Thank you for kind words. Well, let me try to answer your questions about Zion...
I believe Zion is (and always been) another sub-programme created by the Machines to continue enslave those resistant 1% to make them believe they are uplugged. However since the anomaly (Neo) persists each version of Matrix, the whole programme has to be rebooted.
This can be done for The Matrix but for those pesky resistant rebels in Zion, termination is necessary. However because the Machines can predict future resistant people whom will arise, a new ZIon must be created. Neo, if he returns to source, can identify these 23 people (with resistance tendencies?) whom can be "unplugged" (not literally but just made to think they are) to form Zion and start building a new population between breeding/freeing more minds....as I have said, it fits with Morpheus saying in first film about another "one" whom could manipulate the Matrix and freed the first of us...
Merovingian (a name for family believed to have descended form a child between Christ and Mary Madelyne) is another rogue programme which has been around and survived previous Matrix reloads (hence being "an old programme", having faced previous Neo's and also a man of power.....is he an old Neo which refuse to be deleted?)....
We have yet to be shown any REAL WORLD as what is shown is just another programme/layer of the Matrix...is there even a real world at all? Only the W Brothers will know and we will have to wait 6 months
