Holy crap, I'm updating! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! (Sadly I can't answer your reviews here in the fics because apparently that's not allowed anymore, and the last thing I want is to have all my stories deleted.) BUT ANYWAY! Here is Chapter 2. Sorry it took for-freakin'-ever.

"Helen? Helen!"

Hm? Who's calling?

"Helen!"

That's not my name, is it?

"Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

Wait, yes it is.

"Please wake up, Helen, please!"

"Ngh?" I mumbled, fluttering my eyes open with some effort and searching for the source of the familiar voice. The next thing I realized I was gazing into the deepest pair of shimmering silver eyes I had ever seen.

"Two?" I whispered with a smile, as if all the air had gotten knocked out of me. Now that I thought about it, my entire body was aching, wasn't it? I guess I hadn't noticed before.

"Oh God, Helen, you're alright." He breathed a noticeable sigh of relief as I tried to look around.

"Where am I?" I peered up at him, his dreadlocks soaking wet as he kneeled over me against the pouring silver sky.

"Outside," was all I was given. I took it he didn't exactly know.

"What happened? Where is she?" I tried to sit up, but he kept me laying flat.

"I..." He paused. "I don't know, Helen. You were falling, the both of you, and then... you disappeared, right before you hit the ground. There was this blinding flash of white light, and then you phased up out of the pavement a second later."

"A second?" I frowned. "But... we were in there for at least fifteen minutes..."

"What? In where? Helen, what happened?" Two placed his ghostly white hand on my head, as if checking to see if I was deliriously feverous.

"Construct. My mind construct. My program mind construct." I shook my head to organize my thoughts. My brain seemed so clouded. "She and I... we fused... or something. We were in my mind. We were fighting. And then..." My eyes widened. "Two, I need to see the Oracle."

"No, Helen, what happened in the construct? How did you get inside your own mind? That's like a human being able to stand inside his own subconscious! It just doesn't happen!"

"Two," I whispered, "listen to me. I need to see the Oracle. I know she knows something."

"Can you even walk?"

I looked up at the sky, grinning at the raindrops that fell on my unprotected skin.

"I think I can fly."

"What?" Two shot me a concerned look, but almost instantly his focus was pulled from me as we heard another familiar voice.

"Helen! Two!" It was Trinity. She ran across the street to us, and I realized suddenly that I had left her standing on the roof of that gigantic building. She must've had to take the elevator, or even the stairs, to get back to ground level.

"Is she okay? What happened? Where's Hexen?" Trinity drilled Two, crouching down next to him on the wet pavement. I noticed that the albino had put his glasses back on at the sight of our comrade's arrival, and I grinned inwardly.

"I don't know," Two replied honestly, looking back down at me.

"Helen, what happened?" Trinity spoke sternly, but I knew it was only out of concern.

"Lots of stuff." My voice was still faint. "I think I did what I was supposed to do. She's gone."

"Did you send her back to the Source?"

"I... I don't know. I don't know if she went anywhere; she's just gone. We just... melded together. I don't understand it. Trinity," I frowned, "I don't know where she is. I think she's... inside me somewhere. I feel... funny... Trinity, I need to see the Oracle now."

"Something's not right." She grimaced. "Okay, we'll take you. Can you get up? I mean... shit, Helen, how did you survive that?" she asked, her eyebrows raising as she finally realized that I was alive after falling off the roof of a skyscraper.

"Don't ask." I winced as Two gently helped me up. "Let's just say it was something along the line of magical ninja skills."

"Right." Trinity had rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses; I could tell.

"Where is everyone else?"

"Morpheus and One went to find Neo," Two answered. "They... we all thought... that you'd need his help. I just came to find you."

"That's nice of you," I breathed, feeling the woozy sensations of headrush as I was finally pulled vertical. I felt somewhat detached from the whole scene, as if there were a wall of glass separating me from Two and Trinity. Everything seemed... a little foggy. And, I realized, it was getting worse by the moment; I almost felt nauseous.

I blinked and tried to look around, but my head was spinning and I couldn't hear or understand anything that either one of them was trying to say to me. I felt so, so tired, and my vision was getting blurrier and blurrier. I could barely breathe anymore.

"Oh shit, you guys, I think I'm gonna pass ou—"

:x:

I woke to the feeling of something cold and damp being pressed against my face. Looking up, I could just barely make out the outline of a person as my sleep-clouded eyes came into focus.

"Oh good, you're awake. Do you feel alright?"

I blinked, trying to place everything. I was in a bed of some sort, that was obvious. My trenchcoat and clothes had been replaced with gray flannel pajamas, and there, sitting beside me with a washcloth in her hand and a smile on her face, was...

"Persephone?" I murmured, rubbing my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming. "What are you doing here?"

"Helping you." She gave a short laugh, but then quickly fell serious. "Well, to be completely honest, I didn't know where else to go. The last thing I wanted to do was stay in that castle full of horny men who are all loyal to him. And..." She bit her lip embarrassedly. "In truth, you're the only person who's ever talked to me, or really been that nice to me at all."

It was both nice to hear and incredibly saddening at the same time, considering all I had done was whisper to her over a table and later warn her that I was about to shoot things. And that was the nicest she'd ever been treated? Poor girl.

"I'm sorry about that," I replied softly. "About what you had to live with. About him."

"It's alright," she smiled. "We're all free from him now."

"You..." I spoke. "You're a program, then, aren't you?"

She nodded. "I am. He wrote me himself."

"So then there's nothing left for you here in the Matrix, is there?" I asked sadly, and she nodded again.

"Then what will you do?" I continued.

"I want to help you," Persephone answered strongly. "I want to help end the war, for the humans. Even if it means the destruction of the Matrix, I don't care."

I blinked. She was willing to fight for a cause that, if won, would end in her death? That was some serious determination. I smiled.

"Thank you," I said quietly, though I was all but deflated inside. What did I want? If I fought for the humans and the Matrix was destroyed, I would lose Two and One, and even Persephone. If I did nothing, then my entire species would be forever hooked up to a giant computer, doomed to live out their days in a virtual reality. But then, the Matrix was my home, really. Did I truly want it destroyed? But if I stood up for it, I would be against Neo and Trinity and Morpheus, my friends who had saved my life now countless times and who could very well beat the shit out of me and kill me in any fight. I didn't want them for enemies. Ever.

But, of course, the choice had already been made for me.

"How long was I out?" I asked, snapping back to reality. Or what seemed real at the time.

"All night," Persephone smiled. "You had a fever, but it went away surprisingly quickly this morning. Neo looked you over; he said your code was running about twice as fast as it should have." I loved her accent. I wished I had an accent.

"Is that what causes fevers in the Matrix?"

"Yes."

Sitting up in bed, I was about to ask where I was, but then a previously-unnoticed and familiar smell reached my nose: cookies and cigarettes.

"We're at the Oracle's, aren't we?" It was more of a statement than a question. "Can I see her?"

"Soon," replied Persephone. "Right now she's having a meeting... with them."

"You mean the Rebels?" Once more I felt bad for Persephone; she had probably been shunned from the meeting because of her previous lack of involvement in the whole ordeal. I had an idea that that had been where her desire to join the fight had stemmed from.

"Yes," she nodded, her eyes growing cold, and I frowned.

"Persephone... what's between you and Trinity?" I asked gently, pushing the covers back to sit cross-legged on the bed. She stared at the floor to avoid my gaze, and I felt a little sorry for asking. Was the subject really that touchy?

"It was just... a game I played with my husband. I was so mad at him, so desperate for his attentions... I helped them. I helped them get the Keymaker, just to make him angry. But I set a price. I wanted a kiss."

"From Trinity?" My eyes widened a little, and Persephone flashed me a strange look.

"No, from Neo."

"Ah, even worse. So now she's jealous and hates you, is that it?"

"Yes." It made perfect sense. Trinity definitely didn't seem like the type who would tolerate any other woman touching, let alone kissing, her man. She also seemed like the type who would be willing and able to hold a grudge for a long period of time.

"She'll have to get over it sometime," I reasoned.

"Probably later rather than sooner." Persephone frowned angrily, and I placed a hand on her shoulder. What I got in return was a very surprised look, and I realized that she probably hadn't had much friendly contact in her life. I tried to smile as comfortingly as I could. I had had many talks like this with my own big sister, Marie.

"Don't worry about it. It's not what matters right now, and I'm sure Trinity knows that too. She'll probably be more forgiving now, anyway, since you're on our side completely now."

"Maybe," was all Persephone whispered before there came a sudden knock on the door. I squeezed Persephone's arm affectionately and crawled back under the covers of the bed.

"Who is it?"

"Two," came the British accent, and I grinned.

"Come in."

He opened the door, and I could tell he was trying to keep his neutral face on for show in front of Persephone, who he knew only as the now ex-wife of his ex-boss. She had outranked him before, but not now. Not in this war. Nevertheless, Two couldn't help but smile a little when he saw me fully awake and healthy.

"Helen, if you're feeling alright, the Oracle would like to speak with you, and then so would the rest of us. It's very important, and we don't really have a lot of time."

"Of course!" I replied immediately. "Just let me get up and throw on some clothes. ...Where are my clothes, anyway?"

"Washed," Two replied. "They're in the bathroom so you can shower."

I had to laugh.

"Jesus Christ, Two, will you ever stop doing my laundry?"

"Only when you stop wearing clothes."

"Well I'll get right on that, then," I giggled, trying not to show my blush as I climbed out of the bed. "I'll be in the shower!"

Fifteen minutes later I was clean and dressed, again sporting all black from head to toe. I was beginning to rather like this outfit, however. It made me feel badass, and even a little sexy.

I made my way out into the living room with slight apprehension. Of course, I wanted to talk to her, to get some answers, but I was afraid that I wouldn't like what she had to say. I was met at first by the usual gang, the Twins plus the Rebels, before I ventured into the kitchen.

"Good morning," came the kind voice of the Oracle. She sat at her table, absentmindedly playing with a beaded bracelet while the smell of baking cookies wafted through the air.

"I made them for you, you know," she smiled, and I faltered. Right. She knew everything. "I figured you could use some cheering up."

"Thank you," I said, sitting down as she gestured to the chair beside her and lit a cigarette.

"So," she began, leaning over to look at me. "What's on your mind?"