"God said onto Cain, 'Where is Abel, thy brother?' And Cain replied, 'I know not, am I my brother's keeper?"

Edison asked what Neo was saying.

"Nothing, just something that sounds appropriate…"

He was never a very religious man, Neo. But the seven-year-old Neo was in Catholic school upon his father's request. Although Neo barely remembers most of the teachings, there are some random Bible quotes that still remain in his head. He was known for causing trouble, with his nonstop questions, and ability to find loopholes in the text. When they were studying creationism, and the beginning of humanity, he had yelled out "EW! Cain married his sister!"

From fourth grade on Neo was enrolled in the public schools, but found no acceptance even in those places. He didn't understand why no one liked him, but with children someone must always be the outsider, the group just decided that was him.

The death of his mother, and the fall of his father into alcohol didn't help either.

Neo and Edison stood inside the hospital complex, where Neo's blood still stained the floor. A nice little window had been provided so that Neo could see the procedure taking place before him. The rebirth, recreation, recollection, revival of Smith, or however you wanted to call it. Body parts have been scavenged, new ones have been made, and many have been altered and upgraded.

And even new clothes have been made. Neo made it implicitly clear Smith would need a suit. The reasoning behind this escaped the Machines, but Neo told them he needed a suit. So they made one, if not crudely, but they made one, and creating cloth was not so simple anymore, but they were able to make some clothes for Neo, including a black trench coat. Just like good ol' times. The Machines did have a garden area, for they for destroying all life, did learn to appreciate the time when the world was alive. The garden was small and there was only one, with but a few plants. One tree, grass, roses, sunflowers, and cotton plants.

The body of Smith stood naked then, just a metal chassis with arms and legs, and no head. It hung limp from the wall as finished machines stood around it. All machines were unsure of what they were creating, but the Source, Neo with the power to take and give life wanted this, and they were rather more afraid of Neo than they were of Smith, who was at the time but a fragment of himself.

Smith's new head was in the hands of a rather smooth looking machine, as it was grafted what appeared to be skin over the face of the skull. Soon all the machines were grafting skin over the metal carcass as best they could. Though the skin looked transparent over the dark surface of black metal. It wasn't true skin, but an artificially made skin plastic. Upon Neo's request, they were giving Smith an image of what he was inside the Matrix. So scans were done of the image of Smith, and molds were created for his skin. The power cells were added, energy given by the Source to give life to the machine body. And soon red lights flickered on and off inside the chest of the body like the red eyes of a Sentinel. Clothing was the last to be put on, the poorly crafted suit was dressed on, and a tie to go with it all.

The headless body began taking its form.

Neo couldn't really get a good look at the new face and head of Smith, in the hands of the machine crafter. Skin was being held in place by bolts and straps. Artificial eyes like camera lenses were being connected, as the back of the skull was taken off to reveal the chips that made up all artificial minds. Hair was on thing the head lacked, otherwise it was a complete copy. No, the skull was given a face, but it ended at the forehead, and showed the machine being Smith was. Where skin ended, metal continued.

While this was happening, beside the hospital the machines were repairing what was left of Smith as it continued to send connection replies. The machines had back up files in storage of all programs ever created in all the Matrixes. And this back up file, though incomplete, was used to add what Smith was missing. Though memory could not be fully restored, subroutines were there. Walking patterns were given as well a blinking patterns to make it look random like humans. Speech was restored as well as a hundred different languages, some from cultures extinct. A history on human beings as well anatomy, and history of machines, along with blueprints. The history of the Matrix was given, and a variety of other things. In essence Smith was repaired.

But fearing Smith as the machines did, hundreds upon hundreds of fail safes to prevent a repeat of rebellion on Smith's part. Programs were different from solid machines, who possessed minds bound to programming. With programs there were no such boundaries, despite popular belief. The minds of programs and machines were different, and there was often a difficult transition between the two. But having Smith as a machine solid they were able to have more control over him.

The head was placed on, and somewhere inside Neo, he cringed.

And now, complete Smith was just sleeping. Plugs came from the wall into the skull, arms, and back. The program that was Smith sent a request for connection, and finally it was given an answer. Though it wasn't an answer completely, the reply demanded only one connection line, the program agreed. It was redirected through a single route, straight into the body that would be Smith's.

Neo observed the process, it was simple really. He made the analogy it was much like burning a CD. Very simple, all they were doing was taking a program from the computer onto a hard solid, like putting a song on a CD. And like burning a CD, it took a long time.

Edison, a machine and patient didn't notice the passing time, blinking his red eyes, and fluttering his tentacles floating not four feet above the ground. Neo patted him on the head, as he come accustomed to and Edison's eyes blinked. Neo bit his lower lip and watched the transfer continue.

The Machines left the room, and came to Neo, speaking to him without words as they always did. There was a power Neo could feel among machines, a power he assumed was the Source inside him, or perhaps the One inside him. They say he took the Source from them, they say he became it. And with the Source comes a new perspective among machines. Before all they were, were faceless metal creatures, but now he sees them like he would a human. You can feel a human breathing, and see their emotions through a face, but not a machine. But now he can, now he can sense them, their doings and thoughts.

And they told him without speaking, it'll only take a few more minutes.

-------------

Program transfer completed.

Eyes are opened. Surroundings are analyzed, and conclusions are made. Plugs leave the metal body, and it stands still, slowly turning his head, scanning the various objects of the room. Movement subroutines tell it to balance and stand, while another program tells it not to move, as it does not yet know if there are any threats nearby. It continues scanning the area, determining where he is.

Memories files surface and tell it, it is Smith. Though the memory files are few.

And then something approaches it. The being is slow in pace, and is thus determined non-hostile, though caution is still made as it nears.

"Hello." Says the being.

The machine known as Smith registers and records the greeting, changing and transferring it into a data of ones and zeros so that it understands. Subroutines determine not to give a replying greeting, for the being in front of it is not recognized.

The being through visual scans is determined to be human, and it knows it is not human. Though there are things of the creature that are not human, but machine components. These make the machine tilt its head at the human in curiosity.

"Do you…" Stutters the human. "Do you remember me?"

The sound is made into data, and is recorded, the machine continues to stare at the human, slowly determining a response.

The human comes closer.

"My name is Neo." Says the human.

Sound into data, and a search is commanded to all files for the word "Neo."

"Mr. Anderson?" Says the human.

Open new search: "Mr. Anderson." Running…running…running…2,159 results found. Corrupt files. Corrupt files. Requesting viral scan. Requesting restoration. Setting restoration date. Restoring files…restoring…restoring…

And the blank face made from fake human skin stretched over a metal surface gives away its first sign of emotion. The eyes of artificial blue lenses widen and the mouth slightly drops.

"Mister…Ander-son?" the machine named Smith asks, with an artificial voice breaking up.

Neo nods to the Machine.

The Machine named Smith squints his eyes and turns his head as programming dictates this as natural behavior for the said response.

2,159 results found, 1,032 restored fully: corrupt files, corrupt files.

And then the results take form.

"Why Mr. Anderson?" "Purpose, Mr. Anderson." "You have a problem with authority, Mr. Anderson." "That is the sound of inevitability, Mr. Anderson." "I killed you, Mr. Anderson. I watched you die." "And now I stand here, because of you, Mr. Anderson." "We are here because of you, Mr. Anderson." "Mr. Anderson, you disappoint me." "I'm going to enjoy watching you die, Mr. Anderson."

"Goodbye, Mr. Anderson."

Facial scans from corrupt memory files. Features match, identified: Thomas A. Anderson. WARNING. WARNING. WARNING.

The Machine named Smith steps away from the human named Thomas.

"Don't be afraid." Says Thomas A. Anderson.

Due to memory files, statement determined to be a lie. Being is extremely hostile.

The machine kept backing away, into the wall. The machine mind running and working, looking for a solution to the problem to the hostile. How to protect itself, to remain intact and stable. Searching files, searching files, search "self-defense." Search "self-protection."

And then a file is found.

Smith makes a fist and punches towards Neo, who catches it in his hand. Eyes widen, mouth drops open.

"No." Neo shakes his head.

The machine mind that shall now dictate Smith as a being is in a panic, there is nothing else it can do, no other file left to search. This human, the threat shall now bring destruction. But…he doesn't want to die! Smith shakes his head, and finally the mind tires in the machine boundaries, and Smith falls to the floor, lying on his chest, his face to the side looking up at Neo.

Neo bent down to him, and sat there next to him on the floor.

"It's okay." Says Neo. "I couldn't stand when I first woke up either." Neo smiles. "Well…welcome to the Real World."

---------------

It's not real steak, there are no more cows, how can there be real steak? No, Machines have developed a weak cloning machines for genetic material. They're still working out the kinks, but it was made as a sort of peace offering to the humans now that peace has been established. It is so they may have animals again if so wished. Though for Neo they just clone the steak all ready cooked. It doesn't taste the same, or maybe it just didn't taste correctly in the Matrix, and this is how a real steak tastes. But even then what he was eating was not real steak.

Neo's been given a sort of home, a dwelling place in one of the many Machine City buildings, an apartment, full with a bed, bathroom, dinning room, and a living room. Though there is few decoration as one can imagine, but oh well. There's a large balcony where Edison lives and guards Neo.

But now there were many Sentinels in Neo's apartment, due to Smith's one act of violence, that one punch. There is one barely fitting in the living room, and many others surrounding the building, ready to kill Smith at the first command. Even though Smith's now bound mind prevents him from actually killing anything at all, it's now in his programming and everything. But still…it was in his programming when he was in the Matrix.

Neo continues to eat as he sits across from Smith. He's given Smith a plate of food as well, and Smith is staring at it in complete utter confusion.

"It's food." Neo says, a mouth full of steak. "You don't need it, I know. But I thought you'd like the option of having some."

Smith looked up at Neo, a blank face, and back down to the food.

"I told them to give you taste buds, stomach, and everything, so you can sort of get…I don't know the best of both worlds I suppose. They said they put acid in your stomach that will completely destroy the food, so you don't have to worry about human necessities."

It was strange for Neo, looking at the new Smith. Neo still saw the Smith from the Matrix, picturing him, but this Smith that sat in front of him, this Smith was different. Skin was stretching over the metal, and the back of his head was completely metal with a variety of steel pipes and small spikes sticking out. The eyes were camera lenses, and it was obvious and a little interesting watching them focus on him. The hands themselves had a visible skeletal structure beneath the skin that was a little creepy.

The Smith that had come back was not the same Smith.

Smith observed Neo, cutting the steak and eating it with a fork. Smith looked down at his utensils seeing they were the same, and picked them up gently. Neo nodded to him. And Smith slowly put the knife to the steak and attempted to cut. Not having reached full control of his movements Smith slipped severely, cutting the skin from one of his fingers. He froze for a moment, still holding the utensils, and staring at his hands.

"Here, I'll do it." Neo said, getting up and reaching to cut Smith's steak.

Smith saw metal beneath his skin…

"Why…?" Smith asked.

"Why what?" Neo replied.

"Why…am I here? This…This is not the Matrix. I. Should. Be in the Matrix." Smith says.

Neo bit his lip, cutting the steak.

"That's a little hard to explain." Neo said.

"And you…" Smith began, obviously searching for words. "You…you…"

"So what do you remember, huh? I really did a number on you didn't I?"

Smith looked on confused.

"I remember…I am Smith…Agent Smith. I am supposed to protect the Matrix…but this isn't the Matrix. I am one component of the three Agents group, Smith, Jones, and Brown. I…kill humans and other threats. I…protect…I…I…"

"What about me?"

"Thomas A. Anderson. Born March 11, 1962 in Central City. Son of John Anderson and Michele McGahey. File Number: 3809940TAA…" Smith says rather clearly.

Neo pushes Smith's plate towards him, the steak now cut into little pieces for him. Neo sits down and rests his chin on his hand, looking at Smith with his new black eyes.

"Your eyes…are different." Smith says quietly. "They were brown…"

"Yeah, they were." Neo smiles.

Smith looked at the food, squinting at it, knowing something in this image was wrong.

"Something happened didn't it…?" He asked.

"Many things happened, Smith." Neo says.

Smith takes a bite of the steak, taste sensors in the tongue transmit the taste into ones and zeros and date the machine can interpret and decipher. It is sent to the mind, and Smith is given the illusion of taste. The steak is hot, and juicy, medium-rare. It tastes generally good.

But something is wrong as he swallows it.

"This isn't right…this can't be right." Smith says.

Smith begins looking around anxiously, and panicking. Darting his eyes all around the room. This isn't right, this isn't how it should be. Where is the Matrix? Where is his domain, where he reigns supreme? Where is he now? There should be a gun in his hand, there should be a surge of power in his being. There should be blood and code under his skin, not this metal, not this metal!

His hands begin shaking on the table, as he stared at Neo.

"This isn't right!" Smith yelled.

And Smith took the knife by his side, and Neo kicked himself out of the chair backing away. Smith held up the knife, the familiar look of hate and anger in his eyes. And he thrust it into his chest.

His programming does not allow self-destruction, but somehow, he was able to bypass these restricting laws, to stab himself.

But the knife only went ding, as it bounced off his metal chest, covered by skin. Smith stared in full shock at the knife before he held up his left arm, and began cutting from his palm downward. And he finally took his skin off his hand as if it were a glove.

And he just stared at it, in all terror.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?"

His hand…all but resembling a human skeleton design, only metal. Red lights signed through the knuckles with life. There was no blood, there was no flesh, there was no code beneath it all. But he was Agent Smith, protector of the Matrix, all he was, was but a collection of green coding. What was this solid beneath his surface? What was this cold metal that was inside him?

This wasn't him, this wasn't right…

Smith looked at Neo, pointing with his metal hand, screaming at him as Neo looked calmly at him.

"You killed me. I killed you. We lived. You killed me again. I killed you again. We lived again." Neo explained.

Smith, anger and hate flaring with renewed life, stared at Neo.

"You've taken what I was." Smith said holding up his metal hand. "I am still dead."

This analogy was against programming, this outside thinking was against programming. Boundaries were already being broken in the mind of Smith. Boundaries he had broken before, he felt familiarity with them, as they told him this was not what he should be doing, and he felt familiarity as he broke them with will.

He wanted Neo to take off his flesh, so that Smith could see if he possessed a metal hand as well. He wanted to see if Neo had blood. He wanted Neo hurt.

"I'm sorry." Neo said.

And this one thought gave way to a fail-safe, and his entire body went limp.

Edison and two Sentinels burst in, breaking glass and walls, grabbing Smith and pinning him to the floor. His limp body looking like a Sentinel was playing with a human-sized doll. Smith was choking, or at least making choking sounds as the Sentinels held their stabbing clawed hands to his head.

"STOP IT!" Neo yelled. "Don't hurt him! Don't hurt him!" Neo jumped atop Edison.

But the machines did not listen as they grabbed the limp body, turning it over, and pinning it to the wall. As Smith's artificial blue eyes went up in his head.

"I said stop it!" Neo yelled. "Do you hear your Source!" Neo screamed, and they froze. "Do as the taker and giver of life says! Let him down!"

But he was going to hurt you, says the Sentinels.

"That's the problem with Machines, they can't understand desperation." Neo said, passing the machines to Smith who now laid on the floor.

Neo knelt down to the unmoving Smith, lifted his arm, and allowed it to fall to the ground.

"What did you do to him?" Neo asked.

It is a fail-safe, Edison said, a thought of hurting you causes a full system disable.

"I want him fixed." Neo said.

It can only be repaired at the programming facilities, the Sentinels said.

The Hospital.

Neo sighed, lifting Smith from the ground, his metal body heavy, but he managed to lift him up onto Edison's back. And Neo climbed on next to him, holding Smith up.

"Take us there." Neo said.

------------------

The skies of the Machine city were always alive, but then again the entire city was always alive. It's walls, it's floor, all a machine, all alive. Neo's black eyes could still see in the golden light he had gained when he lost sight. But it came and went, and was often hard on his head when he did see like that. But now the city, bright in blue and red lighting was breathing. Machines of all different sizes and shapes, all so inhuman, flying around him. All stopping to look upon him, the Source, the taker and giver of life. They all sort of bowed as he passed.

The Machine mind worked along side other machines, they were aware of individuality but thought of it as obsolete. There was really only one machine mind, made of the many, and only one took up a single body. Edison however had been getting more individual with the single exposure to Neo. But Neo…felt this single and many minded, he heard it as whispers, but sometimes only heard the calls of ones and zeros, that he could not yet understand.

He was becoming accustomed to the city, he knew the basic surroundings, where the hospital was, and where he was assigned to get food. He could see the garden area, and the many gates around the city. Neo stared out at it, unsure of what he should be feeling, and wondering what he was thinking.

A sound came from Smith, and he looked down to see Smith looking up at him, his hand shaking, pointing up at the city.

"It's Machine City, Smith. Where the Machines live. Your creators." Neo told him.

Smith recoiled, perhaps appreciating the answer. And then he just stared up as Neo, as Neo looked away.

"God said onto Cain, 'Where is Abel, thy brother?'" Neo said vacantly. "And Cain replied, 'I know not, am I my brother's keeper?'"

Neo looked down at the now helpless Smith.

"I'll be your keeper, Smith."

It was becoming increasingly obvious, Smith would now need a keeper. Smith always had a way of needing a keeper, but he never really found one did he? Neo supposed it was his fault Smith became a complete sociopath in the end, but he had the power to lash out, and lash out he did. Struggled and fought, until he ruled the world. And here…when he owned flesh, and another man's face, what did he do? He cut himself, obsessed with the feelings of the human body. It seemed destiny Smith to find some way to be somehow insane. Neo sighed, but weren't they all insane in the end?

Just look at him. A Messiah to squid, insect machines, sounds insane to him.

"You know Smith…they keep telling me it's a bad idea bringing you back, giving you a body…they keep saying you'll just end up trying to kill me, and it's only inevitable until you're put back into the state we found you. Maybe it is stupid bringing you back. Maybe I'm just asking something of you, you can' t do…But I really want you to just…let it go. Let go of whatever the hell you hated about me, I did. I'm sorry your life was hell, but the only way you can make it better is to just let go. You barely survived our last little fight, and I don't want to do it again, only to have us beaten and battered but together STILL alive. Can't you see Smith? Don't you get it, you said it yourself we have a connection."

Connection?

"We can't kill each other, why even try? But right now, I really need you. If for nothing else, the company. I can't…live in this place, alone, I can't…willingly stay here alone. It's human, I'll go insane, alone like this. It's what we do when we're alone, we're social creatures. Perhaps that's why I want to spend the time here with you, I'm desperate…I mean Trinity died, of course I'm desperate…"

Trinity?

"But the fact is Smith, you've just been given another life. These Machines, they'll take it away from you the next chance they'll get. You just got to let it go Smith. Let go of Agent Smith, with all his pain and suffering and shit like that."

Neo looked down at Smith.

"I never hated you, Smith. Not truly anyway, I don't think humans can hate truly, no they have too much other stuff in their heads, like love and joy. And I knew about that connection you spoke about, I felt it too, and I knew…I knew you hated life. And you put life and personified it as me, and you hated me. But I'm asking you, to just end all that here."

Maybe the plea was too much for Neo to ask, but Smith just stared up at him, choking noises continually rising out of his mouth.

Neo's words were true. Alone, afraid even, Neo wanted someone human by his side, or at least as close as he could get. Dying twice can really shape one's perspective, and Neo's third time at life, he decided to just fuck everything that was in his old life. The hate, all the bad shit, fuck it. He was the fucking Messiah, Jesus of the new century. These bad things, they didn't matter.

Neo would have given anything to kill Smith once, and he used to lie in bed, devising of the horrible ways he could kill Smith. But somehow he knew, Smith was planning the same for him.

But he died, all he had from those lives were taken away. He might as well start out fresh. He was reborn. He was the fucking Messiah, shouldn't he be perfect? Shouldn't he know everything, and be like God on Earth? Shouldn't he be able to cure the blind, bring back the dead, and make sparrows from clay? What the hell was this? He's the One, but he doesn't know shit, what a rip off.

Dear God, it's me again, Neo. Am I your son or something? Am I Jesus? Well I've died twice, and Jesus only died once for humanity, so that makes me super Jesus, right? So doesn't that mean I get like some reward? Can I have the knowledge of life now? Can you tell me what is right and what is wrong? Can I have the power to end all this hate in the world?

Neo looked up at the unseen sky, and felt like a child in those thoughts, cooperating with the idea that there was something bigger in this universe than him. He looked up and like a child to his parents, pleaded to a possible non-existing God, and like all desperate humans, he called out for help.

But this small and desperate plea was cut off by his own self, he told himself this was stupid. And thought about the possibility that he might be the strongest thing in creation. Could there be things greater than the Savior of both man and machine? A being who seemingly cannot die? The power he felt inside him confirmed such a thought. The power that reached out to every molecule of machine, and came back to him. Their energy, their life fueled by an everlasting Matrix. It was a funny cycle wasn't it? Neo powered Machine, which powered the Matrix, which powered Neo. After all what was the Source but the power taken from the heat of man?

The power that surged and was bottled up inside him. The power that sensed the changing world far away. The power that allowed him to see all machine beings all at once, to hear their silent language, and to feel their being. The power that when focused on Smith, cringed as Smith cringed.

----------------

Smith was now strapped to the wall via metal plugs piercing his fake skin into his body. The fail-safe had been cut off, and now they were repairing the little damage he had done to himself, and the great damage he had done internally. The living wall breathed life into him, holding him up. A plug was strung up, making Smith having to look up constantly, trapped in that way. His artificial blue eyes shifted, looking down towards Neo who stood in front of him.

The other machines had left upon Neo's demands.

"How are you?" asked Neo.

"I remember now…Bits and pieces…" Smith whispered. "I remember the rain…the copies…I can see…I can see myself.."

"Remember when I gave you the finger?" And Neo proceeded to flick off Smith for visual aid.

"It was another life then…" Smith said. "With the others…the other Agents. And then…I started another life, free…as a Virus… Is this…is this a third life? Life in reality, as a Machine?" Smith asked.

"Yeah I guess so."

"But what is my purpose?"

Neo shook his head.

"Do you need one?" Neo asked.

"I want one."

Smith looked around, with the little sight he could see.

"I don't like it this way." Smith said. "This mind they've given me. It's…contradicting, minimal, primitive. In the other life…I thought differently…I don't remember how, but I did…"

"You miss the Matrix?" Neo asks.

"I miss who I was in the Matrix."

"Will you stay with me, Smith?"

"I hate you. Yes, that's it isn't it? That's the feeling that fueled the other lives…But I didn't know it…I didn't recognize it. But now I know, I have died twice to finally see, I hate you. I hate you. This emotion, this illusion, is mine, and I hate you."

"And what good does that hate do?"

Smith paused for a moment.

"I have no choice do I? No…there was never a choice. Choice, an illusion given to us by a greater power to control us…"

"Smith…"

"I was everything and nothing at the same time. I was the world, but the world was nothing. And now they've imprisoned me in this solid, this thing that defies all to what I was. With a mind that is stopped at all thoughts."

And for the longest time no one said anything.

"What am I?" Smith asked. "What was I? I didn't exist in the other lives. I had no solid, no body. The Matrix itself is nothing, and I too was nothing. But now…I am still me…but I have a solid, does that now make me real? I reject this solid, return me to oblivion." Smith continued. "Return me to when my mind was gone, and it went on only by the commands of subroutines. Return me to where ignorance is bliss."

"You don't want that." Neo said.

"You're right, I was lying…I just wanted to see if you could tell."

Neo stared at Smith.

"I will stay here, in this solid, and limited mind. It is a fight for thought, and I do so miss the fighting." Smith said. "Our connection commands it, and gives us purpose in it. But I still hate it here."

"I hate it too, Smith."

"We're stuck here aren't we?" Smith asked.

"Yes."

"So even as we have escaped the Matrix, we are still prisoners? Of course…we're both here because we're not free…"

"You're starting to sound like your old self." Neo gave a weak smile.

Smith stared upon Neo with artificial blue eyes, and for the first time in a very long they stood a common ground, hate.

Smith would later ask for a mirror to see his new self. He would stare at the mirror for an estimated ten minutes, just scanning himself with his new eyes, that identified every scrape of his being with a purpose for his functioning. Never before was he so dependent on the functioning of other components to make sure he functioned. He saw his camera like eyes focus on himself, and stared at where his face ended, and the machine part of himself began. He saw the make shift suit they gave him, and discarded it to see the flesh peeled over the metal torso, and in the dark one could see the red lights shine through the metal ribs and loose skin.

"Disgusting." Smith said.

Look at the body he was now bound to, the body his mind was imprisoned in. Where he felt a power longing to be let out, but finding that it never could again. There would never be a surge of power within him, there would never be a feeling of invincibility. No, he was more fragile now than he ever wanted to be. It was like a personal cage, a personal prison for his mind, his own little Matrix that he could move, but never find freedom. His mind limited, each thought would lead to a dead end, an instant stop, forgetting the thought at the moment. His mind bound, trapped and forced to think simply. Memories were fine, but plans that was the thing. Thinking of how he thought of his situation, how he viewed the machines, and Neo, all ended instantly, not permitted within his head. Hate and Angered called out to him, wanting to be found, but the boundaries of a solid being would not allow it.

It was a difficult fight for his own being.

Neo would watch him struggle in this fight. In their changing households, always changing, always trying to keep things interesting, to entertain the ever shifting human mind. Moving all the time, allowed to all corners of the Machine city. Smith always beside Neo, with a hovering pet Sentinel nearby. Smith would sometimes stare off somewhere, vacantly. Minutes would go by, and Smith would never move, then suddenly he would squint his eyes and look around, confused, forgetting where he was, what he was doing. He fought a battle for free thought, and he always lost.

It was rather sad to watch.

But if nothing else, Smith was there, Neo was not alone. Even though Smith barely spoke with him, and most of the time it was very simple things, or rather insulting things. But Smith was there. Smith followed Neo wherever he went, or the Sentinels would have made him follow Neo. Perhaps Smith could not fully comprehend it all, with his limited mind. Perhaps as soon as one day ended, he forgot about it, not noticing the weeks that soon went by. Perhaps Smith wasn't fully there.

But Neo was, and Neo could smell the change in the air, and he knew with it, Smith would change as well.

----------------