SMSTSS 16: Tron Upgrade Edition 2.0! – By DS Wynne


Disclaimer: SM, R1/2, ST, Tron, the Matrix Trilogy and other properties belong to their respective owners.

Note: This story has been extended a bit beyond 3-parts, but not beyond six at the most (due to story mechanics; it will be complete by this weekend). It'll depend upon the word count and structure.

Special Note: This story is a sequel to "Tron Upgrade Edition", but ties into the movie "Tron Legacy".


Part 9


Meanwhile, Sam sees his opponent, as he goes underneath the Arena's floor. With the floor see-through, Sam could mentally calculate the speed vectors of his opponent's lightcyle. Upon seeing a ramp back towards the surface, Sam sped up his lightcycle, causing it to fly over his opponent. He then increased his speed, swerved in front of his opponent, and caused his opponent to crash into Sam's light trail, resulting in him getting derezed.

"Whoa," Sam replied, as he looks back.

Meanwhile, Ranma began his trek below the Arena, and then back up on a circular cone ramp that would end with him going back to the surface. He noticed that Clu 2.0 had gotten on the same cone ramp, and was on the verge to intercept him. He also sees that Clu 2.0 was reaching for his back.

"So, Clu wants to play 'joust', eh?" Ranma said, as he prepares to remove his own data disc from his back. He also prepares another surprise…

Clu 2.0 removes his data disc from his back, and strikes. However, Ranma uses his legs to clasp his lightcycle tightly. He then uses his own data disc to block Clu 2.0's attack. However, with his other hand, Ranma unsheathes his lightsword from its baton, which was attached to the small of his back. The energy blade itself elongates, glowing a white.

"Surprise!" Ranma yelled, as he stuck his sword into Clu 2.0's bike, slice it in half.

Clu 2.0's bike began to wobble, as he attempts to gain control over his lightcycle, before it began derez. At the last minute, however, Clu 2.0's elite enforcer, Rinzler, comes up behind Ranma, and grabs Clu 2.0 before Clu 2.0's bike completely disintegrated.

"I hate that guy," Clu 2.0 said.

Rinzler says nothing, as he hands Clu 2.0 another baton, from which he could produce another lightcycle…

Meanwhile, Ranma moves off, re-sheathing his sword in the process, while placing his data disc back on his back. He then spots Sam.

"How's it going, kid?" Ranma asked, as he rode along side of Usagi's son.

"Somewhat difficult to get used to, but I think I got the hang of it," Sam said with a mild sense of annoyance. He didn't like being called 'kid', but says nothing since he needed Ranma's help in dealing with Clu 2.0 and his fellow riders…

"Good, because we need to take care of the rest of the opposition," Ranma replied.

"I see them," Sam said, as he spots what Ranma can see. "Follow my lead…"

With that, Ranma and Sam pursue their attack vector.

Meanwhile, perplexed by Ranma's actions, Clu 2.0 taps the side of his helmet, to get more information on his opponent, creating a screen on the glass itself.

"Yes, Lord Clu?" Jeeves asked.

"One of the combatants in the Arena is not one of the usual 'scrubs'," Clu 2.0 said. "Who is he?"

"He is a last minute replacement, sire," Jeeves replied, as the profile of Ranma Saotome appears on a separate screen. "We did not have time to perform a proper background."

"You should have, Jeeves," Clu 2.0 said angrily. "This person is connected to the user Usagi Tsukino."

"I did not know that, sire."

"By the way, how is the processing of Usagi Tsukino coming along?" Clu 2.0 asked.

"The process, um…"

"Don't tell me; someone snatched her from your custody."

"Sir, I can explain-"

"Don't, Jeeves. Just find her, and post an alert on this Ranma person…"

Pause.

"Don't displease me again, Jeeves."

"Of course, sir," Jeeves said, as he swallowed. He knew the implied threat behind Clu 2.0's words.

When the window screen reverts back to normal, Clu 2.0 pats Rinzler on his back. Once Rinzler had stabilize his ride, Clu 2.0 jumps off Rinzler's bike, activates a new lightcycle, by pulling apart his baton, and then proceeds to ride on his own.

"Let's end this," Clu 2.0 said with determination, as he and Rinzler move to intercept Ranma and Sam.

Meanwhile, Siren, Akane and Usagi were being chased by Clu 2.0's so-called "Black Guard".

"Hurry!" Siren yelled, as she pulls apart her baton. It quickly forms into a sleek, white roadster glowing trim.

"I still can't believe how awesome that is," Akane said. She then turns towards Usagi, who was coming up behind her.

"Come on!" Akane said.

"Sorry about that," Usagi said, as she and Akane slips into the roadster. "Thanks to Clu's modifications, my center of balance is off."

"Meaning you are a bit top-heavy," Siren offered.

"And I have smaller feet, wider hips, a tiny waist and a bigger, rounder, heart-shaped-"

"Okay, okay, we get it," Akane said with annoyance. Knowing her co-wife well, she wouldn't be surprised if Usagi, before she gets back to normal, will try to lure Ranma into partaking "marital relations"…

"Okay, strap into your seat," Siren said, as she started the engine to her vehicle. "This may feel…weird."

With that, Siren jammed the accelerator, cause the light roadster to move. In minutes, the roadster emitted a trail of blue light.

"What is with these light trails?" Akane asked.

"Beats me," Usagi replied with a shrug. "But it does look cool."

"That's beside the point, you know…"

Siren immediately banks left at a complete right angle, and goes up an on-ramp to what appeared to be a freeway system.

"Where are we going?" Akane asked. "I thought we were going back to Castor's place."

"We can't go straight back there, without risk bringing Clu's 'Black Guard' to the 'End of the Line Club'," Siren said, as she increased the speed of her vehicle.

"We might not be able to pull that off," Usagi said, as she looks at the vehicle's instrument panel, and noticed something.

"Um, this is the sensor unit, right?"

"Yes," Siren said. "We can track activity of the Black Guard."

"Including Recognizers, light cycles and light tanks?"

"Why, yes," Siren said, as she concentrated on the road. "What of it?"

"What Usagi is saying is that we're being chased," Akane said drolly, as a pair of recognizers, escorted by a squad of light cycles was giving chase. The lead recognizer began to discharge energy disruptions at Siren's light roadster.

"Huh," Siren said, as she swerved to avoid getting hit. "Had I known that the Black Guard would utilize Recognizers immediately, I would have been more prepared."

"I think I can help," Usagi said, as she touches the paneling of the light roadster. A graphic interface appears virtually, allowing her to reprogram the Siren's vehicle.

"What are you doing?" Akane asked.

"Flipping the script," Usagi said, as her finger danced across the interface. "I swear, trying to figure out script like this is harder than it looks."

"But you make it look so easy," Akane replied. "I still can't believe you two can do that 'Reality Hacking' stuff."

"I can't speak for Ranma, but it took me years to figure out that, for example, SQL wasn't the name of a rock band."

"You don't say…"

Suddenly, the back of the light roadster reforms to include a rear machine turret.

"Akane, can you-?"

Usagi realized that Akane didn't need any cues to take control of the new joystick, as the youngest Tendo sister began to press the trigger rapidly.

"Take that!" Akane yelled. "This is what you get for dragging Ranma and me to this…place!"

And, with that, Akane returned disruptor fire with abandonment.

"Your friend seems to enjoy doing that," Siren replied.

"Well we might need Akane's enthusiasm, since I'm detecting more opposition," Usagi replied. "Apparently, the Black Guard has set up a barricade a few parsecs ahead of us, and are aligning tanks to stop us…dead."

"Can you reprogram my light roadster for additional add-ons?" Siren asked.

"Unfortunately not, due to the necessary free memory space I would need to reprogram your vehicle. Besides, if I reconfigure your vehicle, Akane might lose her new 'toy'-"

"Take that!" Akane yelled. "Oh, yeah? You some of what I got, too! Pow! HAHAHAHA-!"

"I see your point," Siren said, as she uncharacteristically produces a sweat drop on the back of her head. "Is there nothing you can do, creator of the Grid?"

"That's it!" Usagi said, as she smacks her forehead. She began to furiously tap her fingers upon the virtual interface.

"Creator…?"

"Flynn was genius when he designed the Grid," Usagi said. "But he needed an architect to help set the parameters, and Clu knew what he was doing when he tried to reformat me."

"What do you mean?"

"This," Usagi said, as she pressed the "Return" key on the virtual user interface. Almost immediately, Siren began to notice changes in her Grid map.

"The landscape is changing," Siren said.

"Not changing; revealing," Usagi said proudly. "I put in sub-level overlay that was not a part of Flynn's original design of the Grid, which is why Clu wanted to reformat me. It was his way of making sure that all bases were covered, I'm sure of it…"

Soon enough, a new off-ramp had formed, connecting to the speedway to a new road that went underground.

"Make the turn here, and then floor it," Usagi said, as she continued to hack into the Grid. "After we're end, I'll close the door behind us. From there, we can go anywhere"

"Do you think the Black Guard will follow us? I want to get to Castor's without detection."

"I hope not…"

With that, Siren swerves right, gets on the off-ramp, and heads straight into a series of underground roads that surpassed the boundaries of the Tron City…

Meanwhile, Sam and Ranma got themselves into a bit of a snag, when Clu 2.0 managed to cut Sam's light cycle in half with his data disc, causing the bike to be cut in half.

"Damn!" Sam yelled, as he takes a tumble. He quickly gets up, and sees Clu 2.0 circle around to take another pass at Sam.

"Well, this is going to get interesting," Sam said, as he takes out his data disc, and prepares to strike when Clu 2.0 is close enough.

"Here goes nothing," Sam said.

Clu 2.0 raises his own data disc, and was prepared to strike down the son of Kevin Flynn…

Meanwhile, Ranma, having finished off another one of Clu 2.0's riders, when he sees what Clu 2.0 was trying to do. Flooring the engine of his own light cycle, Ranma was determined to intercept the tyrannical administrator program.

"Not on my watch, dude," Ranma said to himself, as he prepares to ram his bike into Clu 2.0's.

Suddenly, a four-wheeled vehicle leaps over the stands, and speeds to intercept Clu 2.0 with its light contrails.

"WHAT?" Sam, Ranma and Clu 2.0 said in unison, although for different reasons.

As soon as Clu 2.0 smashes into the mystery vehicle's contrails, Clue 2.0 leaps off to avoid being de-rezzed. Meanwhile, the mystery vehicle stops near Sam, where a masked female addresses a confused Sam.

"Get in," the female said.

"Who are you?" Sam asked.

"A friend of your father, Sam Flynn," said the female.

Ranma soon drives up.

"What's going on?" Ranma asked.

"Not sure, but she knows my Dad, apparently," Sam said.

The female turns towards Ranma and cautiously examines Ranma.

"A friend?" the female program asked.

"Apparently, this guy knows my Mom," Sam said, as he glances towards Ranma.

"Then he should come with us," the female said. "Although, I'm not sure if my vehicle is big enough for more passengers…"

"Where are you going?" Ranma asked.

"To the unformatted sectors of the Grid," the female replied. "I don't think your light cycle will be adequate to handle to trip to where the creator of the Grid is."

"Then you can take me to my father?" Sam asked.

"Yes, but we must hurry…"

Sam, Ranma and the mystery program turn to see Rinzler, Clu 2.0's enforcer on approach.

"Sam, get into the vehicle," Ranma said, as he touches the female program's vehicle. "I'll follow."

"Are you sure you can follow?" the mystery female said, as Sam gets into vehicle.

"I just hacked the parameters of you light vehicle," Ranma said. "I can make a quick conversion."

"Then, follow me," the female said, as she guns the engines of her light car, and heads to the wall of the Arena. She discharges a pair of balls that explodes the walls on impact, creating the opening she needed. Upon leaping out of the Arena, she converts her vehicle into an all-terrain model.

Ranma does the same to his light cycle, giving it a dirt-bike design.

As the two vehicles disappear into the ether, Rinzler is forced to stop his pursuit, since his own light cycle was not convertible…

"We're almost here," said the mystery female, whose name was 'Quorra', a program who served as her guardian's eyes and ears. She was going up a platform elevator with her guests Sam and Ranma…

"Are you okay, kid?" Ranma asked, as he glances towards Sam.

"A little nervous, I guess," Sam replied. "I don't know what my Mom told you about Kevin, but-"

"You don't have to explain anything," Ranma replied, as he sees a large, spacious room that was both Spartan and pristine. In the center was a man sitting in a lotus position on a pillow, showing only his back towards the new arrivals…

"Wait here," Quorra said, as she goes over to the man. She whispers something into the man's ear. The man responded by getting up, and then facing Ranma and Sam.

"Sam?" the man said in bewilderment.

Ranma squint his eyes. He had met Kevin Flynn back in the 1980s, when he and Usagi were apparently involved, but he was amazed how different Kevin looked. Gone was the boyish charm, with the clean-cut visage and a sunny disposition. Standing before him and Sam was a bearded sage.

"Dad?" Sam replied tenderly, not really sure how to deal with the moment.

Kevin then sees Ranma. His demeanor turns slightly dark.

"You," Kevin replied.

"You know this User, Flynn?" Quorra asked, not sure if she made the right decision in bringing Ranma with her.

"I do," Kevin replied, as he balled his fist. "This man is Ranma Saotome, the husband of Sam's mother."

Sam turns to look at Ranma in shock.

"Um, sorry about this," Ranma said, feeling embarrassed for not being up front in his identity. He had a feeling that it's going to be a long night ahead of him…

Tbc.