Chapter 4: Borderlines
"If Argon Institute wants to tear down the Unironto Spire housing project, then the programs who live there should be compensated!" The young girl, who was shouting messages of warning to nobody in particular, had a large crowd of raucous programs in front of her, holding signs that displayed even further hateful messages. "93 percent of those programs work right here on campus! Where will they work if they have to look for a place to live?!" A few meters away, Travis sat, taking pictures with his built-in helmet-cam.
'You know, she's got a valid point,' He thought to himself, 'And I guess a lot of your wild-eye student radicals would agree. And some... well, some programs just love the idea of a good protest." Travis retracted his helmet, looking at the scene with his own eyes. 'I just wish I could say I was either one of those categories. But here I am, a genius college freshman with a job at one of the most influential technology companies on the Grid. Yet I'm still on the outside world and on the receiving end.'
Travis looked to one side of the coded terrace and saw two young women laughing and giggling a short distance away from the large crowd. One had short blond hair, carrying only a pale blue secondary circuit pattern with her bolder white. The other girl, the one with soft brown hair and white and purple circuits looked up and waved shyly. Travis sheepishly grinned and waved back. 'And, as is usually the case, I find myself looking at Natalie. If I were hired to take photos of her for the local news... oh, who am I kidding, I'd take that job for free.'
"Excuse me." Travis was pulled out of his thoughts by a janitorial program, who was holding a vacuum cleaner in his right hand. "I have to vacuum there." Travis moved aside, and under the loud noise the cleaner emitted, snorted humorously. The janitor, whose chocolate-brown skin slightly tinged a hint of red, scowled at Travis' reaction. "Is there a problem?"
"No," Travis answered, replacing his helmet-cam with a mobile one, strapped to his waist. "It's just kind of funny that you had to sweep that exact particular spot. Everybody else is on break."
"Everybody else is out there protesting."
"I... guess you don't go for that hay-rah-rah stuff either." The janitor leaned on his vacuum, and kept his stoic glare. "No, I don't go for kicking programs from their rightful homes."
"So, um, you live in Unironto Spire?" Travis looked the janitor in the eye, who in turn smacked Travis' face away.
"Why? Are you feeling sorry for me? Can I move in with you and your... partner?" Travis retracted his helmet and turned around as the janitor sighed and swanked away. "Didn't think so." Travis sighed as Zek and Natalie walked over to him.
"Hey, Trav," Zek said, putting a datapad behind his back, "Still harassing programs with that verbal weapon known as social ineptitude?" Travis raised an eyebrow, to which Natalie strolled over to Travis and leaned on his shoulder. "If you must know, Zek is busy practicing to be a captain of industry." Zek grinned and held his weight on a lamp post adjacent to him.
"Oh, I'll have you know I have a meeting with Miranda's former board of directors next Cycle," He said proudly, "And I'm going to find out what's going on with the campus protests." Natalie made a sound, one that signaled an epiphany, and rested her head on Travis' neck. "Well, I think it all makes sense now." Travis looked at her, a look of reluctant skepticism. Natalie shrugged and threw a hand into the cold air before her. "Zek's a management guy. He's no fun in a protest."
"Natalie, protests generally aren't about fun." Travis slid his baton into his hand, as Natalie cupped his chin with her hand.
"That's because you haven't been to one with me!" Natalie giggled, pecking Travis playfully. She then leaned forward and smirked. "So, where to next?"
Travis grinned, then unwrapped her from his grasp. "Me? Well, Heliod wants me to take research scans of some ancient technology from the Grid Wars era. They have them on display at Downtown Museum of Mechanics." Natalie smirked, then brought her face inches away from Travis' mouth. "You can't run away from me forever, Trav."
"It is a pleasure to add these treasures to our temporary collection." The curator of Argon Museum of Mechanics stood valiantly at the steps of his home, gesturing to the hundreds of ancient artifacts, most of them military models, stowed in tidy display cases at his side. Travis was one of the many programs stationed in a large, maintained crowd; the only thing was, they were blocked off by Enforcers and barricades. "The jewel of the trove is this TC1314 Recognizer control console." Travis' eyes, along with dozens of pairs of others, widened in surprise, but he quickly hid it and maintained his giddy and childish demeanor.
"Hi, I'm Travis, from GridTech Labs!" He shouted, holding up his camera, inserting a clean slate of glass into the photo slot. "Can I get a shot of you with the console?" The curator smiled approvingly, as he moved in to get within the frame, with Travis waving vertically to move to the left. Travis took the shot just as a program, dressed in Heavy Sentry armor, careened into him, and smashing Travis into a duracrete pillar. A red flare filled Travis' eyes as the color moved the console from the display case, now derezzed to bits, and into the superhuman arms that belonged to the program.
"Later." One word passed before the Heavy Sentry dashed out of sight in the span of several NanoCycles, leaving a bewildered Travis to grit his teeth and activate his Light Cycle, chasing after the thief.
Out of eyeshot, Travis rezzed in his Renegade Suit, observing the man in Heavy Sentry armor. Despite the fact that he was wearing said Heavy Sentry armor, which would usually slow down the proram wearing it by disturbing levels, was in fact moving almost as fast as Travis' Light Cycle. The concept of this idea disturbed Travis, who had seen once-classified documents for these kinds of models. The idea was from the Grid War era, but was scrapped with the defeat of the Occupation by the Coalition. They were rumored to still exist, but were hidden until something happened to the Coalition's grip.
Pushing his bike back into a baton, the Renegade shot a cable upward and got a bird's-eye view, nothing much changing the fact that this was just upgraded Heavy Sentry armor. As fast as Travis was able to climb onto a building, fire another cable, and catch up, the program skidded to a halt at 322nd and Gigabit, forcing three cars to swerve and avoid the walking calamity before them.
"Wow, talk about road rage!" Travis said to himself, swinging back around and racing towards the figure. Then he stopped and ducked. The red lights had activated, and had summoned a large Light Tanker to do it's dirty work. The Renegade slid inches away from the metal plating, and turned around, eyes widening in shock at the civilian programs in the path of the Tanker.
Shooting a cable upwards, the Renegade threw five adhesive bombs, forming a large net and stopping the Light Tanker's rampage. As Travis turned around, he saw the Heavy Sentry racing up the building and into a neighborhood Travis suspected had something to do with the whole event: Unironto Spire.
Firing a cable and scaling the wall, the Renegade raced to where he had seen Heavy Sentry's trail lead off to. Only problem was, when he arrived, there were only civilian programs there. Scaling down the wall on a cable, his presence caught the attention of the locals.
"Hi." Travis had to say only one word before a barrage of frowns bombarded him. "Anybody seen a thief? About six-foot-one, moves fast, looks like a Heavy Sentry from the Grid Wars?" This, like any of the Renegade's questions, provoked an angry response.
"Who do you think we are?! We don't deal with crooks!" One female program shouted.
"Yeah, we're just trying to keep our homes upright." Travis looked at his nano-claws and sheathed them, which didn't really help much.
"Whoa, cut me a little slack, would ya? I'm trying to catch a bad guy!"
"The only bad guy I see here is you!" One after another, the civilians started throwing things at him. The Renegade dodged every item, with differing variables of ease. As a can smashed into Travis' face, he rezzed in his Light Cycle and raced off, growling to himself.
"Some programs just can't catch a break." Travis winced as a can hit his shoulder, prompting him to yelp in pain.
Next Cycle, 909 Tribeca, Travis and Zek's apartment...
"I'm speaking from Unironto Spire, soon to make way for an expanded Argon Institute campus." The GridCast, filmed live at the scene, had caught the attention of Zek and Travis, which didn't help that the latter was trying to move the projector to a preferred angle. "Residents here recovered the stolen treasures from Argon Museum of Mechanics. Now they're using the reward money to fight against the campus." The reporter turned an Enforcer, and butted the headset against the officer's rear side of the helmet. "Officer, do we know how the stolen Recognizer console came to be here?" The Enforcer turned and spoke to her.
"We aren't positive, but the Renegade was seen in the area. The residents chased him away." Travis grimaced, far away enough that Zek wouldn't notice, and continued fiddling with the projector.
"Witnesses say perhaps the console was stolen by a program in Heavy Sentry armor, who moved like a jet."
"Well, those witnesses saw an entirely different crime scene. Remember, the Renegade works alon-" Travis blinked in mutual surprise at Zek pressing the mute button. "Hey, Zek. What gives?"
"Uh, Trav? Wouldn't it be easier to move if you, oh, I don't know... turned it off?" Zek gave a good point, but Travis maintained a fail-safe excuse to hear ranting about his alter ego. "Except maybe for the fact that I'm... watching?" Zek drank his glass of energy and stood up from the lounge chair he was in.
"Trav, everybody knows the Renegade's a crook. No news there." Travis moped for a few seconds and placed the projector gently on a table.
"Zek.. I get that you think the Renegade had something to do with Miranda's death..."
"Well, you know what Trav? He did. If the original Renegade hadn't shown up in Argon, then Concept wouldn't have chosen to come here first. And Miranda might have been saved." Travis never really thought of it that way. But Zek had to know that Travis' other side was innocent.
"I was at the museum when that Jet Sentry stole the console. I think he gave it to the Unironto Spire folks for the reward money." Zek leaned on the couch and sipped his drink.
"Ah, so you mean a Robin Hood kinda thing?"
"Uh, I'm pretty sure he wasn't wearing Robin Hood getup." Just at Travis' perfect timing, Natalie strolled into the room as he finished his sentence.
"Who wasn't dressed like Robin Hood, and why would you know?" Natalie cut in, skimming her hand over Travis' cheekbone. Zek replied with, "Jet Sentry. Trav thinks he's some kind of Robin Hood good guy." Travis sighed and pointed his index finger downwards.
"Zek, can you play lazy for a second?" Zek, willing to bend his methods, flopped down on the couch beneath him. "Well... It's a stretch... but, I'll try." Travis continued ranting his complicated equations, stating, "The screen should be at a 22 degree angle for optimal viewing performance."
Zek took a drink and grunted. "Let me tell ya, these costumed nuts are all a menace if you ask me." Natalie smiled and rested her head on Travis' back.
"If he purposely did help all those programs, he gets my vote. Agree or disagree?"
Zek laid his drink on the table and frowned. "Natalie, lay off the quad shots, would ya?" Patting Travis on the shoulder, he opened the door. "Holoprojector looks fine, Trav." Travis stopped fiddling with his current distraction and looked up.
"Wait, where're you going?"
"Told you, Argon Architecture board meeting." As Zek walked out, Natalie turned around, and laid her chin on Travis shoulder.
"So, where do you come out on all of this?" Travis stopped moving cables around, and looked his friend right in the eye.
"Well, everybody else expects the Renegade to obey the law. Why not Jet Sentry?"
"Don't you ever, oh I don't know, just go with your instinct?" Travis turned around to see Natalie right in front of him. Sheepishly grinning, he held his grip on the counter. "Uh, sometimes... how about you?" Natalie breathed hoarsely in Travis' face, opening her eyelids halfway. Gripping the holoprojector, she edged it just enough that the angle was exactly what Travis wanted. She smirked, then rubbed her hand against his cheekbone.
"Always." As she walked out the door, Travis sighed and curled up on the floor, embarrassed by his part. After several MicroCycles, he slid on his jacket and pulled out his baton. His shift at GridTech was coming up, and he didn't need Heliod bashing him on top of everything.
Argon Architecture Tower, Present Cycle...
Zek stared at the thirteen members of the board staring back at him, trying hard to keep the contest up. They had been sitting here for ten Micros, yet nobody had bothered to speak or even mouth a word. Finally, Zek gave up.
"Um... so, we're here to discuss the AI Science Center building?" At that moment, the room erupted into incomprehensible chatter, some warring banter, some peaceful agreements. Only two of the thirteen remained speaking to him.
"Zek, we know that Miranda wanted a new science center built on AI," One of them, a male, said, folding his fingers in intertwining. The other, a female, spoke up as well.
"Now that ArgonTechure has convinced AI to bulldoze the Unironto Spire, her last wish can become a reality." Zek rolled his eyes, and placed his hand, face-down, on the table.
"I knew that a HiloCycle ago. Why am I here?" The male and female board members smirked and turned to their boss. "We'd like you to make the announcement." Zek furrowed his brow, and leaned inward. "This.. wouldn't have anything to do with the campus protests, would it?" The two board members gaped in surprise, as Zek continued his accusation. "An AI student announcing a demolishing on controversial property sort of makes it go down easier."
"Well, you've certainly earned your position, Zek." The female nodded while speaking and continued. "Miranda would have seen the reprecussions, but she would have seen the real good coming out of it." She turned and snapped. Two security programs came in, bearing Concept's shared yellow circuitry. Zek's brow line deepened.
"I thought I said those guys weren't allowed on the premises." Zek growled, as the two Enfrocres saluted, handing the yellow box to their employer, and racing out the door. "I've had issues with their methods, and I'd rather not have to experience those methods on their own."
"Very well, we'll talk to Concept about his security measures. In the meantime," the male board member opened the box, revealing another box with a glowing stick of coding. Zek knew Travis would recognize the technology at a moment's notice, but last time Zek checked, he wasn't Travis.
"I'm not vidding it."
"This is a 2nd Generation Light Cycle." Zek's eyes widened at the age of the artifact, it's gleaming white edge reflecting his evident shock. His eyes then slanted to the floor. "It used to belong to Kevin Flynn, and then your predecessor."
"Miranda... never showed it to me."
"She was afraid you might not share her immediate interest. She planned to show you, but her... untimely demise interrupted those plans." Zek's eyes lifter up in confusion.
"She.. she told you that?"
"Th-the important thing is," the female clerk intervened, placing the baton back in it's box. "She wanted to give away the baton. To auction off. A great way to kick off the new science center campaign."
Zek's miserable frown flipped upwards as he realized that Miranda still did care, even if it meant only selling a baton. But there were still other matters to discuss...
Unknown Building, Gigabit and 84th Street, 6 PectroCycles later...
Bzzzzt! The camera's static faded away as Travis, in his Renegade suit, masked for nobody to spy on him, began ranting to nobody but the camera. "So go with me here. I run around Argon saving lives, and I'm a menace. Jet Sentry steals a fortune in ancient coding and he's... what, instant hero?" Shooting a cable at the recording button, he moved the camera to right below and continued speaking.
"You know, maybe I need another costume makeover." Pulling the camera up and placing it on a small kiosk, he zoned in on the screen, holding his index fingers close to his head.
"I'm... the Renegade." Turning off the camera, a traffic camera feed alert went off, and the Renegade rushed to the edge of the roof. A shape similar to a Light Cycle, even imitating the Light Ribbon, was weaving through traffic. Travis took this as a signal, and rezzed in a Light Jet, of 1st Generation, that he had found within Beck's former hideout.
As for his own hideout, Travis really didn't have any ideas, save for two highly unlikely locations. The first was an abandoned prison just off Argon Quay, but programs came in and out of that outlet, and Concept's forces had set up a blockade nearby. The second option was the ruins of his old home, but that idea was scrapped with the addition of Concept's forces nearby killed off his surprise. But focused on the big picture, Travis' main priority was catching Jet Sentry. Obtaining a headquarters would have to wait.
Hacking into Jet Sentry's data feed and GPS systems, Travis was able to deduce the location of Jet Sentry's next hit: Argon City Archives. Though there were private archives bestowed to programs by default, those archives were incomplete. If anybody wanted a complete set of archives, they usually had to find archives like these. Somehow, Travis' brain couldn't put together why Jet Sentry would go to a place he didn't need to steal from. One nano later and he smacked his head in realization. Tonight was the display of several archive chips from the restricted archives, only on display to mock the programs who couldn't even preview them.
Landing his Light Jet and pushing it back into the baton, the Renegade watched as Jet Sentry shot his tractor beam, smashing the glass and pulling wires and hard-drives from the display case. Two Argon Security Force officers, who had been standing guard, flinched as the wires caught one of the two. Lightning coursed through his body, and the guard screamed loudly as Travis fired a cable, modified to insulate outside electricity, and yanked the wires away.
The officer's partner lifted his comrade, and the Renegade pointed in a random direction. "Get him out of here, and call for help!"
Jet Sentry growled, clashing his teeth together. "You..." The Renegade fired a cable, pulling the hard drives away when the wind blew them into one place. "Sorry, but you forgot your library card, buddy!" Sadly, Travis' quip didn't stop Jet Sentry, who persisted in tugging on the cable, his tractor beam gripping Travis' cable as well. The Renegade braced himself as Jet Sentry sped off, dragging his opponent for the ride as well. Travis' eyes closed, and he felt the cable go limp as Jet Sentry increased his speed by about half his original velocity.
The Renegade stood taller and huffed playfully. "No manners! What is it with these programs?!" Rezzing in a Light Cycle, Travis took off, following Jet Sentry into an abandoned street, following into an abandoned mannequin factory in an abandoned building. Travis tsked and muttered, "Shame. Pity. So many colorful words, and I only have time for one. Let's see... how about abandoned." Shrugging innocently, the Renegade derezzed his bike, and scaled the wall, climbing in through an open window. A flash of bright green circuitry cut Travis off as he moved his fist towards the light. A loud crack filled his audio receptors, as he opened his eyes to see Jet Sentry sprawled on the ground. The Renegade activated the claws on his foot, gripped the wall, and held out his hand.
"Give. Me. The hard drives." Jet Sentry kneeled, breathing heavily.
"Who's gonna miss some musty old data chips?"
Travis folded his arms. "Not for us to decide."
"So you blindly enforce the rules,is that it? While I'm out there trying to help those programs." Travis changed sides of the pillar he was gripping. He then activated his lenses, trying to detect a coding signature, but he couldn't find one. And the suit's jetpack was slowly charging, and at high risk of an overheat.
"Uh huh, like the pedestrians you almost hit with a Light Tanker? No, not them. You must be talking about the ASF guard you nearly electrocuted."
"You know what I think?" Travis shrugged, and kept his aching arm stretched outwards. "You're jealous. You wish those programs liked you the way they like me." Travis' brow furrowed, his eyes transformed into slits, and his frown deepened. His arm reached further.
"I'm not going to ask twice." At that moment, a large explosion activated, knocking Travis back into a wall. Not willing to risk the deresolution of another program, Travis used his cable to bring Jet Sentry to him by the legs. As he picked up the suit... all that remained was a holoprojector, programmed to show Jet Sentry's face.
"Empty..." Travis growled, turning to see an emergency exit standing ajar. Travis punched the suit and changed into his civilian wear. "I hate it when that happens!"
Next Cycle, Argon Institute, 0800 PectroCycles...
"Okay, settle everybody!" The protest leader, who had been rallying a small yet suitable crowd the previous cycle, had brought reinforcements. Dozens of programs from Argon Institute had gathered outside the main building, and were holding up signs with disturbing messages. "Thanks to an anonymous donation, the Unironto Spire defense fund is up to 1 million credits!" Multiple programs hooted in celebration, cheering for Jet Sentry. Travis and Natalie looked on in suspicion, as Zek hung in his own shadow under his favorite lamp post.
Travis turned to Natalie and shouted over the raised roar of the crowd. "You know, this hero of yours sent three Enforcers and an ASF security officer to the Gallium MedCenter! They're in a deep reboot!"
"An Enforcer on a high-speed chase runs over a civilian, Trav! How is that any different?!" Travis growled in frustration, pulling at his hair, and sunk down onto a bench, Natalie following his final action.
"Two wrongs don't make a right!" Turning to Zek, Travis wore an expression that a only desperate programs would use. "Little help?" Zek sighed, stood up, and walked into the lamp's light, his face masked by shadows.
"Listen, there's something I need to you guys to know." Natalie nodded and began shouting to cover Zek's conversation. When her share was done, she sat down and listened in. Travis initiated the speech. "What's up?"
"Argon Architecture! They're the reason that AI is bulldozing Unironto Spire!" Travis panicked silently as a male program eyed them menacingly, then tapped his friends. Silence slowly fell as Zek continued shouting absentmindedly. "Miranda's company convinced AI to bulldoze-" Zek glanced at every program staring at him. "-Unironto Spire..." Everybody glared hollowly, eyes drilling eerily into all three of them. Zek's eyes shrunk to the size of needles. "I have a really bad feeling about this."
"This is just what I'm talking about!" The protest leader shouted in rage. Travis felt her voice crack like a lightning whip. And they were the animals to tame. "The powers on campus making deals against the lower circle!" Everybody else shouted, throwing their signs and other miscellaneous items at them. Travis ducked, picked up a sign, and began shielding himself and his friends from more incoming projectiles.
"We might want to get outta here!" Travis said, Zek and Natalie complying and dashing for cover. Travis stayed behind, glaring at the janitor, who had been watching them only a MicroCycle, had returned to vacuuming debris off the floor.
Travis was snapped out of his spatial trance by Zek, who shouted at him from a fair distance. "Trav, get a move on!" Travis stared for a nano, then obeyed and raced away.
Travis and Zek's apartment, 909 Tribeca...
Travis stared down at Zek, who was oblivious to his friend staring down at him. Said program walked out of the living room, using Zek's distracted mind as an advantage, running into his room. His Renegade costume covered his street wear, as his nano-claws gripped the tower walls in their apartment. Gripping his baton, the Renegade rezzed in his Light Cycle and sped towards a place he had a feeling he would find answers: Unironto Spire. And the only reason he was going there to search for clues was because he had looked up their residential inventory. The janitor, Wyler, lived in that district, and his reaction to Travis' questions led the Renegade to believe he was behind at least two of Jet Sentry's crimes.
Travis pushed his bike back into a baton, as he saw the program exit Unironto Spire and head towards an alleyway about two blocks from his current position. The Renegade fired a cable, chasing Wyler stealthily across the rooftops. From his position, Travis could see a cluster of Heavy Sentry circuits under Wyler's hood.
Eventually, Wyler took a sharp turn and entered the alleyway, the Renegade turning with him. A shady figure in business attire lay waiting with a heaping duffel bag of credit chips. As Wyler closed in, the man tossed the bag at him.
"It's all there, minus my commission." Travis grinned as he held a recording device outwards, taking note of the entire encounter. "What's next?"
"A Light Bike baton. A 2nd Generation Light Bike baton. Worth four million credits, and all I have to do is show at the Argon Architecture press conference." The shadow-laden man chuckled, as Travis glared to the left with much incentive.
"That could be a problem. I have some easy scores for ya-"
"No. I want the baton. What it stands for." Travis rolled his eyes in empathy. At least Wyler had a moral code. He just had a wrong way of helping the programs in need. Even Travis had to admit that if Jet Sentry became a hero, then this entire fiasco wouldn't be happening.
"You could be a wealthy program, kid. If you didn't keep helping these programs..." Travis made a rude gesture, shaking his head.
"I just do what needs to be done. And if these programs aren't able to protect their own homes, that means they're stupid for making me a hero." Travis recoiled in shock at what he heard. Jet Sentry had deceived somebody who had doubted him all along, if momentarily. If he could manipulate dozens of programs long-term, they would never believe what the Renegade would say. Recollecting himself, Travis watched the stealthy man depart, as Jet Sentry unraveled his cloak. Travis threw a glass bottle at the alleyway entrance, catching Jet Sentry off guard, and the Renegade cornered him from behind.
"There's a word for programs like you, Wyler." Travis unsheathed his nano claws and activated his disk. "Criminal." An Enforcer Light Tank rumbled by, the Renegade ducking to avoid sighting. The moment the Light Tank caught sight of Jet Sentry, a blast of energy careened through the alleyway and striking near the dumpster Travis was hiding behind. The resulting explosion forced the Renegade under the dumpster, which smashed against the wall and sounded an alarm.
Travis caught sight of Jet Sentry attempting to sneak away, as three Enforcers popped out of the tank's hatch. One of them shouted, "Two of them!" Jet Sentry raced away, as another murmured, "Negative. Must have been a shadow." The third one pointed at Travis.
"It's the Renegade! Call for backup!" Travis crouched, ready to defend himself. The three Enforcers drew their disks, yellow light gleaming from their edges.
"No! You've got the wrong guy!" Travis shouted. The Enforcer didn't flinch. "Drop the credits and put your hands up!" The Renegade complied, hurling the duffel bag at the lead Enforcer, who collapsed harder than an athletically inept kid in a jungle gym. The remaining two tossed their disks with equal force, both missing as Travis scaled the wall and disappeared.
The Renegade stared as the protests continued the next Cycle. Unfortunately, they weren't celebrating Jet Sentry. They weren't even celebrating at all. In fact, they were jeering. At the wrong program. The leader of the protest shouted into her microphone loud enough that Travis could have heard them a mile away.
"Jet Sentry's out there making a difference! The Renegade's just out for himself." Travis, changing into his street wear, frowned as he entered a window from the roof of AI ChemLab. Walking through the hallway, still tolerating the raucous noise, Travis opened the door to Chemistry, where the first thing he heard in the soundproof lab was Natalie and Zek arguing over Professor Iylah's voice.
"C'mon, Nat. You knew something was going to be built on that property. I'm just trying to make it worthwhile." Natalie raised her eyebrow in genuine surprise and sarcasm.
"I'm sorry. I'm not sure I heard right. Trav, be a dear and tell me Zek called science worthwhile." Travis nodded in confirmation, as he took a seat next to her. Zek shrugged as Prof. Iylah called on Travis. "Travis, do you know that valence solution to these factors?"
Travis wasted not a second as he answered with genuine ease. "S-Oh-Two with a polyvalent ion." He turned back, and Zek continued.
"Okay, how about you guys both come to my presentation?" Zek said, folding his arms with his final say. "Look, I'll put up extra security and make sure both sides of the argument are heard."
Natalie stroked her chin thoughtfully, before looking up. "Well, in that case..."
"Great!" Zek said, writing down some more notes. "And you, Trav?"
"I'd love to," Travis said, "But I might not be able to attend the whole thing. Heliod's got me working on some new Light Jet mods."
"Don't worry. The whole thing isn't going to take long. I need to set some things up though, so you guys should arrive around 1800 PectroCycles." Travis nodded, as the bell rang over Prof. Iylah giving the assignment for the end of the Cycle. But right now, he needed to get some information to Argon Architecture. And this was far more important.
Argon Architecture Headquarters, 1800 PectroCycles...
"Well, well, well," Travis said, adjusting the lens of his Renegade mask by 20 percent. "If it isn't one Jet Sentry. Though the suit looks cool, he's not getting a free pass this time." Travis leaped downwards, changing into a black Light Suit that appeared to resemble a blazer and dress pants, white circuitry making out the borders. His orange secondary cicruits had lined up into a single diamond-shaped figure, a tie, and his boots remained the same.
Travis quietly snuck out of the alleyway, just to find a large crowd, double the size of what had occurred previously. Though half of the monstrous crowd was employees of Argon Architecture, Travis felt like throwing up. Winding himself through the crowd, Travis spotted a seat near the front row, with the time he was due there and when he would leave. Shrugging, the chair's recipient lay down, almost immediately interrupted from a light recharging by a smack to the head. Travis looked up and saw Natalie sitting next to him.
Though it didn't look quite like Natalie. Instead of a basic Light Suit, Natalie wore a soft black dress, bearing white and velvet-purple circuits across the edges and abdomen. She had her hair tied back into a bun, and wore a sweet smile on her lips. "Hey, Trav. Zek's up in a couple of MicroCycles. Wonder what they're gonna talk about."
"Probably gonna cover up any loose details about the Unironto Spire campaign," Travis bluntly put in, waving his hand. "All I can say right now is that the whole protest committee needs to simmer down a bit." As if his words spoke magic, Zek rose to speak, and before he could say a word, a protestor shot rude insults directly to Zek.
"You suck, Zek!" Zek sheepishly grinned, pointed his index fingers at her, then managed to get his speech out.
"I had a prepared speech, but my friends Travis and Natalie-" The two mentioned programs gaped at each other, before staring back at their speaking friend. "-showed me how a campus like AI should grow. Which brings us to Kevin Flynn." Zek pulled out what Travis suspected was an ancient and invaluable 2nd gen Light Bike baton, and he continued to speak. "Kevin Flynn drove this bike across the Grid, and saw the possibilities." Travis' head flared as an audio tracer he had attached to Jet Sentry picked up some noise. "And so do I."
Almost instinctively, Travis stood up and raced to the stage. Before Jet Sentry could grab the baton, Travis' exact timing allowed him to smash the criminal into a wall. During the chaos, and making sure nobody was watching from inside the AA building, Travis changed into his Renegade attire, and throwing an adhesive bomb as planned. Jet Sentry fell into the net, with Travis clinging to the wall above him.
"Give it up, Wyler." The Renegade snarled, activating his disk.
Jet Sentry stood defiantly. "How do you know the ASF won't take you down too?" The Renegade shrugged, impatiently fidgeting, but kept his voice tone stable.
"I'll take my chances."
"These programs like the way I do things in Argon! Not you, Renegade." Travis began moving downwards, cornering Jet Sentry as he noticed Argon Security Force officers sprinting towards them.
"Those programs?! Wow! I thought they were the ones you said were stupid, for making you a hero!" As the protesters began yammering to each other in confusion, even hearing one shout 'what?' Travis ducked below, and cornered him from all sides. "You did say that, didn't you Wyler?"
When Natalie, Zek and four ASF officers surrounded him, Jet Sentry raised the baton in a threatening stance. "Just stay back, or this little piece of history is history!"
"Go for it." Jet Sentry gaped downwards to see the Renegade clinging effortlessly to the wall by his feet. "It's a fake." Jet Sentry recoiled. "That's bull!"
"The Renegade's right." One of the ASF officers held his stance, but failed to maintain his silence. "He tipped us off in advance, and set it up with the Argon Architecture board." Jet Sentry remained calm for several Nanos. Nobody expected him to fling the baton towards the protesting crowd. The stick crashed into one of the protesting programs, knocking her out cold.
"I'm not goin' down! I help those programs!"
Travis ticked in reluctance and sarcasm. "Yes, and you did it with such good feelings too." In yet another surprise move, Jet Sentry activated his tractor beam and pulled a hostage towards him.
"Natalie!" Travis shouted, holding out his hand. As Jet Sentry shot out of sight, the Renegade fired a cable in a desperate attempt to not lose another friend.
It took MicroCycles just to catch up, but Travis finally fired a cable and managed to latch onto Jet Sentry's outer workings. Thinking fast, Travis fired the cable at a building, then another at the opposite side. Eventually the cable strained, as Jet Sentry groaned. "You don't know what a desperate program might do!"
"In that case..." The Renegade deactivated the jetpack, allowing Natalie to elbow Jet Sentry in the face. The Renegade caught her, and smiled behind his mask. "Wow, nice punch." The slingshot Jet Sentry was closing in. Travis turned to Natalie and pointed. "Um.. I'd stand back if I were you." Natalie complied, walking away cautiously, as Travis waited and narrowly allowed his fist to connect with Jet Sentry's face. The program collapsed on the floor, dragged slightly by the cable.
Natalie walked up, watching as the Renegade narrowly slipped away. Several MicroCycles passed before the ASF officers from before arrived on-scene, and several more before a familiar voice rang through the air.
"Natalie!" The recipient of the call turned around to see Travis jogging towards her. Wrapping her in a tight embrace, Travis breathed heavily, sweat pouring down his face.
"You ran... all the way here... just for me?"
"Well, yeah. I don't my best friend kidnapped by a psycho in Heavy Sentry armor." Travis cupped Natalie's cheeks, and pulled her in for a long, drawn-out kiss. When they pulled apart, Natalie's cheeks were scarlet, and she gripped Travis' elbows.
"So... what's going to happen to Unironto Spire?" Travis looked up, and frowned sourly.
"Zek decided to donate the baton. The real one. He's creating a relocation fund." Natalie pulled her head into Travis' chest, and Travis rested his chin on the crown of her head. 'And, I guess that makes it a happy ending... right?'
A/N: And this the end of the "Renegade's Return" Arc. This chapter begins the end of one arc, and begins another, "Sibling Rivalry". This arc details Travis coping with his new opponents as the Renegade, and the pressure of his new double life, all the while trying to maintain his romantic relationship with Natalie. I'm hoping you've enjoyed this arc, and will stay around for the rest of the story.
Next: Travis and Natalie attempt to go out on a date, but Travis' duties as the Renegade complicate matters, forcing him to lie about being sent on a business trip for GridTech Labs. Natalie's learning of the truth leads to chaos, and Travis must do everything in his power to fix his social life.