TRON: Victorious
Race to answers
Immediately Jade, Beck and Andre were escorted to another section of the grid. A section that seemed multilayered and expansive. "So what do we do here?" Jade asked as she looked at the openness of the place they were in. Run and see how long we can be a target in plain sight?
"Not exactly sporting." Andre said. "But somehow I don't think Tessler thinks much of sport."
"We'll know in a bit." Beck said as a small ship hovered down to the center of the arena. Outside stepped Pavel, Paige and three other programs. All dressed in red. In Pavel's hands were a case.
The three programs stood across from Andre, Beck and Jade. Hate and joy in their eyes. Hate for the beings called 'users' and they joy they would take in expressing that hate in what was planned next. Off to the side Pavel and Paige stood with Pavel addressing the assembled crowd. "Greetings programs!" he said to the crowd that burst in applause as he spoke. Pavel then passed the case off to Paige as he spoke further.
"Ladies and gentlemen. The rumors you heard are true. What we have here are…USERS!" Pavel then pointed at Beck, Jade and Andre and immediately the audience started to boo the three teens. Andre was shaken, Beck was confused, but Jade kept her gaze on Pavel. A gaze that was pure hatred.
"Yes. How far has the world of the users fallen if these three are any indication?" Pavel asked. "I mean….they have nowhere near the majesty that Kevin Flynn had. Such a pitiful presence." Pavel then walked to Jade who kept her glare constant towards Pavel. The look in his eyes was that of borderline lust. A line he was in danger of crossing.
"But there are other things to admire." Pavel then said as he brushed a lock of Jade's hair back and fingered her cheek. A gesture that got him elbowed in the stomach and stomped hard in the foot. Pavel then screamed at the slight impact with many of the programs laughing. Also off to the side Paige hid a small smile as she saw Pavel's predicament. She hated Pavel with a passion, even though both worked for Tessler.
Paige looked at Jade and gave her a slight smile. She believed that in another day and age they could have been friends. But Paige then went back to her stoic expression as Pavel regained himself and continued his addressing of the crowd.
"So what do we have in store for these users?" Pavel asked in a tone that seemed sinister as his mind was imagining what was going to happen, especially after what Jade had done. "Perhaps the challenge of the grid?" The crowd applauded at what was to come. Paige however seemed to roll her eyes wishing Pavel would get on with what Tessler wanted next.
Pavel then brought forth the case and opened it. The red programs took three wands that seemed to be inside and held them to their sides. Pavel then went to the three users and they took the remaining wands, unsure of what to do with them.
"So, what do I do with this?" Jade asked trying to hold the wand like a sword. Pavel looked at Jade amused and said "I'll give you a hint. Not that."
The audience roared in laughter at Jade's mistake. Embarrassed she shot an angry glare at the audience refusing to show her humiliation. She then watched the Red Programs to see what they would do. Immediately they turned and ran away leaving the users confused as to what was going on.
The programs in red then split their bars as they ran. As the bars split vehicles started to form around them. Engines, frame, all formed in the shape of a motorcycle and soon the three red programs sped off into the course. Jade, Beck and Andre looked at the bars in their hands and smiled.
"I can do this." Beck said. Looking at Jade he asked "What about you Jade?"
"Looks like those riding lessons you gave are finally going to pay off." Jade said with a smile. Both turned to Andre who looked at his sheepishly. "I've ridden some, but not like this."
"We'll look out for you man." Beck said looking to share his confidence with Andre. "We get through this we might just find a way out and be one step closer to finding Tori." Soon the three teen users went into a run of their own and split their bars. Their own light cycles forming around them, except theirs were in a more bluish hue.
As they rode Andre noticed how fast the red bikes were going. "Don't their bikes seem a little faster than ours?" he asked. Beck and Jade looked at the approaching riders and agreed that they seemed to be going faster.
"Tessler sounds like a guy who would give his boys an unfair advantage." Beck said. "We'll have to be creative."
"There seem to be some additional levels here." Jade said seeing the ramps up and down. "Maybe we can use those." The boys nodded and then all three teens broke off to face their individual opponents.
The contest was on.
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From his position off to the side where he could watch on screen Tessler saw how his cycle riders were faring. They seemed to be faring well against the Users as his riders had used their jet walls to cut off the User's paths, but the Users seemed to veer off at the last second as if their reflexes were tuned to their own survival instincts.
"Impressive." Paige said coming to the same conclusion. "These users seem to be well skilled when it comes to avoiding dezezzolution." Pavel sneered as he said "Their instincts won't be enough. They will fall to our riders."
As soon as Pavel said his line Beck veered his cycle down a path directly in front of one of the red riders sending him crashing into Beck's jet wall. "There's one." Paige had said observing Beck's skill. Her gaze turned to Jade as she seemed to be using the game levels to evade a pursuing rider. She had a rider on her tail and was making her way towards the next level until she U turned while activating her own jet wall. The rider moved too fast and couldn't evade. Jade's pursuer crashed into her jet wall and she then looped back up the level to meet with Beck and Andre.
Andre had a rider on his tail that he had to shake. He had left jet walls his opponent was evading and seemed to stay on his tail like a bloodhound. Andre needed to find a way to shake his pursuer and came up with an idea.
Seeing Tessler Andre accelerated his light cycle towards his observation section. The opponent on him fast. Tessler, Paige and Pavel wondered why Andre was running so far towards them as Tessler realized "He's going to ram."
"No not him General. The other rider." Paige added figuring out Andre's plan. Andre came riding faster and faster with his opponent getting ready to try to overtake him. So focused was the opponent in overtaking Andre he didn't see Andre veer to the left to avoid Tessler's observation section. The rider looked forward too late before he crashed into Tessler's observation section shattering the wall and sending Tessler, Paige and Pavel scattering.
When the smoke cleared Tessler emerged from the rubble with Paige and Pavel following. Tessler's rage was building as he saw the Users spite him in the Light Cycle arena. Not only did the three Users fight his best riders and beat them, but did it in a way that spited Tessler and left his with the program's equivalent of a bloody nose. He would ensure the Users paid for that.
"Call more riders Paige." Tessler ordered. "I will enter this game myself." With that he brought forth a light baton of his own and opened it up. A cycle starting to form as he rode towards Jade, Beck and Andre, his eyes filled with purpose and rage to make the Users pay for their insult.
Tessler saw his troops lose to three young users. Now he would enter the game himself.
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"Wow." Beck said as he rode to Andre's side. "Not bad there."
"For a beginner." Jade added. Andre however took it in stride as he then asked "Okay, what do we have next?" Jade then looked in the distance and answered Andre's question. "You had to ask that didn't you?"
On the other side of the cycle grid came five riders. In the lead was Tessler riding with a purpose. He was going to punish these users. Punish them and break them.
"Okay, what do we do here?" Jade asked as Tessler's herd came riding towards the three users. Beck then said "Scatter. They can't get us all at once." Andre and Jade then broke away with two of Tessler's riders following them. Beck was left alone with Tessler himself. Seeing his opponent Beck did a circle around trying to stay ahead of Tessler. A game of cat and mouse took place.
Beck stood ahead of Tessler and used the walls to cut Tessler off. Tessler however made the turns he needed to avoid hitting Beck's walls, until Beck had done the unexpected. Jumping ahead with a small burst of speed he just nudged in front of Tessler's path putting a small block in Tessler's path with no time to evade it. Seeing the block however Tessler fell back from the Light Cycle leaving him to land on the ground hard. The cycle hitting Beck's roadblock and breaking up into pixels before reforming into a rod leaving Tessler with no ride.
Tessler quickly reoriented himself and saw Beck circle around coming towards him. Tessler smiled as he figured Beck was going for a kill shot with a disk or something. Tessler however would give the user a surprise of his own.
Tessler brought forth his energy gauntlet and shot a blast towards Beck's cycle. The blast hit just in front of Beck's path sending him flying head over heels onto the ground. His cycle disappeared reforming into the rod it was before. Not far away Jade saw Beck's fall and immediately shouted for him. "BECK!" she shouted turning around with two video warriors on her tail.
Andre also raced to Jade's side seeing Beck fall. "Got any ideas?" Andre asked. Jade had one, but it seemed too crazy. "Ram Tessler." She said.
"Ram HIM?!" Andre asked as he saw Tessler in the center of the cycle arena. Jade however had a plan. "Not quite. Just let him think that." She then put her cycle into gear and gained a burst of speed. Andre followed with both red cyclists still on their tail.
"Good. Good." Jade said as the Red Cyclists hatched her and Andre move for move. Soon they raced towards Tessler who had his gauntlets ready. Soon Tessler stretched out his arms firing bursts of energy directed at Jade and Andre, with the other two cyclists right on their tails.
"Break!" Jade ordered as she and Andre went separate ways with their pursuers taking the brunt of Tessler's energy hands. Cursing for a second he saw Jade and Andre regrouping and racing to Beck's side. They were going to find a way to 'blow the popstand' as it were.
Tessler however had other plans. Spreading his arms to the side he ran towards the two Users on their light cycles. Jade and Andre continued to race towards Beck as Tessler ran straight towards them.
As Jade and Andre raced closer and closer to Beck Tessler continued to stand in their way as he raced towards them. When they were close enough Tessler then unleashed his surprise as his arms stretched out as if they were long arms ready to clothesline the two Users. A clothesline that had proven to be effective.
The laser arms struck Jade and Andre and sent them hard onto the ground joining Beck. Beck wasn't far away as they crawled to his side. But since Tessler was the one standing it seemed as if the victory was his. And Tessler knew it if the audience cheers were any indication.
Tessler was about to approach the three downed users with new guards by his side when a vehicle roared into the air and landed hard onto the ground. It looked like a 4 wheel drive vehicle made out of similar light. The cockpit opened and the driver, who wore a helmet obscuring her face (but not the curves of her form), said "Get in."
The three users didn't argue. Here was what seemed to be a way out. Once they were aboard the vehicle took off out of the grid as fast as it could. Tessler wasn't worried about the intrusion though. He was hoping for it.
Tessler smiled as he said "Game on my friend." Then the cycle herd regrouped and raced after the escaping users and their rescuer. Rinzler taking the lead.
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The strang vehicle that seemed to be of the same illuminated light as everything else in this strange new world was racing the terrain of the grid. Looking back Jade saw several Light Cycles coming their way. "We've got company."
"Know a way to lose them?" Beck asked as the driver then said "Maybe." Turning the vehicle she headed to what seemed to be a chasm in the ground. Like a canyon that appeared in the ground. Jade and Beck saw where they were heading and wondered when their rescuer lost her sanity.
Andre shouted "Pull back! You're not going to make that!" Jade and Beck also looked shocked especially as the mysterious driver was taking her vehicle to what seemed to be max speed.
"What the CHIZZ?!" Jade shouted as the driver hit a dip and used it to jump the light vehicle across the chasm and landed hard on the other side. The Light Cycles that came into view had to stop as they could not cross the chasm, nor go onto the terrain th was going.
"Made it." Was all the driver had said. Beck then turned to his, Jade's and Andre's mysterious rescuer and asked "Look, I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but can you tell us who you are?"
The helmet retracted to reveal a light toned girl with blue hair. She offered her hand to Beck and said "I'm Mara." She then offered her hand to Andre and Jade. Both shook Mara's hand. Andre then looked back and said "They're not following."
"Not by choice, Andre Harris. Their vehicles aren't made for this type of terrain." Mara explained. Jade looked surprised as she heard Mara mention Andre's full name. "How did you know who he was? Why did you help us?"
"And what could I know about the user Tori Vega?" Mara asked with a slight smile. "Patience Jade West. All your questions will be answered soon." With that Mara drove the Light Runner into what looked like mountains.
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After what seemed to be a drive that took hours, and through several paths and curves that seemed like they shouldn't have been used, they arrived at what seemed to be a garage of some sort. The program Mara shut down the vehicle that was called 'the Light Runner' and quickly got out. Andre, Beck and Jade looked around and got out of the Light Runner themselves.
"On the other side of the screen it all looks so easy." Andre had said looking around their destination trying to get his bearings. Jade however was impatient for answers. "Where are we?" Jade asked.
"Home." Was Mara's answer as off to the side a door slid open where two programs stood in the doorway. One walked forward with hair that looked like he could have been one of the Beatles and hugged Mara. "What were you doing? You could have been derezzed or something."
"You worry too much Zed." Mara had said to her friend. "That's what I love about you." She then hugged her friend back as another program stood behind him. A program with a 'T' shaped symbol on his chest and giving an air of authority. Andre, Beck and Jade figured this was the program in charge of this 'safe house' as it were. "Am I interrupting something?" was the question the other program asked.
"Uh no TRON." Mara had said breaking the hug. "I got the three Users off the grid."
"Good. We'll need all the user help we can get." The program named TRON had said. Andre had paused for a second as he remembered a mention of a game that was in the arcade. A game named TRON.
"Wait. TRON. Are you saying you are THE TRON? From the game?"
"Last I checked." TRON said with a smirk. "There was a time I was someone else." The amusement then faded as he went into a memory he didn't want to revisit, but popped up regardless. "But that was a while ago."
"What is this place?" Jade then asked. Mara answered "A sanctuary built by Kevin Flynn. He hid here once Clu started his occupation of the Grid."
"Are we safe here?" Andre asked. Zed had said "Clu had been here before. He won't come back."
"All right." Jade then said breaking the monotony and looking to get a topic back on track. "Mara is it? You said all our questions will be answered soon. I think 'soon' just became 'now'." Mara then looked at TRON and asked "How is she?"
"Yori's with her." TRON had said. "She's trying to get her to interface with the grid like Flynn." Mara nodded understanding what was happening. They were trying to get her to accomplish what Flynn had done when he was on the grid.
"How good are you with systems?" TRON then asked the three Users. Jade spoke first "I have some skills. Mostly video and effects programs used to create….specific entertainment videos. Don't know about these other two."
"My use of a computer revolves around making music." Andre said. "I have written some music programs though."
"I'm not exactly computer skilled." Beck said. "I've used computers like everyone else, but not really created on them. I am a quick study though." Andre added "If you want someone who is real computer skilled then Robbie would be your best bet."
"Unfortunately he's in the hands of Tessler." TRON said as he dreaded the fate of Robbie, Cat and Trina. "We are trying to help Tori in accessing the grid, but…"
"But what?" Jade asked wondering what insult would come from TRON's mouth. An insult she could use. What instead came out of TRON's mouth was "She's no Flynn." Jade was disappointed in that not only did she not have a good insult to use on Tori, but that TRON was also right.
"With all due respect TRON, I don't think anybody is." Andre said. "Still, can we see her?"
"Of course. Zed do you mind?" Zed nodded as he escorted the three Users down the hall to where Tori was supposedly at. TRON also turned to walk away when Mara stopped him and said "I saw him TRON."
TRON felt the sting of Mara's words and closed his eyes nodding sadly. He knew who Mara was talking about. "I know the hell he's going through. Able was right. I never should have brought him in."
"He wanted to fight back." Mara said. "He just never expected what happened." TRON then remembered Able's last words when they spoke. "We both know how this ends." TRON found they were truer words never spoken.
He then looked at the three Users walk down the aisle moving out of sight to where he said Tori was. "Can they help?" Mara then asked. "Can they overcome Tessler?"
"They are our only hope." TRON said. "We must hope it is the right hope."
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After a long walk Zed led the three users to a balcony of a sort. Two figures were there. Both female, with one standing over the other as she sat kneeled down. "She's in there, but wait before entering. She's training."
"Training?" Beck asked quietly. Zed put his finger to his lips as if telling Beck to be quiet. He then motioned the three Users to watch as he left to pursue other duties. Andre, Jade and Beck then turned to watch the two facing the skyline.
A figure who sat had hair was down her back hanging loose in a familiar fashion. Her hands by her side as another program seemed to be looking at her. The program looking at the kneeling figure was Yori, the girlfriend of TRON.
"All right now. Let's try again." Yori said to the kneeling figure. "Close your eyes, imagine the code before you. See the pattern, manipulate the patterns. The figure nodded as she closed her eyes concentrating. Off to the side Beck, Jade and Andre watched as it seemed like the figure closed her eyes so she could concentrate. For a moment it seemed like the lights around Yori and the figure were flickering in and out. Off to the side it looked like a fruit bowl was floating off the table, along with the silver fruit.
Suddenly the fruit and bowl started to shake and clatter down to the ground. The flickering of the lights stopped, and the figure sighed in frustration. "Damn it!" she said. "I'm trying, I see the code, but I can't understand it. It's all numbers which is all Greek to me."
Yori heard Flynn say the same quote the figure had given. Flynn however had used the quote a lot fewer times than she had. But Yori knew what the problem was, the figure kneeling had problems deciphering the User code, and unless she could do that she couldn't connect to the system like Kevin Flynn could.
"Keep trying Tori." Yori said. "We'll help how we can, and the answer will come to you." Beck, Jade and Andre overheard the name the figure was called. _Could it be?_ they all wondered. _Tori?._
"Man I wish Robbie or Sinjin were here. Or maybe even Jade. She had at least some skill when she put that video together for the Prome." It was at Tori's mentioning of the Prome that Jade decided to let her presence be known. "That video was the highlight of the night if you ask me."
Upon hearing Jade's voice the figure stood up and turned around. Her eyes were wide with wonder and hope as the face of Tori Vega was revealed. "Jade?" Looking at Jade's companions she then asked "Beck? Andre?"
"Yeah Tori. It's us." Beck then said. Andre looked at Tori's body suit, a black suit that showed every curve of her body with armor that left a blue illumination. On her chest was a 'T' symbol much like the one TRON had worn. Her feet had the same wedges Jade had elevating her heels. "Damn girl, that suit is all sorts of tight on you." He couldn't help but say.
"So does yours Andre." Tori said with a smile. She then looked at her three friends crying tears of joy as she reached across to hug them all, happy that she was no longer alone.
"You're here." She said hugging her three friends letting the tears fall. "You're here."
"Yes Tori." Jade said returning the hug letting tears of her own fall. "We're here." Silently she thought _We're all here._
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Argon City
Command Center
On the main deck of the Command Center Tessler walked with the program known as Rinzler by his side. Granted it was not the original Rinzler that stood by Clu, but Tessler was satisfied with the Rinzler he did have.
He remembered when the program was taken after Clu had visited Argon before the Son of Flynn had arrived. TRON had been taken. His apprentice, the Renegade, tried to fight back to no avail. TRON was repurposed, but after Clu had been reintegrated with the creator Kevin Flynn leading to the derezzolution of both program and User Rinzler had disappeared.
Now there were stories that TRON was back again. If that was the case he longed for TRON to face Tessler's own Rinzler. Tessler longed for that confrontation. But in the meantime there were other projects that demanded his attention. An approaching lift tube was to take him to one of them.
"Remain on guard. Inform me of any information on those lost Users inform me immediately." Rinzler nodded as Tessler entered the lift tube taking him to the sub levels of his command complex. After a few seconds the tube arrived at the level Tessler desired.
Tessler walked out of the lift tube to where a series of lab programs were waiting. The lab leader then stepped forward and addressed Tessler. "Welcome General."
Tessler nodded in greeting, but he was more interested in the progress of his scientists. "How is the work progressing?" The scientist answered "It is difficult General. We are trying to apply Dyson's work to their structure, but the coding is more ISO than anything. And we always had difficulty deciphering ISO code."
Tessler nodded in understanding. He shared Clu's belief in perfection, but there came moments when he wondered if eliminating the ISO's was a good idea. Paige had said that perhaps some ISO's should have been kept around to see how their code operated, but the purge removed that possibility.
"We're starting from scratch here." The lead program said. "We do have some data on User code, thanks to some text found in the creator Flynn's dwelling when Clu discovered it." The program directed Tessler's attention to a book called 'Gray's Anatomy' and 'Human biology' as well as several other texts on the human genome. "With the knowledge obtained we can make an attempt at repurposing hopefully within a cycle." Tessler nodded looking for the results to be favorable.
"I guess the creator Flynn was curious about how the ISO's worked." Tessler had said. He then thought about how the ISO's could be similar to the Users. Clu had been successful in rewriting the code of an ISO to make him seem more like a threat to the system leading to a justification of the purge that followed. Based on that one incident Tessler believed repurposing Users was possible, even if the results were crude.
"See that you are successful." Tessler said looking at the three in the tanks above him. "The User world will be grateful for the gift of perfection and repurposing. Whether they believe they need it or not." He then turned and left the three in the tanks. Both held in a form of stasis as scanners and probes went over their forms. Forms adorned in black suits with red illumination.
Forms that were Cat Valentine, Robbie Shapiro, and Trina Vega.
Held in suspension, and awaiting repurposing. Repurposing that fit Clu's, and Tessler's, vision of perfection.
"And if they refused the gift of perfection, well there's always the possibility of another purge." Tessler had said turning his mind to a future that he saw in his mind. A perfect future….as dictated by Clu.
END OF PART 4
Author's Note: Well it took a while but I got part 4 up. There was one fan that wanted me to do more of TRON: Victorious that he posted the request for it in my review section of my intro story for 'The Cybus Project'-another slow project where I have selected the two Disney shows that will cross over-but that's another story for another time.
For those wondering why the wait I'm sorry. There was another project on another archive that demanded my attention, which I'm taking a break from to do this chapter. Also it took a while to do the Light Cycle battle as battle scenes wind up being stories in their own right as one tries to choreograph how the battle is supposed to go. Battles can be stories within stories that tend to be harder to do as they have to keep the reader in suspense as they help the main story continue. In that regard the main story can be easier to do than a battle scene could be. Needless to say there will be more battle scenes to come in this story.
Already you have seen more characters from TRON: Uprising, and if you have suspicions as to what happened to a certain other character from TRON: Uprising. Well, just keep reading. You'll find out who, and more importantly-how, soon enough.
Also, Tori's here-finally. What's her story? Well that is next chapter. I think people already know what is happening to Cat, Trina and Robbie. What happens to them will happen after we hear Tori's story next chapter.
Expect me when you see me.
John