Mobil Ave (The Matrix)
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Mobil Ave. is an artificial reality construct featured in The Matrix series
Mobil Avenue Station is a cyberspacial domain that exists separate from both the codespace of Zero One, and the realm of the Matrix. It resembles a New York subway stop, but contains no pedestrian exit- the only way out of Mobil Avenue is on the train that comes when The Merovingian sees fit. The station was created and is maintained by the Trainman. He is able to manipulate the simulated physics of Mobil Avenue just as easily, or better than, the Zion rebels do in the Matrix, as shown by his punch that slams Neo, who can effortlessly dodge bullets, into a wall before he's able to react.
The Mobil Avenue Station is a stopping point between the Machine City and the Matrix. Virtually all sentient programs passing between those two realms go through the station, but only with the permission of the Merovingian. He has control over both the Trainman and Mobil Avenue, giving him one of, if not the only, means to transfer programs between the Matrix and the Machine City. This is one of the Merovingian's primary artifacts of power.
Neo's residual self image is wirelessly jacked into this realm after his first sentinel hacking encounter. Rama Kandra, his wife Kamala, and their daughter Sati are all there waiting for the train to take their daughter (programmed and created by her parents) to the Matrix. She was not allowed to stay in the Machine City because she had no purpose there. Rama Kandra bargained with the Merovingian for her transport and placement within the Matrix under the care of the Oracle. Mobil Avenue is the means by which she was transported.
Neo finally left Mobil Ave. when Trinity reached an agreement with the Merovingian to release him.
[edit] Limbo analogy
Mobil Avenue is clearly analogous to the Catholic theological concept of "limbo" ("Mobil" is an anagram of "limbo"). Although not a part of official Catholic doctrine, souls who do not deserve hell, yet cannot follow divinely-revealed path to heaven are said to be in limbo - their fate cannot be determined by any but God.
Likewise, in The Matrix Revolutions, Neo finds himself in a state of being between the Matrix and the Source (the machine mainframe). His fate is in the hands of the two beings who control Mobil Avenue: the Merovingian and the Trainman.
