Revolution I

So, I'm redoing this story. I read it again and realized how completely stupid it was so here we go, starting over!

The story is about Tron and an OC named Skye so prepare yourself. There will be some romance, action, craziness and few slaps to the face for readers.

My beta is the lovely muso-artist.

I stood on the bridge between the I/O tower and the Sea, my jet black hair whipping around me in such a frenzy that it stung my skin where it hit. I raised a hand to shield my eyes from the blinding glare of the tower in all of its glory. I'd seen its glow from the city before as it shone through the clouds, dim and distant, but being here now, mere bytes away from the portal between this world and the one beyond, was more incredible than I had ever imagined. I could have stood there forever, gazing into the bright beacon of hope with a mixture of awe, reverence and fear, but a shout from its center caught my attention.

Sam was there, holding his Disk above his head with Quorra standing beside him. He was looking at me expectantly, as if he were saying, 'what are you waiting for?'. He wanted me to go with them.

The realization hit me like a light Disk to the face. Sam wanted to take a program, a lowly program like me, with him to the User world? I could understand the ISO going, but me? Why did he want me to go?

I hesitated, taking a step forward and halting again. It isn't that I didn't want to go, I'd always wanted to see the User's world, but there were two things that held me back. One, I was afraid. I had no idea about what the User's world might be like and I wasn't a User. I didn't deserve to see it in all of its glory. Two, I couldn't stop thinking about him. He was down there, in the Sea, alone, derezzing and the thought made my chest ache strangely.

Sam's eyes shifted to focus on something behind me, something he didn't much like. I didn't have to look to know that it was Clu. I would know that voice anywhere and I could see the glare of orange out of the corner of my eye. Something grabbed at my Disk, claw-like hands struggling to gain purchase enough to anchor himself to me as Flynn tried so hard to reintegrate him. I didn't try to move away knowing that if Clu couldn't do it, neither could I. I just closed my eyes and willed it all to end. I was ready for it all to end.

It had been far too long since I had known peace, since any of us had known peace and it was so close now. If only Clu would stop fighting and let the inevitable and die already!

Suddenly the force that was pulling on Clu became stronger and his reaching hands disappeared. I still did not look. I didn't have to. I knew as well as anyone what was going to happen now.

The force abruptly changed direction and tripled in intensity, pushing me forward on my face and I had to grip the edges of the bridge to keep from blowing off into the Sea. Liquid dripped slowly from my eyes.

Tears.

I didn't know I had tears, nor the ability to shed them. I was weeping. Weeping for the death of Kevin Flynn. The Creator, the User, had died.

He was my friend. He taught me what I know about the Users and, well, everything. It was he who had given me life here on the Grid and been my mentor as he had been Quorra's. He had meant everything to me, and now he was gone forever.

I nearly lost myself in the crushing grief that was threatening to swallow me whole and destroy me. Were it not for the faint whisper that echoed around my processors, I would have. It wasn't even a whisper really, it was just the barest trace of a suggestion of a voice that echoed one word, one name.

Tron.

I looked over the side of the bridge to the Sea so very far below and again felt the incredible urge to jump in after him although I didn't know why. I couldn't leave him there, alone, drowning. He'd taken back control, redeemed himself and I'd be damned if I let his sacrifice go unacknowledged. I had to go to him, to save him.

I stood, casting one last look at Sam. He understood. Just as he and the ISO disappeared into the User world, I took a running leap, snatching Clu's abandoned light jet baton and activating it as I hurled myself off of the bridge. I fell for a moment, until the coding for the jet finished construction and then, I was flying just over the surface at top speed toward the place where he had disappeared.

It was so hard to tell. Everything looked the same. I couldn't be sure of where he had fallen and I felt panic rising inside me. I had to find him, fast.

Everything was black, the Sea, the sky, everything. I scanned the area for his signal, hoping that he was still alive.

SCANNING…SCANNING…

There! It was faint and fading fast but it was there, just ahead! I bent low over the jet and just as I passed the place where his signal was emanating from, I rolled over with the jet and let go, throwing myself into the Sea after him.

I jolted out of sleep mode, gasping for breath as if I had just burst from the dark, cold confines of the Sea again. The dream had been so vivid. Since when did I even have dreams anyway? I was a program, I didn't dream. Well, I suppose I did now. Odd.

I swiped a hand over my face to ground myself, prove to my processors that I wasn't in the Sea, that I was safe. I had pulled Tron out of the water several cycles ago, and I had brought him home. I smiled a little to myself as I remembered that feat of strength that had astounded even me. I remembered the first words out of Tron's mouth when he had woken on the shore.

You? How Skye? How?

I even remembered the way he had flinched at my glare when he questioned my abilities.

The journey back into the city had been difficult, and I hadn't thought we would make it. Tron was heavy and weak and I carried him the many bytes back to the city. Several times his dead weight brought me to my knees and I had to stop and rest for a while. Then I got back up and trudged onward, eyes focused on the lights in the distance. They drew me forward as if I was attached by some substantial force, even though my data were screaming in agony. Finally, we made it into the city's outer limits and Tron was swept away from me in a frenzy of agitated programs. I remember puzzling over this because I hadn't seen them this agitated since the last Game. Odd.

Are you alright? A soft voice said from the doorway. Tron was standing there, looking at me with concern. Again, odd. Tron didn't feel anything. What was with the programs lately?

Y-yes, I'm fine, I said, trying to sort out my confusion. The matter didn't seem relatively pressing at this time so I decided just to think about it later.

Ah yes, Tron and I share an apartment, we have since the earliest days of the Grid and it's one of the nicest ones if I do say so myself. Yes, I will take credit for its design and decoration. Flynn grouped us together, don't ask why because I can't tell you. The mysteries of that man will forever elude me. I do know that I will be eternally grateful for that. Tron's saved my life multiple times on various occasions, each time he was able to get to me because of the proximity in which we live.

I'm going down to End of Line, would you like to come? I asked him, glancing at him from the corner of my eye because I was too embarrassed to look him straight on. I never said things like this and I honestly don't know why I did or what exactly it meant that I invited him to go with me somewhere (I vaguely recall Sam telling me about dates. I wonder if this would count as one?). The words just came tumbling out of my mouth before I could stop them and immediately afterward I felt my face begin to buzz uncomfortably.

No thank you, I-Tron halted mid-sentence and looked at me quizzically. What's wrong with your face?

What do you mean? I slapped my hands to my cheeks and began patting my face as I searched for any disfigurement that may have suddenly sprung up.

It's changing colors, Tron said, still looking at me like I had just sprouted wings.

Agh! I shrieked and sprinted to the mirror to inspect whatever damage might have been done. I leaned in close when I saw myself in the glass plate, running my hands over my skin as if I could feel the change in color with my fingers. Tron was right. My face was blue! It had gone from it's pale, natural state to a dull shade of blue. Oh my, I said, more in amazement than fear. Flynn's face used to change colors. It would turn red when his human blood flushed to his face for some reason. It usually happened when he was embarrassed or angry. Perhaps this was the same concept? But I had no human blood. I was made up of strands of written code and data held together by Users know what. It must be the data bouncing around in my skin.

That is indeed odd, Tron said, still gazing at me like I was some sort of freak.

Stop looking at me like that! I snapped. I am not deformed, it's just the data buzzing around. I did not appreciate him looking at me like that, like there was something wrong with me. There was nothing wrong with me, right?

I am sorry, said Tron, his face melting back into its usual stony non-expression as he stalked quickly out of the unit with me staring sharply after him. I had a tendency to do that, run him away when all I really wanted was to be closer. I don't really understand it, this desire to be near him. Programs don't desire such things. We are simple, efficient means of achieving various ends desired by our Users. At least, that's what we used to be. I didn't know what we were anymore. We served no purpose, we had no Users, no directives. We were meaningless.

I turned back to the mirror, my expression darkly contemplative and even, possibly, a tiny bit worried. Worried about what, I have no idea. I just had this sudden odd sense of foreboding, like something huge was about to happen. It was a storm, looming on the black horizon, lightning flashing violently as it mocked me. I didn't even know the sky had the capability to mock, but that's what it always felt as if it was doing.

I ran a nervous hand through my hair, trying to focus on the way the light from my circuits and the room's circuits danced on the individual strands rather than my unprovoked fear. Everything about me was different than the others. My hair hung free, falling to my waist in a pin-straight jet black sheet. Both the end and my bangs sloped diagonally from the left down to the right, symmetrical, perfect. Not a hair out of place.

My cheeks had returned to their normal, pale lack of color now. My face was smooth, perfect, marred only by the small scars here and there from various battles. They were mostly from the Games. Silver eyes, round and as open as windows gazed back at me through thick, dark lashes and heavy black liner like every other female program. The nose on the face in the mirror was small and button-like (Flynn described it to me that way once) and the lips were full and darker than the rest of the face. They curved upward gently in a little smile as the silver eyes roved over the rest of my body, appraising.

It was small, light and delicate-looking, but many had underestimated it. Hidden within such unseemly and tiny limbs was a secret. A strength was written into my coding that most did not have. I hadn't even had it when I was first written. Flynn had given it to me. It was a gift, he said, a gift to ensure my survival. Why had he wanted me to survive? I had asked him once and he merely smiled and said, "I may have need of you yet," in that miraculously clear User voice.

My small sheath…dress, I believe it was…clung tight to my petite frame, complete with skin-tight black pants and wedge heeled boots (standard issue). White circuits ran up and down and around my body, highlighting parts of me and casting others into shadow. Almost on its own, a finger lifted up to trace one white line that ran along my chest. Why was this one simple thing that had been with me since my creation suddenly seem so alien? This small line was as familiar as anything else on my body. It was a part of me and no matter what I wore, it always shone back at me. It was my lifeline, a pathway for my energy to travel my body and all of a sudden, it was as strange as the voice of Kevin Flynn.

What made it work? What caused it to light up so? What caused the city to illuminate itself in this manner as well and why did the sky not brighten the same way? So many questions that should not have been abruptly bombarded my processors and they frightened me with their sudden intensity. I was questioning things that had no answer. For the first time in my entire existence, I wasn't sure of who I was or what I was meant to be doing. Questions are for Users, not their programs. This is not a system that is meant to be questioned by the likes of me, and the fact that I was questioning added to my strange nervousness.

Quick as a flash, I snapped back to reality with a quick shake of my head. I didn't know what just came over me. I never questioned. I only did. And now I was questioning why I was questioning! There must have been something wrong with me. I'd check my diagnostics later that night when I returned from End of Line. The club always cheered me up.

With a smile on my face, I grabbed my baton and headed out for a good time.

XoXoX

Hey Zuse, I called with a wave to the perpetually grinning white program who was mingling over by the bar area. He waggled his fingers at me and smiled with all of his teeth before excusing himself from the two programs he was conversing with to make his way over to where I stood.

Ah, there you are! he exclaimed, placing both hands on top of his cane with a flourish. I was wondering when you might show yourself around here again, prettiness. Zuse's eyes flitted around the place quickly. To someone who hadn't known him as long as I had, it appeared to be no more than a nervous habit and I suppose this was true to an extent. He was nervous and it was a habit, but there was more to it than that. Zuse was a criminal, guilty of siding with Clu and had in fact been derezzed by him. Somehow he'd survived. He wouldn't tell anyone how, only that he had and he was back on the side of right. The reason he was so nervous all of the time was that he knew that no one believed him. Not even me.

He was constantly looking over his shoulders and scanning his crowds for vindictive programs. It was also a cycles old habit from his time of sneaky backdoor deals with devils that had him paranoid as hell.

Other wouldn't see that in Zuse, but I did. His expression was perfect. An excellent façade of the joyful showmanship that defined Zuse. Not even his expressive eyes revealed any discomfort in him, only their incessant shifting displayed any oddities and to most it wasn't an oddity with Zuse.

So what brings you back to my humble establishment, eh? he shouted over the thumping and bumping and voices. The place was so loud it was deafening, and the lights flashing all around made me dizzy. I loved it.

Oh you know, I leaned up on the bar and grinned at him as coyly as I could manage, fun. I looked up at him through my lashes and tried my best to be attractive. I suppose it must have worked because Zuse's eyes roved over my body and the smile faltered for a moment. He swallowed uncomfortably and tried to put his showman's face back on but the mask had already shattered.

I couldn't hold it in any longer. Loud, uncontrollable laughter escaped my belly before I could contain it and I threw my head back at the look on Zuse's face. It was just too silly! For a moment he was exposed, open and I got a glimpse of the true Zuse. The one that was actually very timid and gentle.

You sly devil! The smile returned in earnest as he figured out what I was doing. Stop teasing me like that you! For a moment we laughed together and I forgot my worries. But only a moment.

Zuse knew something was bothering me. He always knew. What is it? he said as he sauntered off to the bar to mix drinks.

It's nothing. I sure hoped it was. Really. I could tell he didn't believe me but he let it go.

But there's something else isn't there? He didn't miss a thing that program.

I'm confused. I decided to be honest with him on this one. Maybe he could really help me. Have you heard of love? I asked.

Ah, yes! Zuse beamed and flung his arms out wide, his right taking the cane with it. He nearly hit another program who turned to glare at him. I do believe I have! So who is it you have your eye on my dear? Oh, he's good.

Oh, I don't know. I felt my cheeks buzzing again and I looked away to hide my silly smile. I did know but I didn't want to tell him for some odd reason. I had been feeling strange things toward this program for some time now and I was so very confused and frightened by it. Programs aren't supposed to feel and Zuse was the only other one I knew who did so I felt safe telling him. Well, not really but safer I suppose. I worried about what this program would think if he ever found out. Would it change our relationship for the better or worse, because it would, undoubtedly.

I know who it is, Zuse said slyly, appearing around my other side and grinning a naughty grin. Could it be…he slipped around behind me to reappear on my other side, holding my arms as he moved…perhaps…back to the other side… one who calls himself…back around again…Defender?

The buzzing in my face intensified and he grinned even wider. He knew.

Well, well, well, said Zuse, crossing his arms and looking as if he'd just caught me doing something illegal. Tronnie. I can't say I'm surprised given the way he…well I'm not going to ruin the surprise, now am I?

Thank you. I took the drink he offered without another word. His had caused too much commotion inside me. The way Tron what? I wanted to know but I also knew that Zuse wouldn't tell. So I settled for moving into the crowd and letting the pulsing beat sweep me away.

So, better, worse? I need you to tell me what you think. I'm going in the same basic direction with this but how I get there is going to change. Plus, it'll be written a lot better!

Please Review!