"I used electromagnetic waves and telepathy to scan the city's structure and population distribution. It wasn't very large—just enough to house 250,000 people..."
Russell sighed. Any more people, and Zion would become unbearably crowded. That was probably part of the machines' plan as well.
Neo sighed too. He had not thought that far ahead; he was simply marveling at Russell's abilities.
Russell had figured out Zion's entire layout just by taking a casual stroll. Luckily, he was on their side. If he had been with the machines, humanity might as well have given up and enjoyed what little time remained.
The two walked on and off, soon arriving at the lowest level.
Logically, two unregistered outsiders wandering around would have been questioned. Unfortunately, Russell was too low-key. Anyone who saw the two of them instinctively ignored them.
In the area beneath Zion with the strongest geothermal energy, the surviving humans had discovered a massive Cavern and divided it into several sections. Aside from gatherings and energy collection, all of the city's crops were grown here.
There were grains, vegetables, and fruits of every kind. Perhaps because of the underground environment, the plants grew wildly. Russell could not recognize a single one. All he could say was that they were beautifully colored, so vivid they looked poisonous.
Gay purple, forgiveness green, lemon yellow, Five Colors black, blue-striped white...
Russell casually picked a fruit he did not recognize and handed it to the drooling Neo, who wiped it off and put it into his mouth.
He had been eating nutrient meals aboard the Nebuchadnezzar lately—sticky globs of food that looked exactly like snot. He was almost sick of them.
"How does it taste?" Russell asked curiously.
"Not sweet. A little sour, and a little bitter..."
Neo shook his head with a bitter