The Matrix Reloaded

Written by Andy and Larry Wachowski

April 8, 1999

Dark clouds below the inky remnants of the scorched sky. We hearwind as we sail, like a glider, over the black atmosphere.

We DIVE DOWN into the murkiness, through the clouds, into thedarker world ofthe deadsurface ofEarth, thedesert ofthe real.The rotted skeleton of a massive city is sprawled everywhere. Weapproach a fissure in the Earth's crust, and as we do, we hear theincreasing buzz of multiple hovercraftengines. Blue flashes growinintensity from the fissure. Radio voices,indistinct at first, grow louderas we approach the fissure.

WOMAN (V.O.)

"Six o'clock, 300 meters. We can't outrun 'em."

MAN (V.O.)

"I know. Can't tow this crate fast enough! We gotta ditch it!"

We hear the voices as though we're listening to cops through apolice scanner. The woman is NIOBE, the captain of the lead ship, Sephora.

NIOBE (V.O.)

"Can't, the core is still good. And they've got 'The One.'"

MAN (V.O.)

"Oooh, our savior. He�d better be worth it."

NIOBE (V.O.)

"Shut up and make the exit. Hold on!"

The azure glowfrom thefissureis suddenly overwhelming.Atight convoyofthreeHOVERCRAFTexplodefromthefissure,traveling nearly straight up, like atrio of massive locomotives flyinginto the sky in tight formation,linked together by tow cables.Theblue glow hasbeen emanatingfromtheoverworked flaredrives ofthe first and third hovercrafts.Between them, suspended bytowcables, is the dark, scorched,and sliced NEBACHANEZZER. Theyrocket upward, slowing as they reach the top of the arc.

NIOBE (V.O.)

"Woo-hoooh!"

The rush to the ground, pulling up at the last second. The NEBflails wildly between them.

MAN (V.O.)

"They're still on us!"

More vehicles fly from the fissure. A massive army of SQUIDDIESpours up onto the surface.

INT. NEBACHANEZZER COCKPIT

The NEB is slung between the two HOVERCRAFT, with the cockpitfacing backwards.TRINITY,MORPHEUS,TANK,andNEO,theformerThomas Anderson, crowd the cockpit. Helpless, the landscape speeds awayfrom them, while a wall of red-eyed SQUIDDIES speeds to them.

It's been a mere TWO DAYSsince the realization of NEO�S POWERSand the defeat of AGENT SMITH. The slipstream whistles violently intothe interiorof theship, andthe crewis cold,tired, haggard,and stressed beyondbelief asthey canonly watchthe action intheir knocked-out ship.

MORPHEUS is on a headset.

MORPHEUS

"Niobe, they�re closing."

NIOBE

"How many?"

MORPHEUS

"Just a few. Maybe two or three. Hundred."

INT. SEPHORA COCKPIT

NIOBE, as regal as she is beautiful, sits at the controls of hership with her co-pilot, a younger female. All visible dials are redlined as they streak over the dark surface.

NIOBE

"You�ve got a gift for understatement."

INT. FREEDOM COCKPIT

THEFREEDOM�S CAPTAIN,a silhouettein adark cockpit,is flying blind. His cockpit is awash in the blue flares from NIOBE�S ship.

His lieutenant, a shadowy female figure, reaches for the radar screen. As she does, we see herbare shoulder fall into view, aWHITE RABBIT tattoo is conspicuous.

They switch their screens to the radar, squiddies right on their ass.

MAN

"Oh shit, we�re screwed. We gotta set down and EMP �em."

NIOBE (V.O.)

"Too many!"

EXT. FREEDOM HULL

A racing SQUIDDIESreaches the hulland latches on,striking up its cutting laser and ripping into the hull.

INT. SEPHORA COCKPIT

MAN (V.O.)

"They�re on me! Shit! Losing power!"

NIOBE�S Lieutenant, a muscular Asian woman, Circa, notes somethingon a console.

CIRCA

"Multiple bogies closing!"

NIOBE

"No shit."

CIRCA

"From the front!"

Niobe is grim faced as she peers into the sky ahead. Severalobjects are closing in fast.

CIRCA

"Are they - "

She doesn't have time to finish the question, as the oncoming fighters launch a massivevolley of missiles.From afar, theylook like dark irisessurrounded bya coronaof flame.At first,we can'ttell exactly what theyare, until theirfiery trails ripstraight at the SEPHORA cockpit.

CIRCA DUCKS as the missiles harmlessly streak by.

INT. NEB COCKPIT

A massiveswarm offmissiles blastsby thecockpit. The individual warheadsswerveatthe lastsecond,blowingSQUIDDIES apart,or casting them to the ground aflame.

INT. SEPHORA COCKPIT

Niobe breathes a sigh of relief. Her lieutenant looks back up to see a wing of HOVER FIGHTERS - 'DEFENDERS' fly past their ship. Sleek,with huge blue flares from their engines, they're gunship fighters armed to the teeth with missiles and laser turrets studding the fuselage.

NIOBE

"They're ours."

DEFENDER ONE (V.O.)

"Hold on, folks, you're in for a little cleaning."

EXT. THE SURFACE

The wingof DEFENDERSmakes shortwork ofthe squiddies.The half dozen clinging to FREEDOM'S hullare picked off by well-placedlaser shotsthatturnthesquiddies intocurdlingballsofslag. The squiddies that survive turn tail and run.

INT. NEB COCKPIT

The crew of the Neb breathe a collective sigh of relief as theyleave the scene of aerial carnage behind them.

NEO has been gripping an oh-shit handle on the edge of the cockpit. He relaxes his grip as their escape is clear. Their ship suddenlyenters a cave, and startsto descend. The bluewash of the shipshows rock walls and pipes. The ships are slowing down as they descend backinto the earth.

TANK'S shoulders drop, and he leans back into his chair.

TANK

"We're home."

TRINITY

"Well, not yet, but we're in the defense screen."

NEO

"What's that?"

MORPHEUS

"A concentric ring of defenses that shields Zion. The fighters that just saved us constitute the first ring."

NIOBE (V.O.)

"Neb crew, you can relax now."

MORPHEUS

"For the moment, perhaps. Its still a long drive home."

FADE OUT

and

TRINITY'SCABIN.Atfirstweseeonlystarstwinkling, faraway diamonds on a black velvet background. The camera descends through the darkness, to a sunset, dark blue, as if just after sunset. The artwork terminates in the metal ring goingaround her room. It's a muchmore hospitable place than the rest of the dreary hovercraft. Thearticles she's collected duringher time inthe resistance dotthe cabin. An unfinished sweatshirt sits on a loom. There are charcoal portraitsof loved ones.

Softly lit, the cabin sways slightly. The NEB is still in tow. NEOis sitting against the wall on Trin's bed, with her curled up besidehim with her head on his lap.

Neo can�t sleep. He stares at the wall opposite him. There's aphoto of the crew of the NEB, sans Trin, in better days. Smiling,laughing as they areseated around thetable. Morpeus, Tank,Dozer,Switch, Epoch, Mouse. Neo stops on the image of a smiling CYPHER. There'san unknown Asian man in the photo, looking withdrawn and a bit lonely.

Gently,placingTrinity's headdown,NEO standsandexamines the photo.

She awakens.

TRINITY

"I'll have to take that one down now. Cypher..."

NEO

"Who is this guy?"

TRINITY

"Who?"

NEO points to the mystery man.

TRINITY

"That was... I... forgot his name."

NEO

"What happened to him?"

TRINITY is sullen.

"He didn�t make it."

NEO returns to the bed and sits down, disturbed. Trinity sits up, awakening.

NEO

"Was he like me?"

TRINITY nods.

TRINITY

"Not you, though. Like you. There have been others, Neo."

"Aren't you tired?"

NEO

"No. I've never been a big sleeper."

TRINITY

"I know. I used to watch you hacking without sleeping for days."

He turns to her, questions in his eyes.

NEO

"How many 'ones' have there been?"

TRINITY

"That's not the point."

NEO may not think so.

TRINITY

"You are him. You�re mine."

NEO

"But what does it mean, to be The One?"

TRINITY

"I don't know, Neo. Our mission was to find you."

NEO

"So, now what?"

TRINITY

"Now, Zion will give us a new mission."

The hatch swings open. MORPHEUS peers in.

MORPHEUS

"We're almost home. We'll need a detail. Five minutes."

HE closes the hatch and disappears.

NEO

"Does he ever knock?"

TRINITY

"Not on his ship."

INT. MAIN DECK, NEB

The crew grips the bulkhead and fixtures as the swaying ship comesto a rest. Outside, the sounds of hover engines fade away. Tankunlocks the main hatch, then jumps as it drops, unpowered, slamming intothe tarmac with a resounding smash.

EXT. ZION TARMAC

The tarmacis abusy, crowdedmilitary airport,with hovercraft of differentsizesspreadacrossthelot.Itshousedpoorlylit, houses in a cave so hugethe ceiling is out of site.Crewpersons run around,servicingbattle-damagedvehicles.Munitionsarecarted across the tarmac onrobot rolling racks. Noonepays the NEBand its battered crew any mind.

Nearby, the SEPHORA and FREEDOMare parked. Their engines shutdown, and their powered hatches are open. The crewmembers are spilling out.

NIOBE hurries to MORPHEUS' side, and he steps toward her, smiling, but theirmilitary manneris quicklyrestored, thoughthey canbarely contain their grins.

MORPHEUS

"Niobe..."

SHE shakes his hand, the shake slows down.

"M."

MORPHEUS

"Thanks for the rescue."

THEY close for a kiss, when the FREEDOM'S captain suddenly jumps between them.

It's CHOI - the NEO's supposed neighbor and hacking financier. Exhuberant and oblivious, he joyfully gets in MORPHEUS' face.

CHOI

"Brough, you us your asses! We saved you so hard core you don't even know!"

NIOBE smiles at Morpheus and fades back as BOOTH shouts his own praises. Morpheus turns to his less-mature peer.

CHOI