Chapter One
"You spend your life in a dream that you can't escape, Cause you live your life in a coma, you're never awake If you'd open your eyes then maybe you'd see what's at stake, You're sleeping, you're sleeping..." - Wake Up, NF
You think life on the Grid was ever easy? You think life was a fairy tale for little kids? Well, I'm here to tell you that you're wrong.
The Grid was anything but a fairy tale. It was a horror story waiting to be told. But with every horror stories, there is a spark of hope. This is my story, the story of how the Revolution began…
…
She wasn't like the programs that called the Grid home. Unlike normal programs who would see her as a weakling, she grew. From a tiny being who had known nothing about the cruel world to who she was now had altered the way she acted.
Her black suit had white and blue circuits that glowed eerily in the never-ending darkness of the Grid. With mousy brown hair and hazel eyes, she looked like any ordinary User. Sticking out in the Grid was not a good thing. Once Clu had taken over, she had to run from city to city. It wasn't safe for her anywhere. In the end, she had chosen to live a secluded life in the Outlands where it might be safer from the black guard.
Every now and then, she would stop by in the nearest city she was visiting. The only way she could do that though was before the curfew started. Black guards were constantly on patrol for strays or programs who broke rules. Getting caught by them would only end in disaster for everyone.
When she had first arrived on the Grid after following Kevin Flynn, she never imagined this was how her life would turn out. Memories of her old life had begun to slip away with each passing cycle. She could hardly remember what her parents looked like, or even the address of the house she had lived in. It was just one of the many costs of living here. Kevin Flynn had never once thought that a User might have followed him into the Grid. Even the mighty Tron, who was supposedly one of the best security programs he could have relied on, hadn't realized she was there.
This time she found herself on the edge of Argon City. Whatever had drawn her here ended up with a bad light cycle that's break needed fixing. A chase from the black guard was the cause behind said ruined break. While she was annoyed with the fact that she had to go to the city in the first place, it gave her the opportunity to explore.
Before Clu had taken over most of the Gird, she spent her time as a young User exploring the cities. She was fascinated with the way programs lived and had often wondered if she could find a job among them. None of the programs took notice of her, though. Most of them had ignored her when she tried asking where she could find a job or a place to live.
While she was grateful that they never once questioned her sudden appearance, it annoyed her to no end as well. Trying to earn a living on the Grid was nearly impossible because of their ignorance. They didn't seem to understand that she was willing to take the time to learn and understand their jobs.
Now, with Clu in power, Mira knew it was pointless to even try asking for a job. Anyone would guess immediately what she was if she stuck around long enough. Users changed so often that it was impossible to avoid getting questioned by anyone who tried hiring her.
Taking a deep breath, she grabbed hold of her light staff – her only weapon other than her disk – before heading into the city. Fortunately, Argon city was one of the last cities not occupied by Clu or his soldiers. It gave her the perfect opportunity to slip in and out without being detected by anyone.
A few programs were circling the outer edge of the city, some on light cycles, others on foot. She was wary of the programs along this part of the city. Some of them were part of gangs who would easily take advantage of someone as small as her. Even if they did try ambushing her, she wouldn't make such an easy target. Cycles of living on the Grid had taught her to defend herself from thugs. She wasn't the same weak User Clu had captured cycles ago.
Soon the outskirts were replaced with small buildings and brightly lit street signs. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed there were fewer programs out than usual. The streets were filled with light cycles and trucks delivering goods, but other than that the usual spots were empty. It wasn't until she had reached the illuminated garage that she saw the programs practicing disk games outside. One of the programs had stopped in his tracks when he noticed her standing there.
"Uh… hi," he started, sounding out of breath from dodging his opponent's moves. She had been watching them for a while now, noticing how skilled the spiky haired program was compared to his opponent. He could easily overpower a soldier if he was given the proper training. "Are you looking for help?"
She pulled out her light cycle baton and nodded.
"My break got busted during a race," she explained warily. "Think anyone here can fix it?"
He was about to respond when a disk suddenly flew into his back. She rolled her eyes when the spiky haired program caught the disk as it returned to his waiting hand. On the Grid, programs needed to be prepared for any assault that could happen. While Clu's soldiers didn't attack without hesitation, it was better to be safe than sorry.
"Come on, Bodhi. You should know better than to turn your back on your opponent," he said cheekily.
"Well, I guess you have a point there," Bodhi replied with a roll of his eyes after recovering from his friend's assault. "Able's in the garage… it's closed now, but he should be able to help you out. He's never turned down a program in need before."
"Thanks," she called before running over to the garage.
It didn't seem like these programs were influenced by Clu's need for 'perfection'. She knew it wouldn't last long. Clu sought to take over the entire Gird. His first step was overthrowing Flynn. After that, he would destroy the ISOs the Grid had created. She could still remember the horror the ISOs had faced during the war. Only a few of them had survived, and even they weren't safe under his reign of tyranny.
Once she was inside, she noticed that the garage was busy at work, despite having closed only a few nanocycles ago. Some programs were working on light cycles while others were cleaning the floor with a vacuum like device.
"The garage is closed, in case one of my employees outside didn't inform you."
She flinched at the sound of a deep voice, turning around to see an elderly looking dark-skinned program looking at her thoughtfully. His expression was impossible to read as he looked her up and down, as if inspecting an intruder. Unease swept through her at the thought. Technically, she had wandered in uninvited. Bodhi was the one who explained that she would likely receive some kind of help from his boss if she asked.
"I'm sorry… I was told you could fix my light cycle," she explained, suddenly aware of all eyes on her. She hated being put on the spotlight, especially when it meant there was a higher chance of programs figuring out who or what she was. "I was practicing in the Outlands when the breaks malfunctioned."
Well, it was partly true. Her light cycle had malfunctioned in the Outlands when the soldiers chased her all the way from Purgos. She was lucky to have lost them when the snow got too deep for them to follow. But that didn't save her from the bitter cold or the grid bugs that infested the Outlands. She had wandered for cycles through the deep snow and brutal weather until she finally reached the city. By the time she did reach the city, she had been dangerously low on energy. The only reason she managed to survive was because there had been an energy canteen outside the city where she could rest for a while.
"It's dangerous for you young programs to go out like that," he muttered after she rezzed her light cycle to prove her point. "I'll see what I can do."
She nodded her thanks, realizing that he probably wouldn't do anything at all. It wasn't like she had any form of payment. Not being able to work sucked. If she stayed in any place too long programs would begin to notice the subtle changes of her being a User.
She was about to leave when she noticed something flying in the distance towards the city. Her eyes widened in horror when she recognized what the flying objects were. They were strange, rectangular shaped objects with legs on either side called Recognizers. And there were a lot of them, enough for an entire army.
Oh, Users no! Panic was the first thing that came to mind as she realized this was an invasion. If Clu found out she was here, there was no escaping his grasp. She managed to get away once, but he would never let her go a second time.
"Greetings, programs." A voice boomed over the city, rattling her ears as she tried covering them over the noise. "This is General Tesler. In name of our great leader, Clu, I now claim Argon City as occupied territory."
The familiar feeling of everything going from bad to worse only increased when a statue was dropped over the field where the programs had been practicing their disk games. The impact had sent a jolt through the entire city, changing the lights from a calming blue to a sickening orange and red.
A shiver of unease swept through the User as she recalled how many other cities had suffered the same takeover. Generals who were loyal only to Clu were usually sent out to take over cities when programs began showing signs of fighting back. It was one of the many tactics Clu used to ensure that everyone followed his rule. Anyone who suggested otherwise was usually either derezzed or repurposed to his liking.
"Hey, you can't do that!" She cringed at the sound of Bodhi's voice. Big mistake. The guards wouldn't hesitate to derezz him now. Anyone who tried fighting back would suffer the consequences. She had watched too many programs try and fight back, only to watch them derezz nanocycles later. "This is our field."
"This field belongs to Clu, now," the guard snapped in a tone that said he wasn't in the mood for arguments. "No more games."
She couldn't watch as Bodhi tried arguing once again. After having seen this happen several times before, she was all too familiar with the way Clu's soldiers acted. She would never get used to the screams of agony that followed. It would always send a shiver through her, no matter who the victim was.
"Bodhi!"
The cry of his friend told her all she needed to know. She turned to see the elderly program staring at the scene in utter horror.
"I think I'll take my light cycle as it is." Her voice was barely a whisper, but he heard it loud and clear. He hesitated for a moment as the programs who were outside began returning to the garage. "I said, I'll take my light cycle as it is," she repeated in a clearer voice.
"It's not safe for you out there," he stated in a firm tone. "Not with General Tesler around."
Since when has anyone cared about my safety? she thought angrily.
Her mind was fumbling around to find a way out of this mess. If he made her stay any longer, it would only end in disaster. He didn't seem to understand the amount of danger he was putting himself and his employees in.
"Look, I don't need some old program's pity," she snapped, snatching her light cycle baton from his hand. "I can take care of myself."
She was on her way out when she bumped into the spiky-haired program from earlier. The mischievous grin on his face was replaced with a look of grief and shock. Bodhi was his best friend. She knew what it was like to lose someone she cared about.
"Watch where you're going," he muttered crossly, shoving his way past her.
The User only glared back at the tone of his voice. She'd endured enough abuse on the Grid to know that he wasn't any different from everyone else. His attitude and the way he pushed her to the side only told her that it wasn't worth fighting back.
"Beck." She froze at the way the older program spoke, in a way that gave him authority over all of the other programs in the garage. "I expect better behavior from you." Beck looked as if he was about to argue when the older program went on, "I want you to keep on eye on her. It's obvious she needs it."
Her eyes widened in disbelief at that.
"Excuse me? The last thing I need is some babysitter, especially a pompous jerk like him," she grumbled under her breath.
"Pompous jerk?" Beck repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"Until we get your light cycle fixed, you're stuck here," the older program explained. "So, you can either run around the Grid with a broken light cycle, or wait."
She only glared at him in response. Suddenly, it felt as if she was a five-year-old again, arguing with her parents over the fact that she didn't need a babysitter. Only this time, some old program was telling her what to do. She wasn't sure what was worse.
"Alright, fine," she snapped. "But I'm leaving as soon as my light cycle is fixed."
Beck was not happy with that decision.
"Able, I've got better things to do than watch over some other program," he tried reminding his boss.
"Like what?" she asked with a roll of her eyes. "Not like you'll be going anywhere from now on."
As Beck headed for the elevator, she glanced at Able who gave her a nod. She shrugged and decided it was best to follow Beck. Even if she thought he was a jerk, that didn't mean he should be alone at a time like this.
"So, do you have a name or what?" he asked once they were in the sleeping quarters.
"Nope," she replied with a smirk. "I'm just a nameless program."
She wouldn't give her name out unless she trusted anyone. And that wouldn't likely happen. After the way he acted earlier, she wasn't planning on opening up to him. Not unless he managed to prove himself otherwise.
Beck frowned at that. Despite his curiosity being peeked by her vague response, he didn't try prying for more.
"Well, the sleeping quarters are just to your right," he told her. "You're welcome to find a place to sleep until Able's fixed your light cycle."
"You're not going to let those guards get away with what they did, are you?" she suddenly asked when he started to leave. Beck paused for a moment before looking at her warily. "I know a program on a mission when I see them."
"They're not going to get away with derezzing Bodhi," he replied in a bitter tone.
"Okay then. I want in." Beck eyed her in surprise as she shrugged. "You've got a bone to pick with Clu, and so do I. Might as well have some backup in the process."
"What did he do to you?" Beck asked, sounding genuinely curious.
"He was created."
For so many cycles, she had been terrified of Clu and the power he held over the Grid. If she was stronger and braver, maybe she would have fought him on her own. But things were different than. Now she was older and more experienced.
Beck rose an eyebrow curiously when he noticed how vague she was with her response. She wasn't planning on giving him the full reason behind her hatred towards Clu. The only thing he did need to know was that she wanted in on whatever he was planning.
She had already grabbed her identity disk and changed her disguise from a white and blue suit to one that had very few circuits on it. Once she was finished altering her appearance, the mask slid over her face to conceal her expression. Beck quickly did the same thing, only his suit had one difference. A 'T' symbol on his chest glowed white, a symbol she had only see once many cycles ago.
Beck flashed her a look when he noticed she was staring. Almost immediately she looked away, partly from instinct and mostly from embarrassment.
"You think he's actually alive?" she asked as they made their escape.
"Tron gave us a sense of hope when he was," Beck replied, his mask covering his face once they were outside the garage. He'd grabbed another light cycle baton for her, to which she happily accepted. "Why shouldn't he do that now?"
She could think of many reasons why he shouldn't now. But she kept her mouth shut as they headed for the statue. Arguing with logic wasn't exactly her strongest suit. If fighting in the disguise of a dead program was what he needed for that resolve, then so be it.
AN: So... I know a lot of readers are probably groaning and shouting that this is just another rewrite, but... I've been wanting to do this for a while now. And now that I've found inspiration to, I can :D This version will be mildly different, from the things characters do to the way Mira acts and behaves (you'll really notice in the beginning how much is changed). So please feel free to let me know what you think of this modified version... if you're angry, you're welcome to say that as well :P