AN: My first fast update. I'm glad I wrote this chapter while I had the ideas, because Identity was one of my favorite episodes. Hopefully everyone enjoys this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Chapter Ten

"I'm sorry, did you say you're looking for Identity Disks?" A program with flabby skin around his face and an obnoxiously large nose asked.

Mira groaned and leaned against the shelves inside the shop. This was their fifth stop so far. The owner of the shop was stingy looking at best. She didn't trust him one bit - the shop itself was covered in a fine layer of dust and grime. He obviously couldn't take care of the place.

While Tron interrogated the shop owner Beck fumbled around through the items that were for sale. He stopped when the owner scoffed.

"I don't know about you, but I run a clean shop here. I'm sorry, you'll have to search elsewhere." Tron sighed irritably and was about to ask something else when Beck stepped in.

"Please, we've been to five shops already. If you have any information at all, it would be helpful," he insisted.

Great, make yourself look weak in front of the owner, Mira thought with a roll of her eyes.

"I can see you're desperate. Let me talk with some of the programs around here, see if they have anything to say." The program stood up when Tron leaned forward.

"We'll come with you."

"Alone," the keeper insisted. "Sorry, it's just the way I roll. There's an energy canteen around the corner. I'll meet you there. You know it's a good thing you've found me. In Purgos, you can't trust anyone." His eyes narrowed before he backed away from the window.

"I'll give him credit for freaking us out," Mira said once they were outside.

"He was lying," Tron grumbled.

"You mean Kobol? He's the only source we have!" Beck sounded more annoyed than anything else.

"If it's a source at all. Beck in case we don't find your disk I need to prepare you for the memory loss." Tron's helmet suddenly receded when he swung around to face them. Mira raised an eyebrow.

She'd heard about strays before. They were programs that had lost their identity disks. Usually they were picked off the streets by Clu's guards and repurposed. She heard rumors that that was how Rinzler had come to be. He was once a warrior program that Clu found and repurposed.

"This should be fun," Beck sighed.

"It's a glitch, it comes without warning, one moment you're normal and the next, you can't even remember your own name. But you'll recover, the first few times."

Beck looked more focused than ever when he heard that. "And after the first few times?"

"Permanent amnesia. You won't remember who you are."

"Well it's not going to come to that. We're going to find my disk and the program that did this to me." This time Beck sounded more serious than before. Mira knew that it was only a matter of time before the glitch happened.

Mira suddenly hid her face when she heard the sounds of footsteps. "I think we're being followed," she whispered.

"More like surrounded," Beck said when Tron's helmet hid his own face.

"Let me handle this," Tron said when Mira reached for her disk. "We don't want any trouble. We're just passing through."

"You've passed through our territory, and you'll pay for trespassing." One of the larger programs growled.

Mira flinched when she recognized the voice. It sounded too much like Kobol, the shop keeper. If it was Kobol, than she was going to derez him on the spot. She wasn't about to take any chances with some slimy program.

Almost at once the fighting broke out. Tron was fighting four programs at once, but he could easily defend himself. Mira found herself facing two programs at once. Their laughter was enough to send fire through her veins as she grabbed her disk and swung it into the first program.

One of them suddenly grabbed her by the wrist and chuckled. "Looks like we've found ourselves a little bird," he sneered. "We're gonna teach you a lesson kid!"

Before the program could make his move Beck was on him in an instant. Mira gasped in thanks when the program was knocked unconscious. She was about to thank him when his eyes widened in shock.

"Who are you? Who am I?" he shouted.

Oh Users, not now! Mira thought desperately.

"Come on Beck, snap out of it!" she cried. She tried to look for Tron in the crowd of programs, but he was too preoccupied with the programs that had surrounded him.

"Take them." The program that had uttered those first words stood out in the crowd. Mira's fists clenched when she realized he'd let his crones do the dirty work for him.

She was about to say something back when a program dressed in a white shall jumped down from the buildings above. Her eyes widened in disbelief when the program slammed her boots into the face of the leader. She threw what looked like a bomb at the ground and grabbed Beck by the wrist.

"Come on!" she ordered.

Mira didn't bother asking the program who she was. She ran after her and realized that Tron was following. They didn't stop running until they reached a latter. The female program was the first to climb, than Tron followed. Mira was last to climb up, and she was thankful that she had a chance to rest.

"I think I had my first memory glitch," Beck announced as Tron helped him up.

"We should keep moving." Tron sounded indifferent despite what had happened.

"Gee, I'm so glad you're concerned," Beck scoffed.

"I think that's his way of saying he's worried," Mira whispered. Beck grinned back at her before he looked at the female program that had helped them.

She rolled her eyes when the program lifted her shall. She was a slim looking program - a Siren. She had short brown hair and very pale blue eyes. Mira had never seen a program quite like this before. She looked nothing like the Sirens Mira had seen before.

Annoyance flared within Mira when she noticed that Beck was all-struck with the program's appearance. Her fists clenched together before she pushed away the burning jealousy. This wasn't the right place to get angry.

"Why did you help us?" Tron demanded once he too got a good look at the program.

"Because you needed it. You're welcome by the way. My name's Lux." She glanced at Mira before looking back at Tron.

"My name's Beck. This is Mira, and that's um..." Beck didn't bother explaining who Tron was. Mira would have laughed if it were not for the situation. "My friend." Tron shot Beck what she thought was a skeptical look.

"I've seen programs like you before Beck," Lux whispered.

"What kind of programs?" Mira demanded coldly.

"Strays." The word sent shivers down Mira's spine. Somehow she had a feeling that Lux knew all too well what strays were like. Maybe Lux had a thing for strays - sending them to Clu to get repurposed.

"I'm not a stray yet," Beck insisted.

"You will be if you keep wandering around like that. I know my way around Purgos. I can help you," Lux told them.

I know this city as well as you do, Mira told herself. We don't need your help. It seemed as though she had no say in the matter as Lux flew down the building. Beck looked more impressed than ever with Lux's lithe figure.

"If I'm losing my memory than I'm glad she's the last thing I'll see," Beck said before following her.

"Focus Beck." Tron sounded irritated with Beck's sudden interest in Lux. Mira could imagine he'd rolled his eyes at that moment.

. . .

Kobol didn't tell them that the energy canteen was actually a club. Music blasted from the background as Mira sat across from Tron, who had ordered a drink. He insisted that she drink something herself after the fight with those gang members. She wasn't in the mood for a drink though.

"I don't like this one bit," she grumbled as she leaned against her seat.

"Lux or Kobol?" Tron was more focused on the music than her, but she didn't mind.

"Both. There's just something about them that... gives me goosebumps." Tron looked at her this time in what she guessed was confusion. Goosebumps were something programs had never felt. "They make your skin look pale, and... well it's hard to describe."

Tron nodded and left it at that. Mira was about to say something else when Lux returned from asking around for news on missing disks.

"Well I've just asked programs if they've heard about missing disks," she sighed. "It seems they know nothing about it."

"And Kobol's a no-show," Beck muttered.

"Beck, there's a program over there that's been staring at you since we've gotten here," Tron suddenly said.

Mira hadn't even noticed the program in the corner of the club. He was giving Beck an odd look, like he knew something he shouldn't. He had black hair that lengthened to his ears. Mira's eyes narrowed into tiny slits when he suddenly stood up.

"I think that's the program that conned me," Beck announced.

"His name's Galt, a small-time thief," Lux explained.

And just how do you know that? Mira wanted to demand. She didn't bother asking it out loud though. Galt was already half way out of the building when they reached him. He was trying desperately to open the door and make a getaway before they reached him.

"Galt!" He gasped when Beck shouted his name. "I didn't get your name... when you were stealing my disk!"

"Uh, I... I don't know what you're talking about!" Galt stammered. "What disk?"

"It looks a lot like this." Tron swung his disk against Galt's throat, and the program gulped.

"Alright I'll talk!" Mira forced back a grin when the program panicked. "I already gave it away... but the program I sold it to isn't as friendly as you guys. Everyone's going to know who you are, Rena-" He was cut off when a disk suddenly slammed through the door. Before Galt knew what was happening he derezzed on the spot. Mira's eyes widened in disbelief when she realized what had happened. The program that did this fled on a light cycle.

Tron slammed the door apart and leaped onto his own light cycle. Mira and Beck followed suit, along with Lux who was close behind. Mira sped forward without warning and slammed into the light cycle the program was using. It was the same program that had led the gang members after them.

And can those two be any more blind? she wondered. How could Tron of all programs not realize that this was the same program?

She tried not to think about it as she glowered at the program, who she knew was Kobol in disguise. He glared back at her and tried to knock her off of her cycle. She dodged the kick and reached for her disk. Before she could attack however Beck managed to catch up and slammed into Kobol's other side.

"Don't let him out of your sight!" he shouted.

No duh, Mira thought with a roll of her eyes. She was about to say something sarcastic when Beck's eyes widened. She realized what was happening and pulled the breaks on her light cycle. Tron and Kobol had taken the lead while Lux stayed behind.

"Beck, focus!" Lux told him.

It was too late however. Mira gasped when Beck rolled off of his light cycle, sending it into the light ribbon that Kobol had created. Her fists clenched together when she realized that he'd had another memory glitch. Tron pulled to a stop and spun around when he realized what had happened, letting Kobol get away.

"How many more glitches does he have?" Mira whispered when Tron reached them.

"Too few left," he replied.

AN: Wonder what will happen now? Stay tuned to find out XP

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