(A/N) so . . . . basically things have changed slightly since I started this as far as where this is going. Everything that's happened is the same, but the summary's changed just a little. Also the listed characters have changed to not just be Quorra, but Gem as well. The more I think about it the more important she seems to be so that's why she's being put up there.

Chapter 4

Gemstone

The time that passes is not very long before everything is running as it should. The Militia has divided, just as I suggested it should. Half has littered the city becoming sentries and guardians. The rest remain below and within the game arena to continue to grow in their skill. The games have only grown more glorious since Flynns arrival.

Every now and then Tron returned to the grid to take part in challenges himself. Seeing him fight in the games it is only now that I see the warrior that was strong enough to defeat the MCP. Walking in the system, filling out his function in monitoring the other functions, he seemed incomplete. But here, embracing the way of battle, he thrived in a way that no other program could even come close. A few times I drew my blade against his. I have endured the swiftness of his disk, seen the fire of combat in his eyes, especially in clashes that involved melee weaponry. He says he sees the same in mine, though I cannot imagine being compared to one such as him. And in the end, whether our duals are won or lost I always walk away with new knowledge merely from observing and countering his blows. Surly this was a program meant for combat. Why the users chose to have him simply walking the city, inspecting the land to ensure everything was safe and secure I cannot understand. Perhaps I should take the matter to Flynn the next time I saw him.

It was a great while later before we found that Flynn had fulfilled his promise. A room seemed to appear within the halls below the stadium and within it life began to form. I made a habit of passing by and watching as each program began to take shape wondering if I had looked as they did when I came to be. Each program grew into existence differently than the others. One looked to be a floating torso, another a single leg. Each grew as the cycles passed one slow pixel at a time. But when they were completed I stood amazed at what I saw.

The Sirens were programs unlike I had seen before. Their bodies were slender and beautifully curved. When they walked there was a sort of grace and elegance I had yet to witness in any program. Their eyes were bright and shining with life. And as I watched them emerge from their chamber I could only think they were some form of perfection I had yet to discover. I had not felt such awe since I first laid eyes on the city itself.

A single siren approached me first while the rest of her kind remained behind in the chamber. Her skin was as pale white as the walls of the room she walked in, her hair being only a few shades different. Her dark-lined eyes glittered with a beautiful shade of sapphire so pure I felt as though I could not look away. Her clothes, lined with white energy, seemed different somehow than mine or the other programs, as if made with some kind of different material. As if out of some instinct I longed to reach out to touch the garments, but steadied my hand. When she stopped before me she nodded in greeting and I returned the gesture.

"Greetings," She said, "I am Gem,"

"You are beautiful." My words escaped me before I had even known they were forming. Gem's head tilted slightly and her eyes clouded in confusion.

"I'm sorry?"

"Nothing," I tried to erase my words, but could not. I was lucky for she continued where she had left off as though I had not spoken, much to my relief.

"I am leader of the sirens. My function is to oversee the armory of the game arena as well as to improve it. Flynn has given me knowledge of the arena as well as the system, but I believe it is limited. It would greatly benefit us if you were to expand that knowledge." I took note of the strange word she had used during her introduction: Armory. It was not one I was familiar with, but being that I knew and understood her function I was able to believe that it was a user's term for the storage place of armor. I did agree it was a fitting name.

"Of course." I agreed without hesitation, "Gather together the rest of your sirens and let us be on our way."

It was not long before the others had joined us. They were, as a group, very odd and peculiar programs. They did not seem to be particularly swift or strong, the two attributes I had begun to believe were necessary for any function to be completed properly. They were, however, very intelligent, able to grasp and retain information from the moment it was given to them. When the tour of the facility was completed Gem was able to recite, with amazing accuracy, everything that had been presented to them. She then led them back to the armory, which we had passed during our tour, and set about memorizing each of the different plates, where they belonged, and what they covered. They also began to modify several portions of the armor to better match specific program's abnormalities such as Namor's bulk.

It was several mili-cycles before Gem returned to me. At the time I wasn't in the arena, a rare occurrence for me. I had returned to the first building Flynn had brought me on, the one that overlooked the city. It was just the same as it had been the last time I stood on this ground, if not grander. The city had expanded since then. The perimeter was wider, the buildings stood higher – though none higher than the one I stood on now – the solar sailor's trails more numerous as more points of interest appeared outside of the city limits. The outlands however still stretched beyond the endless horizon, a blank stretch of empty stone.

The sea of simulation seemed to catch the eyes of most however. Since before my creation it was a vast and dark ocean, a source of energy for the city. I hear that before the city was formed it was once clear and sparkling with crystalline light, but that had all been depleted and drained to power the city. It would continue to feed us with energy for the sea itself never ran out - always producing more as we used it – but the price of it had been to turn this natural beauty into a black mirror that reflected the sky and clouds above as it shifted and rocked with waves and current. The brilliance of the city danced against it making what should have been a cascade of white luminescence across it's surface. But what caused most to look to it strangely was that the light of the city was not all that could be seen.

There, seemingly within the water, a mass of deep orange gemstones had formed. Their exact size could not be determined, but most believed them to be half the height of a program. How they appeared in the sea of simulation was unknown, or what their purpose was. Most believed they were the work of the creator himself, experimenting with the power of the ocean, the flaw being that the creator himself denied any such acts. For the most part the city was content to leave the gemstones alone, out of both precaution and fear. I knew, only through my connection with Tron and no other, that Clu believed it was a horde of the virus's Flynn created us to fight.

But I had not returned to this skyscraper's rooftop to think of floating stones. I had come for a fight against Tron, and so I had it. My defeat was, as it always seemed to be, inevitable. My blade was quick, my reflexes sharp, but his were superior. When the elevator doors opened and Gem stepped forward my eyes darted to her for only a moment. It was more than long enough for Tron to react. Before I even had the time to return my gaze, as well as my mind, to our conflict he had already disarmed me, threw me off balance so I fell onto my back, then thrust one forearm against my throat. The other clutched his disk above me in a position to strike a derezzing blow.

"You were distracted." He noted stepping away then extended an arm to help me stand.

"It was a mistake." I told him, frustrated at my foolish loss, then turned to Gem, "I take it you wanted to see me?"

It took her a moment to answer. Her gaze lay on the sea of simulation, a multitude of thoughts flashing in her eyes. It then occurred to me that this must have been her first time outside of the arena since her awakening. I allowed myself to wait while she composed what must have been scattered thoughts. "The Sirens have completed their function." She reported, "The armory is complete and every plate archived and modifications have been made."

"Of course," I nodded retrieving my sword to sheath it. I could not help but notice how her eyes lingered on my blade until it disappeared within its sheath. A hint of a smile flicked on my face. "I can assume Clu would want you to start helping the Militia as soon as possible. Are they ready to begin now?"

"Yes." There was a hint of pride behind her cerulean eyes. "Although it seems things would work better if there was some other way of preparation for the games."

"What do you mean?" It was Tron who asked.

"It seems Flynn created twelve of us to perform our duties. While that is plenty enough to complete the function it looks as though no more than four are needed to prepare a program for the games in a timely manner." I thought over her words, but before I could answer she spoke again, "We asked a few of the Militia to come to be prepared for the games during the last training round. The results were . . . less than what we had expected. While each of us know what to do and where to get it we lack order and procedure. I attempted to resolve this issue, but with twelve of us it is simply too much."

"Then use less sirens for each program." Tron told her, "you said you only needed four, so only use four."

"Then what will the rest of us do?"

"Take care of someone else." I was the one who answered, but when she looked at me I hesitated before continuing cursing myself for the act. "You said there were twelve of you. If only four of you do one program at a time you could have three programs ready at once."

"More than enough for Disk wars, not enough for a light cycle team." Tron noted, "Clu's not going to like those numbers."

"He'll get over it. We have to work with what the creator's given us." He shrugged then looked over the skyline. Gem, with her message and answer given she turned to leave. Before she had taken a few steps I took a few of myself to catch up with her. Compared to her I felt taller, her head only high enough to reach my chest. Her size – as well as my knowledge of her lack of prowess - made her seem delicate, fragile almost. My dark clothes and skin, despite their outline of green, contrasted against her pure white. My eyes studied her, though not for the first time, although this time I realized that she carried no other weapon than her identity disk. For the first time I felt fear, though I did not understand why, and I took hold of her. She turned back towards me again, a strange combination of fury in her eyes I had never seen. Instead of driving me away – though I did release her – it somehow urged me to not let her leave this rooftop alone. It took her only an instant to recognize me and when she did her gaze softened once more.

"Did I forget something?" She inquired and I shook my head

"No. but I don't want you walking the city alone."

"I'm more than sure I can get back just fine." From the edge of my vision I could see Tron watching us, or more particularly me. His eyes darted back and forth between the two of us before looking back over the city, shaking his head and muttering something I could not hear though I was certain I heard the creator's name among them.

"We don't know that for sure. Things could get very dangerous very fast. I would be failing my duty if any harm came to you."

Her stance shifted and her arms crossed. For a moment too long she said nothing, her gaze moving from point to point returning mostly to the sea of simulation. Though she had likely never seen the ocean before a part of me knew that she could understand that something was not as it should be. "Fine," She finally agreed then slid her arm into mine. I heard a chuckle from Tron as I lead her into the elevator.

As the doors closed behind us and the elevator began its slow descent from atop the skyscraper time seemed to have no effect on me. I was aware of the seconds passing, though I knew not how many there were or how often they came. For the time being all I noticed was Gem. I could have counted the steady breaths she took, the pattern broken only by an occasional sigh. I did not look directly at her though, for fear of causing her to question my actions, though I longed for nothing more than to see her eyes again. I tried to force myself to think away from her, to think of something else, but could not for whatever the reason. Up until this moment all I had known was combat and warfare. But now, now it seemed like there was something else. Like there was something else I should be understanding. I searched for some sort of logical answer, but my thoughts were clouded.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Gem stepped out, I walking beside her for our arms were still linked. She changed our course and I followed, though it was only after I did that I realized I should have asked why. The stadium was to our backs and she showed no sign of going back just yet. She seemed so focused on some unseen goal I doubted if I told her to go back to the arena then she would. Perhaps if I commanded she go then she would, but I did not want to control her. If she went it would be by her own choice.

Through the city streets we walked bathed almost in silence. I wanted so dearly to say something, to hear her respond, but no words could free themselves from my throat. We passed a few of the Militia's sentries as we walked, but even to my own men I could only manage a nod of acknowledgement. Behind us a streak of light lit the darkened sky, the creator was returning, but Gem did not even alter her steps. She marched onward with single minded determination. It was only when our course was clear did I manage to speak.

"Gem, this is not safe." I told her. Before us stretched the sea of simulation. The sound of the water lapping against the shore was gentle, almost peaceful. But the waters were lit by the ginger stones beneath the waves. "You should be going back."

"I want to see what they were for myself." She answered sternly separating from me for the first time. She paced to the waters edge then carefully stepped into the dark waters. My hand flew to my sword's hilt as she gasped as if with shock. Then when she looked back towards me my grip relaxed as I saw there was little threat. She was smiling brighter than I had ever seen before. Her eyes were bright with pure joyous light. The lines of energy that outlined her beautiful formed pulsed with new life. The waters were feeding her with power. "This," She clenched her hands only to open them a few times, "This is amazing! This power, it's unlike anything I've ever felt."

"It's still too dangerous. Whatever's in there could derezz you in seconds. You need to come out of there." She then laughed. It was a heartwarming sound, almost like what I imagined a songbird of the user's realm

"I'm fine!" She called, her voice still carrying its humorous tone. Boldly she took another step forward."Doubt anything could hurt me right now."

She continued on, ignoring my words of caution, until the water had reached her knees. Unable to force myself to hold back any longer I unsheathed my blade and charged after her. The moment the liquid touched my pixels I understood. Limitless power coursed through my body and suddenly everything seemed to come to life, as though before all was dead.

The world appeared the same as it always had, coated with shades of grey and black for the most part, the main sources of luminescence being the cities that peppered the landscape so very far away from eachother. But I had never truly felt the world itself. The pixels that touched the water seemed cold, almost freezing, and the rest warm as I had imagined the sunlight to feel. A wind that blew from further out to sea, one I normally only noticed because of the way it pulled on my hair, felt gentle and soft. The scent of the sea was strong and powerful, heavy with the aroma of salt. Truly it was amazing, these senses I had never experienced before. So great were they that I had almost forgotten of the threat below. Ahead of me Gem stopped to look back and I returned her blissful expression. This was life.

Carelessly I cast my blade to the shore, simply because I did not want to wet it, and waded to Gem's side once more. Once close enough I reached out my hand, feeling as though I expected something to happen though I could not tell what. She took it, her pixels feeling remarkably warm and soft against mine. I was finally able to understand why her clothes seemed so different than mine, it was simply because they were. Before I could close my hand around hers she pulled my arm around her back and stood close to me, her hand against my chest. My bright green energy blended against her white and cast a strange glow over her skin. She was silent, though I wanted to hear her voice.

A long while passed. I did not release her, nor did she attempt to leave. The both of us were so lost in this new world of sensations neither of us knew how to respond. We did know, however, that the moment we walked out of these waters the world would return to the way it was. Neither of us sought after such a thing. And so we remained, the water lapping at our waists.

"Hey!" The voice of the outsider pulled our attention away from the water. Instinctively I drew her closer, as if doing so would protect her. I saw on the shore, on the crest of the sloping sands, the creator along with both Tron and Clu. Flynn stood with his hands at his hips, Clu's arms were crossed and a scowl crossed his face. Tron held his disk tight in one hand, his eyes only for the orbs beneath the waves. "Lovebirds! Come on, you can have your playtime later." He waved for us to follow him.

I released Gem finally then told her gently "We must do this again sometime."

"Of course," She answered and relief flooded over me, as if I was afraid she'd refuse, "But first, you have to tell me what this is."

(Chapter trivia!) for the moment I can't think of trivia so if you think of a question post it in a review or just send it to me and I'll make the answer the chapter's trivia!

(A/N) Glad to see it's actually gotten as far as it has this fast. That usually never happens! Thanks for reading!