A/N: So, I saw TRON: Legacy last Saturday for the 17th time, and I loved it just like the first time, despite the (sort of) sad ending it had. Then, I got some news two days ago which kinda depressed me a lot, and all of a sudden I had an idea poppin' into my mind. You know, the "What if...?" kind of idea.

Although I already have another fic in progress, I just couldn't shake this from my mind, so I decided to write it down and see what happens next.

Now, I wouldn't be surprised if there is already something like this floating around the web, but I swear this is all my idea. I haven't stolen anything from anyone, and any similarities with any other fic are a mere coincidence.

Disclaimer: I do not own TRON or any of its characters.

Alan Bradley woke up to the sound of his pager. He looked to the wall clock in front of his bed. It read 5:00 a.m.

That little device had been silent for the last two decades, but this was the second night in a row that he heard the beeping noise it produced. And there were only a handful of people who knew that number. He picked the pager from the bedside table and saw the display. The page was coming from Flynn's arcade—again.

Now Alan was certain something odd was going on. Unless Sam took his advice earlier that night…

He was determined to sort this out for good, so he got dressed up in five minutes and drove to the arcade in ten. One good thing about driving in the wee hours of the morning: there is never traffic.

When he arrived, he saw Sam's Ducati parked outside. So he had come, after all. He stepped out of the car and walked towards the door. Both it and the outer fence were open. He could clearly hear the sound of games inside. He entered.

There was no one there.

He pulled the pager from his belt and looked once more at the display, checking to make sure it was the right number. But how couldn't it be? Was it possible he was having a dream?

"Al?" a voice behind him said. He turned to see Sam Flynn standing where just a couple of moments ago there had been empty space, near the TRON machine.

"You paged me?" Alan asked, kind of surprised that Sam had actually chosen to call him that way.

"Yeah," Sam replied. "I need you at ENCOM at 8:00 a.m."

At 8:00 a.m.? Three hours from now? "What about the board?" he asked him, wondering what was his plan. The answer shocked him.

"You're chairman now," Sam told him with a smile on his face. And before he could ask anything else, he added, "I'm taking the company back, Alan."

San began walking away, patting Alan's shoulder as he passed beside him. Before reaching the entrance, he turned and said, "Oh, and… you were right."

"About what?" Alan asked, still dumbfounded by what was happening.

Sam simply replied, "About everything." He turned on the arcade sign's switch before leaving. Alan stood there for a moment, not knowing what had happened to Sam overnight but glad—and somewhat proud—of him.

He directed his gaze towards the office where almost 30 years ago, he, Flynn, and Lora, had planned to hack their way into ENCOM's system to shut down Ed Dillinger's MCP and retrieve the evidence needed to prove him a lying thief. The result: Flynn had taken over ENCOM, Alan had become his partner, and together they had brought the company to the top of the tech industry.

Oh, if you were here, Kevin, Alan thought. Flynn would also feel so proud of his son now.

This place was filled with so many nostalgic memories. Alan wondered if Sam would also reopen the arcade. He thought of asking him, but when he went out, Sam was already leaving with a young girl.

Well, there would be time to ask him later—about both the arcade and the girl. For now, he needed to get another couple of hours of sleep before going to ENCOM in just a few hours. He closed the door and the fence, hopped into his car, and headed back home.

"What is the meaning of this?" Richard Mackey yelled as he stormed into the conference room at the top of ENCOM Tower.

Alan had known Mackey would be terribly pissed, but he didn't care. The man had turned ENCOM into a profitable company, sure; but in doing so, he had obliterated Flynn's vision for it, and that was something Alan still couldn't forgive.

"Don't worry, Richard," Alan replied. "We're just talking about the way things are going to be from now on."

"And who do you think you are to take such decisions?"

"The new chairman," Alan said, and Mackey's faced became red.

"Says who?" he tried to counterattack, apparently not willing to give up his position so easily.

Alan just replied, "Says our biggest shareholder."

Mackey smirked. "And where, if I may know, is he?"

And like on cue, the door was opened again. "Sorry for the delay. I had a few things to attend to." That was Sam, wearing—for the first time in his life, as far as Alan could recall—a gray suit, and a very expensive one at that. He was also carrying a briefcase.

"You can't be serious," Eduard Dillinger, Jr. said defiantly. "You think you can do better than us? You think you can keep ENCOM afloat? You're nothing more than a frustrated orphan without any notion on how to lead an enterprise like this!"

Dillinger was just as brilliant as his father had been. In other words, he was an ass. Alan still couldn't understand how he could be Mackey's right hand—no, actually he did understand it. They were both chasing after the same thing, after all.

Cash. Lots of cash.

Much to Sam's credit, he kept a calm attitude after listening to Dillinger's statement. He didn't even acknowledge him, addressing instead the rest of the board. "I know I've never taken a real interest in this company before. But that's over. From this day forward, we will retake our original vision—my father's vision."

"Look, kid," Mackey said. "I understand you may feel distraught by what happened to your father 20 years ago. But you really believe in what he believed? All that crazy talk about a 'digital frontier to reshape the human condition'?" He stressed the last words sarcastically.

"I do," Sam answered firmly and with conviction, erasing Mackey's smirk from his face.

"Hey, if you hate this company, that's fine!" Dillinger said. "But don't you think you can come here and wreck it without us putting up a fight! We're not going to let you screw everything up."

"He won't screw anything up," a deep bass voice stated from the door's threshold. "Because I will be guiding him along the way."

Everyone, including Alan, turned to see who had just spoken. He recognized the girl from her haircut; it was the same one he had seen with Sam hours earlier. She was helping an old man with his head lowered who seemed barely able to stand on his feet, but nonetheless looked like someone with a strong character.

Then, Alan's heart leaped as the man raised his head. Aside from the beard, he knew his face all too well.

It was Kevin Flynn.

A/N: I know this first chapter is rather short, but this story is still a WIP. As you can see, it's an AU of the movie's ending, and I want to explore the possiblities of what could have happened if this had been the ending, so I need to get some of my ideas clear. I do intend to keep writing it, but currently my first priority is my other fic (TFRR), so I may or may not update in regular intervals. Just rest assured, I won't leave it this way.

Like I said before, I didn't steal this from anybody. This is my personal take on an alternate ending and its consequences.

I hope you liked it! See you on the next chapter!

EDIT: I'm placing this story on hold for the next month. There's a few things going on right now in my life that need some sorting out before I continue writing this fic. But don't you worry, I'll be back after that. Until then! God bless.