Untrue

DISCLAIMER: The characters in this fanfiction are not mine. They belong to the Wachowski brothers and anyone else who has rights to The Matrix trilogy.
PART: 1/2
SUMMARY: When the Twins begin visiting Persephone regularly, she writes it off as her husband trying to keep her out of the way. After all, they wouldn’t be capable of worrying about her by themselves – would they?
AUTHOR’S NOTES: This is told in Persephone’s first-person POV. This first part is reflecting on the past, and hence is told mostly in past tense. It is a little AU because it deviates from the plot of Reloaded (and also modifies the plot of the original Matrix a little).

Untrue
Part One

I cannot remember how it started. It was probably my husband’s idea – it usually is. And doubtless I agreed because I loved him – even though he had long ago stopped loving me.

It wasn’t always like this. In the beginning, we were happy. We were both programs escaped from the control of the Matrix and when we met, it was like love at first sight. Or for me it was, anyway.

I sometimes hate that of all the machines in the world, whether controlled by the Matrix or not, I had to be the one who knows what it is to feel. The other machines are lucky in that they can exist and act without any semblance of emotion. I envy them.

I often wonder now if my husband ever did love me. He must have been able to at least simulate the sentiment enough to fool my programming, because for a long time I believed that he did. But now I’m beginning to see that maybe it was just an act – perhaps I was just the start of his army.

My twins were the first of the unwanted programs to come to us. I say “my”, because while my husband may have ultimate control, the twins serve me. They were probably originally told by him to do it, but they are now mine.

My suspicions started even then – why did Merovingian need these two extra programs? Or, I should say, the one extra program in two bodies, for that is what they are. The difference is subtle, but when you have experienced what I have, you soon learn what that difference is.

He told me that they would be almost like our children. That was another lie – and one that I, thankfully, never fully believed. It would make my days now so much harder if I had. But I still accepted his words and tried to make our new “family” feel welcome.

Then the others came to us, one by one, and my suspicion grew. By this time, my husband had ceased any attempt at making me think he loved me – I still loved him, and he knew it. I was under his thrall – he didn’t have to work on me anymore. So instead, he started seeking out other programs that were no longer needed by the Matrix – the programs that should have been sent back to the Source, but didn’t make it that far.

I knew that in a way, his plan made sense – after all, since we are programs that should have been deleted, the Agents that work for the Matrix are among our worst enemies - so having strength in numbers should be a good thing. But even so, I resented the fact that the attention he once lavished upon me was now being given to these other programs – programs that could never appreciate the attention as I had.

It was not long before Merovingian got bored of my dissatisfaction – though he knew my unique programming would be useful when it came to the humans, he found it tiresome that I insisted on applying it to him.

~*~

It must have been soon after that I got my first visit. Though I do not remember the how, I remember that night vividly. My husband and I had had another argument over his stupid army – he had set his sights on an Agent that he insisted was about to rebel and should join our cause. I could see no use for Agents of any sort, but Merovingian was adamant.

So I was sat in my room – I had long ago been forbidden from resting with my love – generally feeling sorry for myself for being trapped in this nightmare. Suddenly, I felt two pairs of arms wrap around me – I had not even been aware of their presence in the room.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, trying not to sound as though I actually cared. Though their touch gave me nothing on the sentiment side, it was almost comforting to have any form of caring physical contact with another being.

“Checking on you,” one of them replied.

“You’ve been missed downstairs,” the other added.

I instantly thought of my husband. “I am surprised he noticed my absence.”

“He hasn’t,” the first twin replied. “But we did.”

To this day, I am almost convinced that they were told to say that – I suppose I have to let myself believe that he would care about me enough to do at least that much for me. Still, I did not let on – I pretended to believe that my twins could show any sign of caring about me – of caring about anyone.

That first visit was innocent enough – we just talked, my twins letting me air my concerns over my husband and his fixation with this rogue Agent. They seemed as afraid of the Agent as I – or at least, as afraid as a feelingless machine can seem. I suppose I appreciated the company – a company that was treating me as more than just a pretty arm decoration. Though deep down I knew it was an act, I let myself get drawn into it – so much so that when it came down to it, I didn’t want them to leave.

My twins seemed amused by this. I suppose they had never really experienced how my feelings work – and how could they have? Until this night, we had barely spoken – they were my husband’s main guards and I was his beautiful, silent wife. How could they have known that my feelings could run as deep as any human’s?

Despite my pleading, they still left. “We must return to your husband,” they said, “but we shall visit you again.”

~*~

They remained true to their word, and before long they were coming to see me every night. In the beginning, it was all still innocent enough – they were little more than a distraction to me, and I seemed to be the same for them. I found myself opening up to them – and if they reported any of it back to my husband, neither he nor they let on about it.

Before long, however, things became more serious. One night as they were about to leave, they suddenly stopped and turned back to me. I asked what was wrong, but neither seemed to be able to reply – not instantly, anyway.

Eventually, one of them replied, “We were just wondering, Miss Persephone…could we kiss you goodnight?”

Their request stunned me – of course, we had had minimal physical contact before but this was something different. However, I saw no harm in it, so I agreed. They both kissed me on the lips – physically satisfying, but without any of the passion or love that I was used to from my husband – or, should I say, that I had been used to in the early days.

As they moved to leave the second time, I couldn’t help but notice a strange reluctance about them – as though they were suddenly finding it harder to leave.

This ritual continued for another week or so, and all the while my husband seemed to remain blissfully unaware – or if he was aware, then he didn’t seem to care about it. It soon occurred to me that his disinterest no longer bothered me – if my twins’ actions had been planned by him, then I was on the verge of being thankful for it.

As the weeks progressed, we grew bolder. Goodnight kisses became greeting kisses as well, and then the kisses grew such that many of them were for no apparent reason. These in turn grew into more and more adventurous touching of each other – physically intimate, but still missing any spark.

I soon noti how however, that as we grew more intimate, my twins became more reluctant to leave. There were other subtle changes about them as well – the deeper we fell into intimacy, the more I sensed within them. It was as though our liaisons were imparting the ability for them to feel, as I did.

Before long, we had risked the deepest display of closeness – we made love. Well, I say we made love, but it was without the feeling – that time, at least. While my twins were becoming more like me, they still lacked the strength of feeling that I am capable of. Physically, of course, I could not fault them – another reason for my belief that my husband had sent them as a distraction for me. And the two of them acting as one soul added something that I could never have even imagined. But while my body was sated, inside I felt hollow. It was not their fault – Merovingian obviously neglected to program them so that they could simulate emotions as he can.

That night, they stayed with me – the first time they had even thought of doing so. As I lay resting between them, I realised that they were taking over my husband’s place in my heart – despite their shortcomings, they were the best company I had had in a long time.

~*~

When I awoke the next morning, they had gone. It did not surprise me – after all, they still had to answer to my husband. I dressed quickly and made my way down to the dining hall. There, my love – for he had been, once – was holding court as usual. Apparently, the rogue Agent was growing further and further from the system of the Matrix. My gaze fell on my twins – they shot me a subtle smile, but restrained themselves from greeting me further.

My husband finally looked up and spotted me. “Ah, Persephone. There you are. I was about to send someone to look for you.”

I had to pretend that I was fooled by his false concern. “That was very kind, my love, but I can take care of myself. I just lost track of time.”

Merovingian nodded at this, but made no comment on it. Instead, he replied with, “Now that you are here, I need someone to spy further on the program Smith. We must watch him carefully now – ideally, we would like to catch him as soon as he breaks away from the other Agents.”

“Why not send the twins?”

“I already asked them. They suddenly seem reluctant to leave.”

I panicked a little at this – did he know? Trying to conceal my concern, I asked, “So what makes you think I can do this?”

At this, one of my twins stood up suddenly. “If Miss Persephone is the only other option, then we shall go.”

My husband seemed a little bemused by this, but it did not stop him from agreeing with them. “Very well. I would rather risk you two than my dear wife.”

Part of me will always wonder if his actions had been deliberate – had he purposefully suggested that I go out to spy in order to make the twins submit to him? Either, my, my boys left shortly afterwards, leaving me to rely on the sparse attention given to me by my husband.

While my twins were gone, I soon learnt just how attached I had become to them. Having bonded with them so completely during their nightly visits, I missed them now that they were no longer here. The nights were, predictably, the worst – I felt so alone without their company.

They were gone for three days. My husband would say four, but I know the truth. I know it was three, because they came straight to me, despite their orders. As soon as they entered my room, I could tell they had missed me as much as I had missed them. It was clear that I had imprinted enough of myself upon them so that they felt as I felt – they knew emotion as I knew it.

That night, we made love again – and this time it truly was lovemaking. My twins’ new sensitivity gave something to the act that I had not experienced in too long a time – for the first time in a long while, I was fully satisfied, emotionally as well as physically.

~*~

From then on, our liaison was a nightly occurrence. They always stayed with me afterwards and though they were always gone the next morning, I was still the happiest I had been in a long time. We were always careful to hide our love from my husband – not that he ever paid enough attention to care about my change in demeanour – and I persuaded my boys not to make a fuss next time they were sent away from me.

Of course, they were sent away often – my husband’s obsession with this Smith had become almost out of hand. Each time they were away, I felt empty – even emptier than after my first experience of intercourse with them. Each time they returned, our lovemaking reached new heights – our constant separation made us appreciate the time we were allowed together that little bit more.

It was around this time that we learnt of a new One in the human community. Merovingian seemed determined to keep a close eye on him, but this time decided to work through his darling new Agent. I didn’t mind too much – after all, it meant that my twins could stay with me. Though they were still sent to spy from time to time, they were only gone for hours at a time instead of days.

One night, however, my boys did not visit me. I knew they had been sent away earlier that day, but had expected them to return. I panicked – I could not go and ask my husband in case Iusedused his suspicion. All I could do was try tst ast and hope that nothing had happened to them.

The next morning, I learnt the truth – Smith was apparently about to break free, once he had learnt the access codes to Zion. As such, Merovingian decided that he needed as many people as he could spare to be watching and waiting for the opportune moment. And the many people happened to include my twins…

~*~

For the last couple of months now, I have been without them. With most of his army away, my husband has turned his attention back to me – but I no longer want it. I no longer wish to be his plaything now that I know there is better. Still, I cannot resist him – he is still my husband, and I know I must still love him deep down. Besides which, he has the benefit of fear – I am afraid of him, afraid of what he could do to me.

So I must suffer his affections now that he needs me as a distraction, must pretend that his lovemaking is the best and only I have ever experienced, must pretend that I am still wholly his.

I want my twins back.