REAL WORLD: PART THREE Homeward Bound ... - Whoa is (Not)

“Maybe we should go a little further into the future, when the sentinels have left and we can…”
Another sentinel flew into them and the train trembled. Doc strained to look for a clear passage out into the
open, but they were surrounded on all sides. “I don’t think we can!” he shouted back. “There’s not enough
space for us to get up to eighty-eight. We’re stuck where we are for the moment. We’ll have to go in now
and hope for the best.”
“We’re going through this” Marty asked in disbelief.
“I’m afraid we have no choice, Marty.”
The train swerved again, and Verne dropped into a sitting position on the cabin floor between the legs of the
two teenagers. It was probably the safest position to be in, he thought, grabbing hold of Marty's leg for
support as the train executed yet more acrobatic manoeuvres. Marty yelled in shock and almost kicked
Verne squarely in the face.
There was a glow of light up ahead that marked the position of the tunnel. Sentinels poured in through it,
several to meet their end moments later at the guns of the human-operated Armoured Personal Units below.
It was kind of ironic, Verne thought. He knew dozens of Matrix fans who would die to have the opportunity
he currently had, and here he was cowering in the back of the train.
The train bucked again, and Verne grabbed wildly at Ted's leg for support. Startled, the teen glanced down
to see what was clutching him, then looked up to see Marty with both legs up on the seat, unavailable for
use as safety railings.
"Hey..." Ted protested, trying to shake his leg free of the boy's grip.
"Verne, why don't you just tell your father to install seatbelts in here" Marty asked.
"What"
"Never mind."
There was a jolt, and from up front came Doc's shout: "We're going in!"
The place got more crowded as they entered the tunnel. A sentinel slammed into the side of the cloaked
train, suffered critical damages to its internal circuitry and started flying around in small circles making beep
beep noises. Intrigued, Ted got off his seat and went over to the side for a better look.
"Doc!" Marty yelled, trying to regain his balance as more sentinels bashed into the train, "deactivate the
cloak! Then maybe they’ll stop crashing into us!”
The inventor didn’t seem to have heard, so Neo reached over to do him the honours as they exited the
tunnel and entered Zion. The air below was thick with swarms of sentinels and gunfire, and Neo was
starting to have a very bad feeling about all of it, especially since several of the sentinels were starting to
notice them.
The machine’s objective had been to destroy the humans. And here were five such humans, packaged
nicely in this colourful flying train…
A mechanical tentacle lashed out at the time vehicle, puncturing the train and damaging the door
mechanism. The gull-wing doors opened, and too late, Ted realised that the door he’d been standing in
front of had just been replaced with empty space. The train jerked… and he yelled as he felt the floor
suddenly slide away from his feet.
Kicking wildly in midair trying to secure a foothold, he grabbed futilely at the hanging bottom step on the door
of the train as it slowly slipped away from his grasp…
Cursing under his breath, Neo threw himself forward and grabbed hold of the teen’s hand just before it
disappeared below. Marty rushed forward to help, when he froze at the sight of a sentinel heading straight
at them, tentacles poised to attack and its sensor-like eyes glowing a evil red.