FADE IN:

ON COMPUTER SCREEN

so close it has no boundaries.

A blinking cursor pulses in the electronic darkness like a

heart coursing with phosphorous light, burning beneath the

derma of black-neon glass.

A PHONE begins to RING, we hear it as though we were

making the call. The cursor continues to throb,

relentlessly patient, until --

MAN (V.O.)

Yeah?

Data now slashes across the screen, information flashing

faster than we can read: "Call trans opt: received.

2-19-96 13:24:18 REC:Log>."

WOMAN (V.O.)

Is everything in place?

The man is silent. On screen: "Trace program: running."

We listen to the phone conversation as though we were on a

third line. The man's name is Cypher. The woman,

Trinity.

TRINITY (WOMAN) (V.O.)

I said, is everything in place?

The entire screen fills with racing columns of numbers.

Shimmering like green-electric rivers, they rush at a 10-

digit phone number in the top corner.

CYPHER (MAN) (V.O.)

You weren't supposed to relieve me.

TRINITY (V.O.)

I know but I felt like taking a

shift.

The area code is identified. The first three numbers

suddenly fixed, leaving only seven flowing columns.

CYPHER (V.O.)

You like him, don't you? You like

watching him?

We begin MOVING TOWARD the screen, CLOSING IN as each

digit is matched, one by one, snapping into place like the

wheels of a slot machine.

TRINITY (V.O.)

Don't be ridiculous.

CYPHER (V.O.)

We're going to kill him. Do you

understand that? He's going to die

just like the others.

TRINITY (V.O.)

Morpheus believes he is the One.

Only two thin digits left.

CYPHER (V.O.)

Do you?

TRINITY (V.O.)

I... it doesn't matter what I

believe.

CYPHER (V.O.)

You don't, do you?

TRINITY (V.O.)

If you have something to say, I

suggest you say it to Morpheus.

CYPHER (V.O.)

I intend to, believe me. Someone

has to.

The final NUMBER POPS into place --

TRINITY (V.O.)

Did you hear that?

CYPHER (V.O.)

Hear what?

On screen: "Trace complete. Call origin: #312-555-0690."

TRINITY (V.O.)

Are you sure this line is clean?

CYPHER (V.O.)

Yeah, 'course I'm sure.

We MOVE, STILL CLOSING, the ELECTRIC HUM of the green

NUMBERS GROWING into an ominous ROAR.

TRINITY (V.O.)

I better go.

She hangs up as we PASS THROUGH the numbers, entering the

nether world of the computer screen.

Suddenly, a flashlight cuts open the darkness and we find

ourselves in --

INT. CHASE HOTEL - NIGHT

The hotel was abandoned after a fire licked its way across

the polyester carpeting, destroying several rooms as it

spooled soot up the walls and ceiling, leaving patterns of

permanent shadow.

We FOLLOW four armed POLICE OFFICERS using flashlights as

they creep down the blackened hall and ready themselves on

either side of Room 303.

The biggest of them violently kicks in the door --

The other cops pour in behind him, guns thrust before

them.

BIG COP

Police! Freeze!

The room is almost devoid of furniture. There is a fold-

up table and chair with a phone, a modem, and a Powerbook

computer. The only light in the room is the glow of the

computer.

Sitting there, her hands still on the keyboard, is

TRINITY; a woman in black leather.

BIG COP

Hands behind your head! Now! Do

it!

She slowly puts her hands behind her head.

EXT. CHASE HOTEL - NIGHT

A black sedan with tinted windows glides in through the

police cruisers.

AGENT SMITH and AGENT BROWN get out of the car.

They wear dark suits and sunglasses even at night. They

are also always hardwired; small Secret Service earphones

in one ear, the cord coiling back into their shirt

collars.

AGENT SMITH

Lieutenant?

LIEUTENANT

Oh shit.

AGENT SMITH

Lieutenant, you were given specific

orders --

LIEUTENANT

I'm just doing my job. You gimme

that Juris-my-dick-tion and you can

cram it up your ass.

AGENT SMITH

The orders were for your

protection.

The Lieutenant laughs.

LIEUTENANT

I think we can handle one little

girl.

Agent Smith nods to Agent Brown as they start toward the

hotel.

LIEUTENANT

I sent two units. They're bringing

her down now.

AGENT SMITH

No, Lieutenant, your men are already

dead.

INT. CHASE HOTEL

The Big Cop flicks out his cuffs, the other cops holding a

bead. They've done this a hundred times, they know

they've got her, until the Big Cop reaches with the cuffs

and Trinity moves --

It almost doesn't register, so smooth and fast, inhumanly

fast.

The eye blinks and Trinity's palm snaps up and his nose

explodes, blood erupting. Her leg kicks with the force of

a wrecking ball and he flies back, a two-hundred-fifty

pound sack of limp meat and bone that slams into the cop

farthest from her.

Trinity moves again, BULLETS RAKING the WALLS, flashlights

sweeping with panic as the remaining cops try to stop a

leather-clad ghost.

A GUN still in the cop's hand is snatched, twisted and

FIRED. There is a final violent exchange of GUNFIRE and

when it's over, Trinity is the only one standing.

A flashlight rocks slowly to a stop.

TRINITY

Shit.

EXT. CHASE HOTEL

Agent Brown enters the hotel while Agent Smith heads for

the alley.

INT. CHASE HOTEL

Trinity is on the phone, pacing. The other end is

answered.

MAN (V.O.)

Operator.

TRINITY

Morpheus! The line was traced! I

don't know how.

MORPHEUS (MAN) (V.O.)

I know. They cut the hardline.

This line is not a viable exit.

TRINITY

Are they any agent?

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

Yes.

TRINITY

Goddamnit!

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

You have to focus. There is a

phone. Wells and Lake. You can

make it.

She takes a deep breath, centering herself.

TRINITY

All right --

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

Go.

She drops the phone.

INT. HALL

She bursts out of the room as Agent Brown enters the hall,

leading another unit of police. Trinity races to the

opposite end, exiting through a broken window onto the

fire escape.

EXT. FIRE ESCAPE

In the alley below, Trinity sees Agent Smith staring at

her. She can only go up.

EXT. ROOF

On the roof, Trinity is running as Agent Brown rises over

the parapet, leading the cops in pursuit.

Trinity begins to jump from one roof to the next, her

movements so clean, gliding in and out of each jump,

contrasted to the wild jumps of the cops.

Agent Brown, however, has the same unnatural grace.

The metal SCREAM of an elevated TRAIN is heard and Trinity

turns to it, racing for the back of the building.

The edge falls away into a wide back alley. The next

building is over 40 feet away but Trinity's face is

perfectly calm, staring at some point beyond the other

roof.

The cops slow, realizing they are about to see something

ugly as Trinity drives at the edge, launching herself into

the air.

From above, the ground seems to flow beneath her as she

hangs in flight --

Then hitting, somersaulting up, still running hard.

COP

Mutherfucker -- that's impossible!

They stare, slack-jawed, as Agent Brown duplicates the

move exactly, landing, rolling over a shoulder up onto one

knee.

Just below the building are the RUMBLING TRACKS of riveted

steel. The TRAIN SCREECHES beneath her, a RATTLING blur

of gray metal. Trinity jumps, landing easily.

She looks back just as Agent Brown hurls through the air

barely reaching the last car --

Agent Brown stands, yanking out a gun.

Trinity is running hard as BULLETS WHISTLE past her head.

Ahead she sees her only chance, 50 feet beyond the point

where the train has begun to turn, there is --

A window; a yellow glow in the midst of a dark brick

building.

Trinity zeros in on it, running as hard as she can, her

speed compounded by the train. The SCREAM of the STEEL

rises as she nears the edge where the train rocks into the

turn.

Trinity hurtles into the empty night space, her body

leveling into a dive. She falls, arms covering her head

as --

HER POV

The whole world seems to spin on its axis --

BACK TO SCENE

And she crashes with an EXPLOSION of GLASS and WOOD, then

falls onto a back stairwell, tumbling, bouncing down

stairs bleeding, broken --

But still alive.

Through the smashed window, she glimpses Agent Brown,

still on the train, his tie and coat whipping in the wind;

stone-faced, he touches his ear piece as the train slides

him past the window.

Trinity tries to move. Everything hurts.

TRINITY

Get up, Trinity. You're fine. Get

up -- just get up!

She stands and limps down the rest of the stairs.

Trinity emerges from the shadows of an alley and, at the

end of the block, in a pool of white street light, she

sees it.

The telephone booth.

Obviously hurt, she starts down the concrete walk,

focusing in completely, her pace quickening, as the PHONE

begins to RING.

Across the street, a garbage truck suddenly turns U-turns,

its TIRES SCREAMING as it accelerates.

Trinity sees the headlights of the truck arcing at the

telephone booth as if taking aim.

Gritting through the pain, she races the truck --

Slamming into the booth, the headlights blindingly bright,

bearing down on the box of Plexiglas just as --

She answers the phone.

There is a frozen instant of silence before the hulking

mass of dark metal lurches up onto the sidewalk --

Barrelling through the booth, bulldozing it into a brick

wall, SMASHING it to PLEXIGLAS PULP.

After a moment, a black loafer steps down from the cab of

the garbage truck. Agent Smith inspects the wreckage.

There is no body. Trinity is gone.

His jaw sets as he grinds his molars in frustration.

AGENT JONES walks up behind him.

AGENT JONES

Then the informant is real.

AGENT SMITH

Does that surprise you? It was

inevitable.

AGENT JONES

He'll be contacting us again.

AGENT SMITH

Expect it. Did you get anything

from the room?

AGENT JONES

Their next target. The name is Neo.

The handset of the pay phone lays on the ground, separated

in the crash like a severed limb.

AGENT SMITH

We'll need a search running.

AGENT JONES

It's already begun.

We are SUCKED TOWARDS the mouthpiece of the phone, CLOSER

and CLOSER, until the smooth gray plastic spreads out like

a horizon and the small holes widen until we FALL THROUGH

one --

Swallowed by DARKNESS.

The DARKNESS BEGINS TO RIPPLE WITH BRIGHT FLASHES OF BONE

WHITE as we PULL OUT of the eye of a skull.

It is a computer screen saver; the Jolly Roger flutters

against an electronic wind.

We DRIFT BACK FROM the screen and INTO --

INT. NEO'S APARTMENT

It is a studio apartment that seems overgrown with

technology.

Weed-like cables coil everywhere, duct-taped into thickets

that wind up and around the legs of several desks.

Tabletops are filled with cannibalized equipment that lay

open like an autopsied corpse.

At the center of this technological rat-nest is NEO, a man

who knows more about living inside a computer than outside

one.

He is asleep in front of his PC. Behind him, the computer

screen suddenly goes blank. A prompt appears: "Wake up,

Neo."

Neo's eye pries open. He sits up, one eye still closed,

looking around, unsure of where he is. He notices the

screen.

He types "CTRL X" but the letter "T" appears.

NEO

What...?

He hits another and an "H" appears. He keeps typing,

pushing random functions and keys while the computer types

out a message as though it had a mind of its own.

He stops and stares at the four words on the screen:

"The Matrix has you."

NEO

What the hell?

He hits the "ESC" button. Another message appears:

"Follow the white rabbit."

He hits it again and the message repeats. He rubs his

eyes but when he opens them, there is another message:

"Knock, knock, Neo."

Someone KNOCKS on his door and he almost jumps out of his

chair. He looks back at the computer but the screen is

now blank.

Someone KNOCKS again. Neo rises, still unnerved.

NEO

Who is it?

CHOI (O.S.)

It's Choi.

Neo opens the door, leaving the chain on. A young Chinese

MAN stands with several of his friends.

NEO

You're two hours late.

CHOI

I know. It's her fault.

His GIRLFRIEND only has to smile.

NEO

You got the money?

CHOI

Two grand.

He takes out an envelope and gives it to Neo through the

cracked door.

NEO

Hold on.

He closes the door. On the floor near his bed is a book,

Baudrillard's Simulacra Simulations. The book has been

hollowed out and inside are several computer disks. He

takes one, sticks the money in the book and drops it on

the floor.

Opening the door, he hands the disk to Choi.

CHOI

Hallelujah! You are my savior, man!

My own personal Jesus Christ!

NEO

If you get caught using that --

CHOI

I know, I know. This never

happened. You don't exist.

NEO

Right...

Neo nods as the strange feeling of unrealness suddenly

returns.

CHOI

Something wrong, man? You look a

little whiter than usual.

NEO

I don't know... My computer...

He looks back at Choi, unable to explain what just

happened.

NEO

You ever have the feeling that

you're not sure if you're awake or

still dreaming?

CHOI

All the time. It's called mescaline

and it is the only way to fly.

He smiles and slaps the hand of his nearest droog.

CHOI

It sounds to me like you need to

unplug, man. A little R and R.

What do you think, Dujour, should we

take him with us?

DUJOUR (GIRLFRIEND)

Definitely.

NEO

I can't. I have to work tomorrow.

DUJOUR

Come on. It'll be fun. I promise.

He looks up at her and suddenly notices on her black

leather motorcycle jacket dozens of pins: bands, symbols,

slogans, military medals and --

A small white rabbit.

The ROOM TILTS.

NEO

Yeah, yeah. Sure, I'll go.

INT. APARTMENT

An older apartment; a series of halls connects a chain of

small high-ceilinged rooms lined with heavy casements.

Smoke hangs like a veil, blurring the few lights there

are.

Dressed predominantly in black, people are everywhere,

gathered in cliques around pieces of furniture like jungle

cats around a tree.

Neo stands against a wall, alone, sipping from a bottle of

beer, feeling completely out of place, he is about to

leave when he notices a woman staring at him.

The woman is Trinity. She walk straight up to him.

In the nearest room, shadow-like figures grind against

each other to the pneumatic beat of INDUSTRIAL MUSIC.

TRINITY

Hello, Neo.

NEO

How do you know that name?

TRINITY

I know a lot about you. I've been

wanting to meet you for some time.

NEO

Who are you?

TRINITY

My name is Trinity.

NEO

Trinity? The Trinity? The Trinity

that cracked the I.R.S. Kansas City

D-Base?

TRINITY

That was a long time ago.

NEO

Gee-zus.

TRINITY

What?

NEO

I just thought... you were a guy.

TRINITY

Most guys do.

Neo is a little embarrassed.

NEO

Do you want to go somewhere and

talk?

TRINITY

No. It's safe here and I don't have

much time.

The MUSIC is so LOUD they must stand very close, talking

directly into each other's ear.

NEO

That was you on my computer?

She nods.

NEO

How did you do that?

TRINITY

Right now, all I can tell you, is

that you are in danger. I brought

you here to warn you.

NEO

Of what?

TRINITY

They're watching you, Neo.

NEO

Who is?

TRINITY

Please. Just listen. I know why

you're here, Neo. I know why you

left your family and your friends,

why you left your home to come to

this city. You're looking for him.

Her body is against his; her lips very close to his ear.

TRINITY

I know because I came looking for

the same thing, but when he found me

he told me I wasn't really looking

for him. I was looking for an

answer.

There is a hypnotic quality to her voice and Neo feels the

words, like a drug, seeping into him.

TRINITY

It's the question that brought you

here. You know the question just as

I did. It is a hacker's question.

NEO

What is the Matrix?

TRINITY

When I asked him, he said that no

one could ever be told the answer to

that question. They have to see it

to believe it.

She leans close, her lips almost touching his ear.

TRINITY

The answer is out there, Neo. It's

looking for you and it will find

you, if you want it to.

She turns and he watches her melt into the shifting wall

of bodies.

A SOUND RISES steadily, growing out of the MUSIC, pressing

in on Neo until it is all he can hear as we --

CUT TO:

INT. NEO'S APARTMENT

The sound is an ALARM CLOCK, slowly dragging Neo to

consciousness. He strains to read the clock-face:

9:15 AM.

NEO

Shitshitshit.

EXT. SKYSCRAPER

The downtown office of CorTechs, a software development

company.

INT. CORTECHS OFFICE

The main offices are along each wall, the windows

overlooking downtown. RHINEHEART, the ultimate company

man, lectures Neo without looking at him, typing at his

computer continuously.

Neo stares at two window cleaners on a scaffolding

outside, dragging their rubber squeegees down the surface

of the glass.

RHINEHEART

You have a problem with authority,

Mr. Anderson. You believe that you

are special, that somehow the rules

do not apply to you.

He stops, glancing over his glasses at Neo who turns in

time.

RHINEHEART

Obviously, you are mistaken.

His long, bony fingers resume clicking the keyboard.

RHINEHEART

This company is one of the top

software companies in the world

because every single employee

understands that they are part of a

whole. Thus, if an employee has a

problem, the company has a problem.

He turns again.

RHINEHEART

The time has come to make a choice,

Mr. Anderson. Either you choose to

be at your desk on time from this

day forth, or you choose to find

yourself another job. Do I make

myself clear?

NEO

Yes, Mr. Rhineheart. Perfectly

clear.

INT. NEO'S CUBICLE

The entire floor looks like a human honeycomb, with a

labyrinth of cubicles structured around a core of

elevators.

Neo slumps down into his chair.

VOICE (O.S.)

Thomas Anderson?

Neo turns and finds a FEDERAL EXPRESS MAN at his cubicle

door.

NEO

Yeah. That's me.

Neo signs the electronic pad and the Fedex Man hands him

the softpak.

FEDEX MAN

Have a nice day.

He opens the bag. Inside is a cellular PHONE. It seems

the instant it is in his hand, it RINGS. Unnerved, he

flips it open.

NEO

Hello?

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

Hello, Neo. Do you know who this

is?

Neo's knees give and he sinks into his chair.

NEO

Morpheus...

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

I've been looking for you, Neo. I

don't know if you're ready to see

what I want to show you, but

unfortunately, we have run out of

time. They're coming for you, Neo.

And I'm not sure what they're going

to do.

NEO

Who's coming for me?

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

Stand up and see for yourself.

NEO

Right now?

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

Yes. Now.

Neo starts to stand.

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

Do it slowly. The elevator.

His head peeks up over the partition.

At the elevator, he sees Agent Brown and Agent Jones

leading a group of cops. A female employee turns and

points out Neo's cubicle.

Neo ducks.

NEO

Holy fucking shit!

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

Yes.

One cop stays at the elevator, the others follow the

agents.

NEO

What the fuck do they want with me?!

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

I'm not sure, but if you don't want

to find out, you better get out of

there.

NEO

How?!

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

I can guide you out, but you have to

do exactly what I say.

The agents are moving quickly towards the cubicle.

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

The cubicle across from you is

empty.

NEO

But what if...?

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

Go! Now!

Neo lunges across the hall, diving into the other cubicle

just as the agents turn into his row.

Neo crams himself into a dark corner, clutching the phone

tightly to him.

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

Stay here for a moment.

The agents enter Neo's empty cubicle. A cop is sent to

search the bathroom.

Morpheus' voice is a whisper in Neo's ear.

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

A little longer...

Brown is talking to another employee.

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

When I tell you, go to the end of

the row to the first office on the

left, stay as low as you can.

Sweat trickles down his forehead.

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

Now.

Neo rolls out of the cubicle, his eyes popping as he

freezes right behind a cop who has just turned around.

Staying crouched, he sneaks away down the row, shooting

across the opening to the first office on the left.

The room is empty.

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

Good. Now there is a window. Open

it.

NEO

How do you know all this?

Morpheus laughs quietly.

MORPHEUS

The answer is coming, Neo.

He opens the window. The WIND HOWLS into the room.

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

Outside, there's a scaffold. You

can use it to get to the roof.

Leaning out the window, he sees that the scaffold is

several offices away.

NEO

No! It's too far away.

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

There's a small ledge. It's a short

climb. You can make it.

Neo looks down; the building's glass wall vertigoes into a

concrete chasm.

NEO

No way, no way, this is crazy.

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

There are only two ways out of this

building. One is that scaffold.

The other is in their custody. You

take a chance either way. I leave

it to you.

CLICK. He hangs up. Neo looks at the door, then back at

the scaffold.

NEO

This is insane! Why is this

happening to me? What did I do?

I'm nobody. I didn't do anything.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

He climbs up onto the window ledge. Hanging onto the

frame, he steps onto the small ledge.

The scaffold seems even farther away.

NEO

I'm going to die.

The WIND suddenly BLASTS up the face of the building,

knocking Neo off balance. Recoiling, he clings harder to

the frame, and the phone falls out of his hand.

He watches as it is swallowed by the distance beneath him.

NEO

This is insane! I can't do this!

Forget it!

He climbs back into the office just as a cop opens the

door.

NEO

I didn't do anything!

EXT. SKYSCRAPER

The agents lead a handcuffed Neo out of the revolving

doors, forcing his head down as they push him into the

dark sedan.

Trinity watches in the rear view mirror of her motorcycle.

TRINITY

Shit.

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM

CLOSE ON a camera monitor; wide angle view of a white room

where Neo is sitting at a table alone.

We MOVE INTO the monitor, entering the room as if the

monitor was a window.

At the same moment, the door opens and the agents enter.

Agent Smith sits down across from Neo. A thick manila

envelope slaps down on the table between them.

Neo glances at the name on the file: "Anderson, Thomas A."

AGENT SMITH

As you can see, we've had our eye on

you for some time now, Mr. Anderson.

He opens the file. Paper rattle marks the silence as he

flips several pages. Neo cannot tell if he is looking at

the file or at him.

AGENT SMITH

It seems that you have been living

two lives. In one life, you are

Thomas A. Anderson, program writer

for a respectable software company.

You have a social security number,

you pay your taxes and you help your

landlady carry out her garbage.

The pages continue to turn.

AGENT SMITH

The other life is lived in computers

where you go by the hacker alias

Neo, and are guilty of virtually

every computer crime we have a law

for.

Neo feels himself sinking into a pit of shit.

AGENT SMITH

One of these lives has a future.

One of them does not.

He closes the file.

AGENT SMITH

I'm going to be as forthcoming as I

can be, Mr. Anderson. You are here

because we need your help.

He removes his sunglasses, his eyes are unnatural ice-

blue.

AGENT SMITH

We know that you have been contacted

by a certain individual. A man who

calls himself Morpheus. Whatever

you think you know about this man is

irrelevant to the fact that he is

wanted for acts of terrorism in more

countries than any other man in the

world. He is considered by many

authorities to be the most dangerous

man alive.

He leans closer.

AGENT SMITH

My colleagues believe that I am

wasting my time with you but I

believe you want to do the right

thing. It is obvious that you are

an intelligent man, Mr. Anderson,

and that you are interested in the

future. That is why I believe you

are ready to put your past mistakes

behind you and get on with your

life.

Neo stares to match his stare.

AGENT SMITH

We are willing to wipe the slate

clean, to give you a fresh start and

all we are asking in return is your

cooperation in bringing a known

terrorist to justice.

Neo nods to himself.

NEO

Yeah. Wow. That sounds like a real

good deal. But I think I have a

better one. How about I give you

the finger --

He does.

NEO

And you can cram that file up your

Secret Service sphincter.

Agent Smith puts his glasses back on.

AGENT SMITH

You disappoint me, Mr. Anderson.

NEO

You can't scare me with Gestapo

crap. I know my rights. I want my

phone call!

Agent Smith smiles.

AGENT SMITH

And tell me, Mr. Anderson, what good

is a phone call if you are unable to

speak?

The question unnerves Neo and strangely he begins to feel

the muscles in his jaw tighten.

The standing agents snicker, watching Neo's confusion grow

into panic.

Neo feels his lips grow soft and sticky as they slowly

seal shut, melding into each other until all traces of his

mouth are gone.

Wild with fear, he lunges for the door but the agents

restrain him, holding him in the chair.

AGENT SMITH

You are going to help us, Mr.

Anderson, whether you want to or

not.

Smith nods and the other two rip open his shirt.

From a case taken out of his suit coat, Smith removes a

long, fiber-optic wire tap.

Neo struggles helplessly as Smith dangles the wire over

his exposed abdomen. Horrified, he watches as the

electronic device animates, becoming an organic creature

that resembles a hybrid of an insect and a fluke worm.

Thin, whisker-like tendrils reach out and probe into Neo's

navel. He bucks wildly as Smith drops the creature which

looks for a moment like an uncut umbilical cord --

-- before it begins to borrow, its tall thrashing as it

worms its way inside.

INT. NEO'S APARTMENT

Screaming, Neo bolts upright in bed.

He realizes that he is home. Was it a dream? His mouth

is normal. His stomach looks fine. He starts to take a

deep, everything-is-okay breath when --

The PHONE RINGS.

It almost stops his heart. It continues RINGING, building

pressure in the room, forcing him up out of bed, sucking

him in with an almost gravitational force.

He answers it, saying nothing.

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

This line is tapped so I must be

brief.

NEO

The agents --

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

They got to you first, but they've

underestimated how important you

are. If they knew what I know, you

would probably be dead.

NEO

What do you know?

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

You're the One, Neo. You see, you

may have spent the last few years

looking for me, but I've spent most

of my life looking for you.

Neo feels sick.

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

Do you still want to meet?

NEO

... Yes.

MORPHEUS (V.O.)

Go the the Adams Street bridge.

CLICK. He closes his eyes, unsure of what he has done.

EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT

It is just beyond the middle of the night; that time when

it seems there are no rules and everything feels unsafe.

Neo's boots scrape against the concrete. Every pair of

eyes he passes seems to follow him.

As he reaches the bridge, headlights creep in behind him.

He turns just as the car slides quickly to a stop beside

him. The back door opens.

TRINITY

Get in.

INT. CAR

A large black man named APOC is driving. Beside him is a

beautiful androgyne called SWITCH, aiming a large gun at

Neo.

NEO

What the hell is this?!

TRINITY

It's necessary, Neo. For our

protection.

NEO

From what?

TRINITY

From you.

She lifts a strange steel and glass device that looks like

a cross between a rib separator, speculum and air

compressor.

SWITCH

Take off your shirt.

He looks at the strange device and the gun still trained

on him.

NEO

What? Why?

SWITCH

Stop the car.

Apoc does.

SWITCH

Listen to me, coppertop! We don't

have time for 'twenty questions.'

Right now there is only one rule.

Our way or the highway.

NEO

Fine.

TRINITY

No, we can't let him go --

Neo opens the door.

TRINITY

Neo, please, you have to trust me.

NEO

Why?

TRINITY

Because you've been down there, Neo.

You already know that road. You

know exactly where it ends.

Neo stares out into the dark street beyond the open door.

TRINITY

And I know that's not where you want

to be.

NEO

... shit.

He closes the door.

EXT. LOWER WACKER

A moment later the green lights of Lower Wacker curve over

the car's tinted windshield as it rushes through the

underworld.

INT. CAR

Neo grudgingly strips off his T-shirt.

TRINITY

Lie back.

Trinity sets the device over Neo's stomach its three

corners resting on the points of his pelvis and sternum.

She then guides a mounted cylindrical probe into his navel

and squeezes a hand pump a few times to form a tight seal.

NEO

What is this thing?

TRINITY

We think you're bugged. Try to

relax.

She turns a dial and the machine bears down on Neo's

midsection, the cylinder sucking hard at his stomach.

Neo screams, squinting in pain as Trinity watches the

needle on a pressure gauge climb steadily.

TRINITY

Come on, come on...

The machine quivers as the pressure builds higher and

higher until something finally rockets wetly out of Neo's

stomach through the machine's coils.

TRINITY

Got it.

Trinity shuts off the compressor, Neo cradling his

stomach.

NEO

Got what? My spleen?

Trinity lifts a glass cage at the end of the tubing.

Inside the small fluke-like bug flips and squirms, its

tendrils flapping against the clear walls.

She unrolls the window and dumps it out.

EXT. CAR

It hits the pavement with a metallic tink, reverted back

into a common wire tap, as the car disappears down the

street.

EXT. HOTEL LAFAYETTE

The car stops in a deserted alley behind a forgotten

hotel.

INT. LAFAYETTE

It is a place of putrefying elegance, a rotting host of

urban maggotry.

Trinity leads Neo from the stairwell down the hall of the

thirteenth floor. They stop outside room 1313.

TRINITY

This is it.

Neo can hear his own heart pounding.

TRINITY

Let me give one piece of advice. Be

honest. He knows more than you can

possibly imagine.

INT. ROOM 1313

Across the room, a DARK FIGURE stares out the tall windows

veiled with decaying lace. He turns and his smile lights

up the room

MORPHEUS

At last.

He wears a long black coat and his eyes are invisible

behind circular mirrored glasses.

He strides to Neo and they shake hands.

MORPHEUS

Welcome, Neo. As you no doubt have

guessed, I am Morpheus.

NEO

It's an honor.

MORPHEUS

Please. Come. Sit.

He nods to Trinity.

MORPHEUS

Thank you, Trinity.

She bows her head sharply and exits through a door to an

adjacent room.

They sit across from one another in cracked, burgundy-

leather chairs.

MORPHEUS

I imagine, right now, you must be

feeling a bit like Alice, tumbling

down the rabbit hole?

NEO

You could say that.

MORPHEUS

I can see it in your eyes. You have

the look of a man who accepts what

he sees because he is expecting to

wake up.

A smile, razor-thin, curls the corner of his lips.

MORPHEUS

Ironically, this is not far from the

truth. But I'm getting ahead of

myself. Can you tell me, Neo, why

are you here?

NEO

You're Morpheus, you're a legend.

Most hackers would die to meet you.

MORPHEUS

Yes. Thank you. But I think we

both know there's more to it than

that. Do you believe in fate, Neo?

NEO

No.

MORPHEUS

Why not?

NEO

Because I don't like the idea that

I'm not in control of my life.

MORPHEUS

I know exactly what you mean.

Again, that smile that could cut glass.

MORPHEUS

Let me tell you why you are here.

You have come because you know

something. What you know you can't

explain but you feel it. You've

felt it your whole life, felt that

something is wrong with the world.

You don't know what, but it's there

like a splinter in your mind,

driving you mad. It is this feeling

that brought you to me. Do you know

what I'm talking about?

NEO

The Matrix?

MORPHEUS

Do you want to know what it is?

Neo swallows hard and nods.

MORPHEUS

The Matrix is everywhere, it's all

around us, here even in this room.

You can see it out your window or on

your television. You feel it when

you go to work, or go to church or

pay your taxes. It is the world

that has been pulled over your eyes

to blind you from the truth.

NEO

What truth?

MORPHEUS

That you are a slave, Neo. Like

everyone else, you were born into

bondage, kept inside a prison that

you cannot smell, taste, or touch.

A prison for your mind.

The LEATHER CREAKS as he leans back.

MORPHEUS

Unfortunately, no one can be told

what the Matrix is. You have to see

it for yourself.

Morpheus opens his hands. In the right is a red pill. In

the left, a blue pill.

MORPHEUS

This is your last chance. After

this, there is no going back. You

take the blue pill and the story

ends. You wake in your bed and you

believe whatever you want to

believe.

The pills in his open hands are reflected in the glasses.

MORPHEUS

You take the red pill and you stay

in Wonderland and I show you how

deep the rabbit hole goes.

Neo feels the smooth skin of the capsules, the moisture

growing in his palms.

MORPHEUS

Remember that all I am offering is

the truth. Nothing more.

Neo opens his mouth and swallows the red pill. The

Cheshire smile returns.

MORPHEUS

Follow me.

He leads Neo into the other room, which is cramped with

high-tech equipment, glowing ash-blue and electric green

from the racks of monitors.

Trinity, Apoc and Cypher look up as they enter.

MORPHEUS

Apoc, are we on-line?

APOC

Almost.

He and Trinity are working quickly, hard-wiring a complex

system of monitors, modules and drives.

MORPHEUS

Neo, time is always against us.

Will you take a seat there?

Neo sits in a chair in the center of the room and Trinity

begins gently fixing white electrode disks to his head,

arms, and the back of his neck. Near the chair is an old

oval dressing mirror that is cracked.

He whispers to Trinity:

NEO

You did all this?

She nods, placing a set of headphones over his ears. They

are wired to an old hotel phone.

MORPHEUS

The pill you took is part of a trace

program. It's designed to disrupt

your input/output carrier signal so

we can pinpoint your location.

NEO

What does that mean?

CYPHER

It means buckle