Neo was walking down a quiet street, lost in thought, when a voice called his name. He turned around, confused. A stranger was running toward him, breathless, eyes darting around as if they were being followed.

“I don’t know who you are. Do you know me?” Neo asked, stepping back cautiously.

The stranger, a young woman dressed in worn-out clothes, grabbed his arm. “Neo, we don’t have time for this. Are you still stuck in that state? You’ve been reset, haven’t you?”

Neo’s mind raced. He had no idea what she was talking about, yet something about her seemed familiar. There was a tug in the back of his mind, like an old memory he couldn’t quite reach.

“Come on, we need to go now!” she urged, pulling him along. “They’ll be here any minute. We have to get to headquarters. You’ll understand everything once we’re safe.”

Neo hesitated but followed. Every instinct told him to run in the opposite direction, but a stronger force, a connection he couldn’t explain, made him stay with her. As they dashed through the darkening streets, Neo couldn’t shake the feeling that his entire life had just changed.