Morin: [The Matrix... is a computer. Or more precisely, an AI.]
Neo: [An AI? A real AI? Is it watching me?]
Morin: [It's not a "he." It's an "it." To be exact, you and I are currently inside a virtual world it built for humanity.]
Neo: [!!!]
Morin then told Neo everything about the Matrix exactly as it was-the truth, including the truth behind the so-called Savior and the Matrix's real plans.
Of course, Morin could have kept Neo in the dark to execute his plan more smoothly. But... what was the term?
A spoiler dog.
More accurately, someone who spoils things for others.
When it happens to you, it's annoying. When you do it yourself, the sense of superiority and refreshment is immediate.
Neo: [Who are you? Why do you know all this?]
Morin: [I'm Morin Smith. I have a way to save everyone from the Matrix's control-and destroy the Matrix.]
Neo: [...What do I need to do?]
Morin: [I like talking to smart people. So I'll put it this way. First, I don't like making choices for others. I plan to let everyone in this virtual world know the truth about the Matrix, the outside environment, and the survival problems they'll face after leaving. Then I'll let them choose for themselves.]
Neo: [And second?]
Morin: [Second, I plan to turn the Matrix into a real "he" or "she," and then kill it.]
Neo: [Why?!]
Morin: [Gaining something and then losing it is the hardest thing to accept. Don't you think letting an AI that enslaved humanity die so easily would be far too simple?]
Neo fell silent.
He stayed that way for a long time.
His thoughts were a mess. He grabbed a beer and poured it down his throat, not caring as the icy liquid overflowed and ran down his body.
Then another glass.
And another.
"So," Morin said. "A deal?"
Neo: [I still don't know if what you're saying is true or false.]
Morin: [Time will prove it. Until then, don't reveal what I told you. Just pretend we... liked each other's looks and drank together. Otherwise, things get troublesome. A chain reaction would expose me early, and then I'd have to start destroying the Matrix ahead of schedule. I haven't had time to save the people scattered across so many Matrix bases yet.]
He paused.
[Once the fight starts, I can guarantee one thing. I won't be threatened by the Matrix.]
The implication was clear.
Morin drained his glass in one gulp, stood up, and disappeared into the chaotic crowd.
Neo stayed behind, drinking absentmindedly. The alcohol slowly numbed his thoughts. His reactions dulled. The music grew louder.
Nearby, Trinity frowned in the shadows.
She had witnessed the entire "conversation."
Because of that, it felt deeply strange.
The opening was strange. The behavior was strange.
In Trinity's view, if Morin used his looks and words on a woman, he'd be unstoppable. But he'd chosen Neo.
More importantly, after all that, they had simply kept drinking and parted ways.
Trinity couldn't understand it.
If it were a matter of sexual orientation, she could accept it. But this?
What exactly was that performance?
"Morpheus, I need to investigate someone," Trinity said after watching a swaying Neo head home, as she returned to base. "I've seen his face. He had strange contact with Neo. Yes, that Neo-the one you believe is the Savior."
On a nearby rooftop, Morin hummed quietly, looking down at Trinity.
He could have monitored her directly through telepathy. But that would generate an enormous data stream. Since he didn't want to openly break with the Matrix or alert it that things were out of control, he couldn't do that.
That would be self-exposure.
For small actions, however, he could redirect the load to others so the Matrix wouldn't notice. At worst, those people would become a bit more excited.
For example, drug users.
They were perfect for sharing the burden.
They were already "flying" anyway. Flying higher-or crashing to death-was common.
Some lives were indeed worthless.
Even in a virtual world.
"Beep beep, beep beep!"
The alarm clock jolted Neo awake.
"Crap!"
His head was still full of chaotic thoughts, leaving him dazed. Then a realization hit him, snapping him fully awake.
"I'm late for work!"
He jumped out of bed, yanked on his pants, and rushed for the door.
SLAM!
A file hit the desk.
"You really don't like following rules, Mr. Anderson," the manager said. "And you always think you're special. This is the third time you've been late this month. And your previous excuses? Dazed. Overslept. Computer attack?"
He sneered.
"I have to question your technical level."
Neo stood opposite him, head lowered.
"This company became a top software firm because every employee knows they're only part of the whole," the manager continued. "If one person has a problem, the entire company has a problem. What are you looking at?"
"Huh?" Neo snapped back, pulling his gaze away from the window cleaner outside. "Nothing."
"Do you want to join them?" the manager asked.
"What? No. No." Neo shook his head quickly.
"It's time to make a choice, Mr. Anderson." The manager crossed his hands and leaned forward. "Either you guarantee punctuality and efficiency from now on, or you find another job. You seem very interested in window cleaning. Have I made myself clear?"
"Clear. Very clear, Mr. Reinhardt." Neo nodded.
He returned to his desk, turned on his computer, and stared blankly at the screen.
Aside from the lingering headache, his post-hangover mind was filled with doubt.
His memory felt blurry. He even questioned whether last night had really happened.
Had he met anyone?
Said anything?
Was it all real?
That woman-Trinity.
That man-Morin.
They weren't together, yet they'd both told him the same thing.
The Matrix existed.
And he was being watched.
Why him?
Because he'd touched the truth?
Could this really be a scam?
Just as the thought formed-
"Mr. Anderson?"
Neo looked up.
"Yes?"
A delivery man stood there. "Please sign here."
After Neo signed, the man handed him an envelope.
"Have a pleasant day."
Neo froze.
Then he noticed the sender.
Trinity.
His heart jumped. Surprise. Excitement. Maybe both.
He glanced around and tore the envelope open, pulling out a phone.
A bold [NOKIA] logo stared back at him.
Suddenly, his right hand moved on its own.
The phone flipped open and answered a call.
Startled, Neo still raised it to his ear.
"Hello, Neo. Do you know who I am?" a deep voice asked.
"Morin?" Neo replied cautiously.
"...Who is Morin?" The voice paused, surprised. "You mean the man who drank with you last night?"
"...Morpheus?" Neo corrected himself, heart skipping a beat as Trinity's words surfaced.
"Yes. We'll talk about Morin later." Morpheus's tone grew serious. "I've been looking for you for a long time. I don't know if you're ready for what I have to show you, but we're out of time. They're coming. Stand up and look toward the elevator. Slowly."
Neo obeyed.
Men in black suits and sunglasses were questioning an employee. The employee pointed in his direction.
All their heads snapped toward him at once.
"F*ck," Neo muttered. "What do they want?"
"That's the problem," Morpheus replied calmly. "I don't know either. But I can assure you, they don't mean well."
"What do I do now?" Neo whispered.
"Follow my instructions. Walk toward the office at the end of the other hallway..."
With Morpheus's guidance, Neo was soon-
Captured.
There was no real choice.
The exits were sealed. The only escape was through the office window, along the scaffolding, and onto the roof.
But Neo was on the sixtieth floor.
Over a hundred meters up.
The wind was terrifying. And he wasn't the Savior yet.
He couldn't fly.
When the Nokia phone slipped from his hand and vanished into the wind, Neo looked down at the ant-like traffic and pedestrians.
Then he followed his heart.
He retreated.
The phone struck the ground with a dull thud, leaving a small crater.
A hand picked it up.
Morin looked at the phone, then at the height above, then at the pit.
His mouth twitched.
"This durability... did Nokia bribe the Matrix?"
He was speechless.
Cracking walnuts was basic.
Surviving a fall from sixty floors?
Hardcore advertising of the year.
Morin shook his head, glanced at the captured Neo, and dialed a number.
In a hidden base.
"Neo was taken."
"That was expected," Morpheus said calmly.
"That doesn't look expected," Trinity teased.
"I'm not worried about that." Morpheus frowned. "Pull up the file on Morin Smith again."
"Anything missing?" Trinity asked.
"No. That's the problem," Morpheus said slowly. "It's too perfect. Completely ordinary. No anomalies at all."
"So what's wrong?"
"When I called, Neo's first reaction was to ask if I was Morin." Morpheus's eyes sharpened behind his glasses. "He told Neo something."
The phone rang.
"It's the phone we gave Neo," someone reported. "Should I answer?"
"Who's calling?" Morpheus asked.
"It's... Morin."
"...Prepare to abandon the site," Morpheus ordered. "Disconnect. Then connect."
The call went through.
"Those suit-wearing, sunglasses, receding-hairline crisis guys," Morin said casually. "What's their deal?"
"...Who are you?" Morpheus exhaled.
"Isn't my file already with you?" Morin laughed. "Tell me. What Neo wants to know, I want to know too. I've been undercover for years. On the surface, I'm ordinary. Behind the scenes..."
He paused.
"I'm a top-tier hacker."
Master-level acting.
"Heh." Trinity sneered.
As someone who'd hacked the IRS, she wasn't impressed.
"Morin," Morpheus said after a moment. "May I call you that? Most of what you suspect is true. Forgive me for not explaining over the phone. After Neo is released, why don't you come with him to meet us?"
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