A Bridge to fill the gap
Summary: Paige meets an unexpected visitor on her bridge
Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did Tron Uprising wouldn't have been canceled.
Paige's life as well as the lives of basically everyone on board of Tesler's base these days revolved around one thing: The renegade. Catching the Renegade, missing the Renegade, getting yelled at for not catching the Renegade, every day it was the same. Why it was getting out of hand that the occupation should of changed its mission statement from 'promoting the rule of glorious CLU' to 'Let's not get our asses handed to us by this vigilante today.'
Even Pavel was in a fouler mood than usual and that's saying something considering the guy was a deranged lunatic.
The Renegade was constantly on everyone's minds, with Paige being no exception. When she was not out physically perusing the Renegade she was placed to dig through countless Pectocycles of all the known footage of the guy. She spent so many hours starting persistently at monitors that she started feeling woozy. Nothing could be learned besides what they already knew. There were simply no good leads, at least ones they hadn't looked into about the guy.
Around Midcycle she was relieved for lunch by a lower officer. Relieved to get out of the stuffy workroom Paige navigated her way around the crowded hallways to her quarters. As a commander she had a pretty good outfit. Her 'room' housed a bedroom, kitchen, lavatory, study and closet. It also had full length windows on one side overlooking the sky line of Argon. Some nights she sat on the edge of her bed gazing out at the city wondering if he was hidden down there somewhere.
Knowing that her precious microcycles were going to waste; Paige elected to do something she hadn't done for a very long time. Going over to her closet through her bed room she pulled out an old chest.
When she had joined the occupation she was only allowed to bring a few personal possessions with her. Granted she didn't have many to begin with but she had elected to bring an old photograph and her instrument. Glancing at the picture with a broken smile on her face she pulled out the instrument and set it in her lap.
She thought of how the last two times she played it and how both instances featured someone who was out to get her. The Renegade and Quorra. She softly placed her fingers on the keys and closed her eyes.
Was she really about to do this, again? Break the occupations rules of personal pleasures for a few precious moments of Luxury. Paige knew that if she was caught her instrument would be confiscated and she would be subject for termination.
Paige wasn't very fond of termination. It was a very messy process that took forever to clean up.
Just as her fingers lightly pressed down on the keys the alarms started blaring. Ever since the Renegade had become a major threat a few Hilo cycles ago he had been lucky enough to be given his own alarm. It flashed white light down the corridors and made the most obnoxious screeching sound.
Paige quickly hid the instrument back in the trunk and pushed it back into the corner of the closet. She leapt to her feet, grasped her disk instinctively and headed out of her room.
Outside her door two infantry programs were grumbling as they awaited her arrival. "Great it's another day in the office: getting out butt handed to us by the Renegade."
The other one obviously was programmed well as he jabbed his partner in the ribs. "Shut up will you Vector? The commanders coming," he glanced at the door nervously.
"Well she should hurry up," Vector complained sourly as the door opened to reveal a very unamused commanding officer.
Paige strolled out of her quarters to the two guards. "If you have any problem with having to wait for me you can simply bring it up with Tesler. I'm sure he will find your lack of patience a breath of fresh air in this crisis. "
Vector clammed him mouth. He was glad his heavy helmet covered his face so that the commander couldn't see the sweat sliding down his forehead. "That won't be necessary."
"You better hope so, because you'll be worse than derezzed if you waste anyone's time like that again. Now, are you two assigned to my unit?" Paige asked suddenly getting right to the point.
Both Guards nodded. Paige looked them over and wished that she had brought it up with Tesler in their last meeting how she would prefer to go solo. These clunk heads would only slow her down. "Alright then, fall in behind me; we have a Renegade to catch." Paige turned around and started marching down the hall so the two guards couldn't see the thin line of doubt forming on her lip.