The Matrix Page #12

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MORPHEUS:

What do you believe in?

NEO:

What do I believe in? Are youkidding me? What do you think?

The world I grew up in isn't real.

My entire life was a lie. I don't

believe in anything anymore.

MORPHEUS:

That's why we're here.

NEO:

Why? So I can hear some old ladytell me, what? That I'm this guythat everybody's been waiting for?

That I'm supposed to save theworld? It sounds insane.

Unbelievable. And I don't care

who says it, it's still going tosound insane and unbelievable.

MORPHEUS:

Faith is not a matter of

reasonability. I do not believe

things with my mind. I believe

them with my heart. In my gut.

NEO:

And you believe I'm the One?

MORPHEUS:

Yes I do.

NEO:

Yeah? What about the other five

guys? The five before me? What

about them?

Morpheus tries to hide his heart being wrenched from hischest.

NEO:

Did you believe in them too?

MORPHEUS:

I believed what the Oracle told

me... no, I misunderstood what she

told me. I believed that it was

all about me.

This is difficult for Morpheus to admit.

(CONTINUED)

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MORPHEUS:

I believed that all I had to do

was point my finger and anointwhoever I chose. I was wrong,

Neo. Terribly wrong. Not a dayor night passes that I do notthink of them. After the fifth, I

lost my way. I doubted everythingthe Oracle had said. I doubted

myself.

He looks up at Neo.

MORPHEUS:

And then I saw you, Neo, and myworld changed. You can call it

an epiphany, you can call itwhatever the hell you want.

It doesn't matter. It's not

about a word. It's about this.

So I can't explain it to you.

All I can do is believe, Neo,

believe that one day you willfeel what I felt and know what

I know; you are the sixth andthe last. You are the One.

His eyes blaze.

MORPHEUS:

Until that time all I am askingfrom you is for you to hold on towhatever respect you may have forme and trust me.

Neo feels a rush from Morpheus's intensity, theunadulterated confidence of a zealot.

All right.

NEO:

He reaches for the handle which turns without him even

touching it. A WOMAN wearing white opens the door.

Hello, Neo.

PRIESTESS (WOMAN)

You're right on time.

79 INT. ORACLE'S APARTMENT 79

It seems particularly normal.

PRIESTESS:

Make yourself at home, Morpheus.

(CONTINUED)

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MORPHEUS:

Thank you.

PRIESTESS:

Neo, come with me.

She leads Neo down another hall and into what appears tobe a family room.

There is another woman in white sitting on a couchwatching a soap opera. Scattered about the room are a

half dozen children. Some of them are playing, others aredeep in meditation. All of them exude a kind of Zen calm.

PRIESTESS:

These are the other Potentials.

You can wait here.

Neo watches a little girl levitate wooden alphabetblocks. Closer to him, a SKINNY BOY with a shaved head

holds a spoon which sways like a blade of grass.

In front of him is a pile of spoons bent and twisted intoknots. Neo crosses to him and sits. The boy smiles andhands Neo the spoon which is now perfectly straight.

SPOON BOY (SKINNY BOY)

Do not try to bend the spoon.

That is impossible. Instead, onlytry to realize the truth.

NEO:

What truth?

SPOON BOY:

That there is no spoon.

Neo nods, staring at the spoon.

NEO:

There is no spoon.

SPOON BOY:

Then you will see that it is notthe spoon that bends. It is onlyyourself.

The entire room is reflected inside the spoon and as Neostares into it, it slowly begins to bend until -

A hand touches his shoulder.

PRIESTESS:

The Oracle will see you now.

Spoon Boy smiles.

71.

80 INT. KITCHEN 80

An OLD WOMAN is huddled beside the oven, peering insidethrough a cracked door.

NEO:

Hello?

ORACLE (OLD WOMAN)

I know. You're Neo. Be right

with you.

NEO:

You're the Oracle?

ORACLE:

Bingo. Not quite what you were

expecting, right? I got to say I

love seeing you non-believers.

Always a pip. Almost done. Smell

good, don't they?

NEO:

Yeah.

ORACLE:

I'd ask you to sit down, but

you're not going to anyway. And

don't worry about the vase.

NEO:

What vase?

He turns to look around and his elbow knocks a VASE from

the table. It BREAKS against the linoleum floor.

ORACLE:

That vase.

NEO:

Sh*t, I'm sorry.

She pulls out a tray of chocolate chip cookies and turns.

She is an older woman, wearing big oven mitts,

comfortable slacks and a print blouse. She looks like

someone's grandma.

ORACLE:

I said don't worry about it. I'll

get one of my kids to fix it.

NEO:

How did you know...?

She sets the cookie tray on a wooden hot pad.

(CONTINUED)

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ORACLE:

What's really going to bake yournoodle later on is, would youstill have broken it if I hadn't

said anything.

Smiling, she lights a cigarette.

ORACLE:

You're cuter than I thought. I

see why she likes you.

NEO:

Who?

ORACLE:

Not too bright though.

She winks.

ORACLE:

You know why Morpheus brought youto see me?

He nods.

ORACLE:

So? What do you think? You think

you're the One?

NEO:

Honestly? I don't know.

She gestures to a wooden plaque, the kind every kitchenhas, except that the words are in Latin.

ORACLE:

You know what that means? It's

Latin. Means, 'Know Thyself.'

I'm gonna let you in on a little

secret. Being the One is justlike being in love. Nobody cantell you you're in love. You justknow it. Through and through.

Balls to bones.

She puts her cigarette down.

ORACLE:

Well, I better have a look at you.

Open your mouth. Say, 'ahh.'

She widens his eyes, checks his ears, then feels theglands in his neck. She nods, then looks at his palms.

(CONTINUED)

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ORACLE:

Okay, now I'm supposed to say,

'Hmmm, that's interesting but...'

Then you say -

NEO:

But what?

ORACLE:

But you already know what I'mgoing to tell you.

NEO:

I'm not the One.

ORACLE:

Sorry, kid. You got the gift butlooks like you're waiting forsomething.

NEO:

What?

ORACLE:

Your next life, maybe. Who knows?

That's how these things go.

Neo almost has to laugh.

ORACLE:

What's funny?

NEO:

Morpheus. He almost had me

convinced.

ORACLE:

I know. Poor Morpheus. Without

him we are lost.

NEO:

What do you mean, without him?

The Oracle takes a long drag, regarding Neo with the eyesof a Sphinx.

ORACLE:

Are you sure you want to hearthis?

Neo nods.

(CONTINUED)

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ORACLE:

Morpheus believes in you, Neo, and

no one, not you or even me canconvince him otherwise. He

believes it so blindly that he'sgoing to sacrifice his life to

save yours.

What?

NEO:

ORACLE:

You're going to have to make achoice. In one hand, you willhave Morpheus's life. In the

other hand, you will have your

own. One of you is going to die.

Which one, will be up to you.

Neo can't breathe.

ORACLE:

I'm sorry, kiddo. I really am.

You have a good soul and I hategiving good people bad news. But

don't worry, as soon as you walkoutside that door, you'll startfeeling better. You'll remember

that you don't believe any of thisfate crap. You're in control of

your own life, remember?

He tries to nod as she reaches for the tray of cookies.

ORACLE:

Here, take a cookie. I promise bythe time you're done eating it,

you'll feel right as rain.

Neo takes a cookie, the tightness in his chest slowlybeginning to fade.

81 INT. SITTING ROOM - DAY 81

Morpheus rises from a couch as the priestess escorts Neo

out. When they are alone, Morpheus puts his hand onNeo's shoulder.

MORPHEUS:

You don't have to tell anyone whatshe told you. What was said was

said for you and you alone.

Neo nods and takes a bite of his cookie.

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