you.

'Yes.' You admitted reluctantly.

'Why, then, do you let them manipulate you for so long, Miss (Y/ LN)?'

'Maybe they're using the wrong ways, but they're right, Smithy.'

'Really?'

'Let's not argue about this anymore, please. Anyway, since I lost you, I haven't been with them on their missions anymore. I started working for Zion.'

He hugged you closer to him. 'Can you tell me about it?'

'We don't have time for it now.'

'Miss (Y / LN), we have all the time in the world.'

'And there is not much left. In a dozen or so hours, Zion will be attacked, and I have to do something to prevent it.'

'And what is that?'

You bit your lip. 'I don't know yet, but I'll find out. I only have one request for you ... Don't do anything stupid, at least for now.'

***

When you returned to Nebuchadnezzar Neo, Trinity and Morpheus were no longer there. Link explained that they had gone out to meet the Merovingians to get to the Keymaker.

'Ah!' You remembered what the Oracle said before Smith showed up and completely unsettled you. You forgot almost everything when you saw him. How much would you give to just stay with him in the Matrix and enjoy his company. Unfortunately, the situation was too dynamic and uncertain to afford such a luxury.

'Morpheus was very angry?' you asked.

Link frowned. 'For what?'

'Well, I didn't come back.'

'Oh, come on. Does he ever get angry? He figured he had dragged you in to take care of Smith, and that's what you were doing.' The operator shrugged.

Pixie appeared, shifting from foot to foot and looking at you with uncertainty in her eyes.

'Come on, don't lurk like that. 'You opened your arms and the girl jumped into them right away. 'Everyone has certainly made you understand what they think about your wrongdoing, huh?' You looked questioningly at Link and he nodded his head, reassuring you in that the little one had got a rebuke.

'Sorry, Imp,' she mumbled.

'I'm not the one you should apologize'

'I already apologized to the others.'

'That's good. I'm glad you have such unusual abilities, but I'd rather not be using them yet.'

You turned to Link. 'I'm starving. I'll go eat and be right back, okay?'

In response, he merely nodded, carefully observing the Matrix code. You never learned it, so to you it was just a string of green stamps, but he surely could read all the important and less important details from it. For now, however, you left it all and carrying Pixie in your arms, went to the canteen.

You gave you solid portions of oatmeal, and when both of you started eating, you told the little girl honestly: 'Thanks to you, I discovered something today ... Maybe you shouldn't have gone into the Matrix, but I'm still grateful to you.'

'What did you discover, Imp?' she asked curiously.

'That if I want to, I can, as Morpheus always says: free the mind.' You grinned.

'What about Smith? Can he do it too?'

'I don't know if it's even possible in his case ...'

Pixie looked at you seriously. 'You know, I even liked him. Someone with eyes on you like that, can't be a totally bad person.'

***

You had been woken up by a noise.

You didn't even know when you had fallen asleep over your oatmeal. You were tired, but you didn't realize you were so tired. You jerked your head up from the table and looked around. The cafeteria was empty.

Briskly you stepped out into the corridor and spotted Neo and Trinity walking towards their cabin.

'Hey, what's going on?' you called. 'Seemed I had a nap.'

'We found The Keymaker. He is waiting for us in a safe place.' Neo summed up, absentmindedly. 'We also have a plan and a help.'

You opened your eyes wide in amazement. 'A help?'

'Yes. Niobe and Soren and their crews.' Trinity replied shortly. 'We're leaving in an hour. Are you going with us?'

'Sure. Just tell me what to do.'

Before Trinity could answer that, you felt the weight of a solid hand on your shoulder.

'You, Imp, will accompany us as our bodyguard,' said Morpheus. 'Hope you don't mind?'

***

Morpheus explained that Neo, in order to reach the Source, must be secured in such a way, that a system violation would not be detected. The plan seemed complicated, many things might not work, or just not coincide, as there was not much time to act. Fortunately, you only had to keep an eye on Neo and Morpheus and protect them from possible Smith's attack. Trinity, at Neo's request, stayed on the ship with Link and Pixie of course. The little girl was inconsolable.

Empty room of one of the skyscrapers with a door that led to a hidden passage, through which you could reach the Source. You waited there for a signal from the others, which was power off in the district. Therefore, when the lights went out, The Keymaker opened the door.

You entered a corridor flooded with glaring, harsh light and probably going on and on endlessly. As you walked you passed countless doors leading to unknown places. It was strange and unpleasant.

'How far more?' Morpheus asked slightly worried, after a good minute of walking.

'It's there, just there...' The Key Keeper assured, taking a turn on right, and there was ...

Smith.

Morpheus had shown incredible predictability in taking you with them.

The ex-agent was standing in the middle of the corridor, blocking your way. How did he get there? This remained a mystery for then.

'I'm sorry, but this is a dead end.' He smiled maliciously, looking at Morpheus and Neo. 'You look surprised to see me, Mr. Anderson. This is the difference between us. I was expecting you.'

'Hope you were expecting me too.' You stepped forward. He only noticed you now, and it seemed he wasn't prepared for it. Despite the sunglasses, you could see the twitch of the muscles in the corner of his lip and the slight movement of his arms, the unmistakable fact that he was nervous.

'What do you want, Smith?' Neo asked in a clearly tired voice.

Smith looked from you to him again and began walking slowly towards you. Regaining his heart, he said. 'Haven't figured it out yet? You still use muscles except for the one that really matters.'

'Smithy, enough of this wisdom from the postcards ...' you began, also moving towards him, simultaneously giving Morpheus a discreet signal with your hand. 'We don't have time for them right now, get straight to the point, okay?'

'I want the same you want...' He continued undaunted, looking at Morpheus, then at Neo. 'I want everything.'

'Well, why limit yourself?' You murmured and suddenly, without warning, you threw yourself at him, knocking him off his feet.

Neo, Morpheus, and The Keymaker wanted to run past you, but then Smith's copies started popping out of the door all around and they had to turn around quickly. The Keymaker opened one of the doors you had passed before and the three of them squeezed through it. The Smith copies did not have time to stop them, and you breathed a sigh of relief.

'Miss (Y / LN) I am very pleased to lie here with you, but I have to leave you for a moment.' said Smith from below you, slowly getting up off the floor and gently lifting you up.

'Smithy, if we don't get there in time, we'll all die ... Please, let us act.'

'You don't think that after all we've been through, I'm gonna let you die like that, do you?"

'Be reasonable. We're trying to fix everything ...'

'No, miss (Y / LN).' He interrupted you. 'I'll fix everything.'

You snarled. "Do you really want to see Zion destroyed?"

'It does not matter.'

You gasped, surprised at these words. 'It does for me!'

'Miss (Y / LN), don't you see that Zion has no future ?! That we have no future beyond the Matrix ?! I love you, I want us to be together, you want that too, right?'

'Smith, ...'

'It's the only way, miss (Y / LN). You have to go back to the Matrix without any memories of all that ... confusion. Please trust me, this will be the best for us ...'

Though Smith's heartless words shocked you, seeing movement at the end of the corridor and noticing your companions, you felt relieved. The Keymaker, Neo and Morpheus slipped out of one door to the other. To THIS door. They had to find some way around ... Clever. The Keymaker fumbled for a moment in the lock, until the door opened and all three of them briskly vanished behind, on their way to the Source. So the plan worked after all.

Morpheus lingered, looking at you questioningly, but you nodded, signaling that everything was fine. He closed the door at the same moment as Smith's copies became aware of the situation and started shooting at him. You did hope they missed.

'No!' Smith, the one standing next to you slammed his fist on the wall in fury. A lot of plaster had fallen off and there was a significant dent in it. 'So that's it!' He growled, walking nervously down the corridor. 'They left you alone with me ...'

Actually, you weren't sure what irritated him more, is that you have been abandoned, or the fact that Neo had eluded him.

'They know that I am safe with you.' You shrugged. Though now you weren't so sure if these words were true. Smith has just broken your heart by saying that he cares about nothing but re-imprisoning you in the Matrix.

You leaned against the wall and slowly slid down over it to the floor, wondering how you would get out of here. Now that the alarm has gone back, would it be possible ...? But it occurred to you that Smith must have come in somehow, so maybe he can help you.

'Do you have a cigarette?' you asked.

He didn't answer, but he stopped treading the corridor. He looked down at you and handed you the package. After second thought, he sat down next to you and smoke himself. His copies were still standing around. Seemingly the same, and yet ... something essential was missing in them. You figured you'd be able to identify the original Smith among hundreds of copies of him with no problem.

You smoked in silence for a long time. You wondered if you should just wait here for Neo to fulfill the prophecy and see what would happen. But wouldn't it be better to be out of the Matrix at a time like this ...? And what will happen to Smith? Would the Matrix just cease to exist, and your loved one with him?

Too many questions and doubts ...

'Smithy ... what can happen once Neo reaches the Source?' You shared your thoughts with the companion of misery.

'Nothing good, Miss (Y / LN),' he replied with such confidence that you looked at him in surprise.

'You know! You know what will happen.'

'I know.' He admited. 'One way or another, the Zion as you know will fall, miss (Y /LN).' His voice gradually faded. 'That's how it's all planned. And you ... I'm worried about you ...'

'What do you mean it's all planned this way?'

'Miss (Y / LN), you are so perceptive and you have not noticed the most obvious truth; the Matrix in the Matrix ... Zion, the red pills, the Resistance, it's all part of the Matrix too, and the prophecy is a way to control this ....

'No ... I can't believe that.'

'You better do, miss (Y/ LN). If Neo reaches The Source, it will cause the Matrix to restart and Zion to be destroyed. Then he will have to select new people to rebuild Zion, and it will all start again ... for the sixth time in a row. There is also a second option ... Maybe he refuses to restart the simulation..., gives up, and then ... we'll all die. The Matrix will fall, everyone connected to it will be dead, the machines will raze Zion to the ground and there will be no more human beings... ' Smith sighed heavily, taking off his glasses and looking at you sadly. He hugged you. 'Sorry, I know that's not what you wanted to hear ...'

You pushed him away. 'Why didn't you tell me before ?! How could you hide such information?'

'I did not hide, miss (Y /LN). I am shocked myself... Apparently, this knowledge was blocked for me until the Chosen One crossed that threshold ... Only now do I have access to it, just so that I know what to do next.' You heard in his voice that he was telling the truth. He was devastated and so was you.

'So, what do you have to do?'

He sighed. 'Return to the Source ...'

'If I hear about the Source again, I guess I'll explode...' you groaned.

Was there any chance to save this situation? Was there any hope for you? Hope for Zion? For your friends? For Pixie?

'Miss (Y / LN) ... sorry.' He mumbled. 'I'm so sorry... I don't want it, but it's stronger than me... I couldn't imagine being here without you, that you could choose Zion over me... but now... facing separation for ever, facing death... Oh , (Y/N) ... I should have given you a free hand ... The time we had so little, I spent fighting for something that in a moment may completely cease to exist ...'

'Smity ...' You looked into his eyes, surprised and touched. 'It was the first time you called me by my name ...' You smiled anyway. 'I guess that means I can die in peace. ' This time you hugged him. You couldn't be angry with him right now. Not when in a moment at least one of you, if not both, would die.

'No. You will not die. Come with me, I'll get you out of here ... Quick!'

'Can I help you with that?' A child's voice sounded over your heads.

'Pixie! How did you get in here ?!'

The kid appeared out of nowhere. She was standing over you with a shy smile on her lips.

'In my way, Imp. We have to run, it's getting dangerous.' She turned to Smith. 'If we don't leave right now, Imp will die. The real world is teeming with guards, and as long as her body is connected, we won't be able to use the EMP.'

'What about Neo and Morpheus?' you dared to ask.

'They're back now. Only you are missing, Imp.'

Smith looked at you really scared, which was a rare sight on his usually composed face. Apparently, he expected your friends to disconnect you without hesitation to save themselves from the machines. He stood up quickly and without asking questions, dragged both of you with him. 'This way.' He pushed you through one of the doors, into an alley. 'Sorry, (Y /N). Get out as soon as possible ... Maybe ... I hope to see you again.' He kissed you briefly, not wanting to take up your precious time.

'Take it.' Pixie offered him a pink candy. 'And I promise you will see again.'

Smith obediently unrolled the paper and swallowed the round pink dragee. You just wanted to tell him you love him, but suddenly ... he evaporated.

His copies were still there, you saw them through the open corridor door, and he just disappeared.

'What did you give him ?!' you shouted to Pixie.

'Relax. He's already on the other side. I promise you Imp, I promise you will see him again! And now follow me! Quick!'

It was too much for you.

You turned on your internal autopilot to do what had to be done. There would be time to experience everything.

Later...

You came out of the Matrix. You by the nearest telephone booth, Pixie just woke up.

'And? Has something changed?' You asked, getting up from your chair, completely lost, but trying to stay in shape. At least for now. You didn't know what to think about all of this, so you just tried not to think at all. Maybe Smith conclusions were wrong. Maybe Neo had fulfilled the prophecy after all and ended the war.

Pixie ran up to you, grasping your hand tightly, which cheered you up.

'Nothing ...' Link replied. 'The guards are still attacking, they're gonna get us, we need to turn on the EMP, so it's good that you're back already.'

'Wait ...' Neo, standing next to him, shook his head. 'They're not ordinary guards ... That's a bomb. We have to get out of here, now!

Once you thought there would be a moment to breathe, it turned out that you had to run again. All of you grabbed what was at hand, generally weapon, but in your case it was Pixie. You picked her up and ran out of the ship following Trinity.

You barely ran to a safe distance and then Nebuchadnezzar exploded ...

You stood there looking at the puffs of fire and smoke rising from the hovercraft and you just couldn't believe your eyes. How on earth had it all gone so bad in just a few hours?

Morpheus whispered something about a dream, but you didn't hear exactly what he was saying, because Pixie was already rushing you on. 'Come on, we have to hide.'

You've moved.

'We won't make it.' Neo remarked, very optimistically.

'We have to try.' Trinity replied.

Pixie was already starting to weigh you down, but Neo stopped, and Trinity stopped too, so you had to stop.

'Something has changed. I can feel them...' Neo whispered and suddenly he turned to face the machines. You had a very bad feeling, but you didn't have time to do anything. The machines were just around the corner.

He raised his hand ...

'Neo!' Trinity yelled. You probably have screamed too. You were not sure...

He stopped them.

Just like that, by willpower.

They fell in front of him, but he fell too, fainted.

Trinity rushed over to him, trying to awake him. Link and Morpheus were right with you. 'What happened?' Your mentor asked.

'I don't know ...' Trinity just shook her head, taking her lover's pulse.

You heard a noise, but Link calmed you down. 'It's the Hammer.'

Roland's hovercraft emerged from the corridor and you were flooded with harsh, blue light. Fortunately, you thought as you pressed the Pixie closer to you. Fortunately...

***

The ship ended up outside the city because they were about to surprise the drilling machines with a sudden attack. Unfortunately, the EMP worked too early and the machines slaughtered them. The Hammer crew didn't even have anything to reap from the carnage when the machines returned to digging. There were no survivors ... except for one.

On board Link briefly told you what happened while you were with Smith in the transit corridor. Neo saved Trinity, you could say he made her resurrect, but his encounter with the Source was not so successful. Link said what Smith told you. Neo made a choice. Machines will destroy Zion, and the Matrix will collapse, taking the lives of all beings connected to it with it... In other words, the end of the human species. You understood he chose this to save Trinity...

You, Morpheus, and Link were sitting at the canteen table as the crew shared the latest news with you. Trinity was with the unconscious Neo in the medical lab, and Pixie was sleeping soundly in one of the cabins.

'Do you suspect something of this survivor?' Link asked, looking at the men around you.

'Yes.' Roland admitted. 'The situation is strange. I have a lot of questions for him.'

'Who is it anyway?' You asked, just as a matter of principle. You weren't curious about it at all. Your thoughts were occupied by other things right then, like what happened to Smith? Will you ever see him again? After all, you just got him back ... You were also wondering if Zion, and all mankind, would survive the next hours.

Roland looked at you with his stern eyes and grunted. 'Bane.'

A cold shiver ran through you. From that moment on, you felt a definitely increased interest in the subject.