Retribution slowly folded up the gateway that Lora had programmed to be a portal back to the real world. She had been terribly disturbed when Toby had not been able to go through it with the others.

Toby was still amazed by what he had seen. "I can't believe it. It's like the road runner's portable hole! They just walked through and vanished—nothing on the other side! That is so cool!"

"Not cool enough, apparently." Retribution clipped the portal (now a small square) onto her belt and stood up. "It was supposed to take any users that were here, home."

Toby scratched his head. "I figured that. I tried. But it was like…like when you try to push two magnets together. The closer I got to the portal, the harder it pushed me away."

"I don't understand it."

"Well, think about it," Toby rubbed his chin. "Your user was probably planning for those she knew where here. I'm not sure anyone knows I'm here. Except the folks who just left."

"Still…I…you were not in the plan. I'm supposed to meet with someone, but it's not you."

Toby smiled wryly. "Sorry to disappoint."

Retribution smiled and shook her head. "It's not that. I just know my user wouldn't want anyone-especially a user-to get hurt."

"We do want to avoid that, I agree. What's the next part of this plan?"

Retribution sighed. Her blue eyes met Toby's. "I have to find the Lead. But I need someone with me. Someone particular."

He crossed his arms, glanced around, thinking. "Okay then. So I tag along."

Retribution looked dubious.

"Don't worry," Toby put his hands up disarmingly. "I won't get in your way. I'm not like those stupid characters in movies that are told to stay out of the way and then go poking around and get captured."

Retribution raised an eyebrow. "Movies?"

"Never mind. I'm just telling you, I'll stay out of your way. You're the boss…" Toby glanced up at the dark sky. "I've got to stick with you if I ever want to get out of here and get home."

"I wouldn't leave you here anyway. Not in my nature." She smiled again and then tossed him a glowing bar.

Toby caught it. "Another jet ride?"

"No," Retribution pulled another bar out. "Lightcycles. We're close to the Lead. I can sense her. It's part of my programming. We damaged her ship and they've had to set down for repairs. It's not too far. They'd see jets coming. Cycles are harder to detect. Especially these."

"What makes these so special?"

"They're called shadowcycles. Written by Flynn himself."

"Kevin Flynn? My uncle?"

Retribution looked at Toby in surprise. "You know him?"

"Know him? I grew up with him playing practical jokes on me. Loved it. He's a great guy." Toby grinned. "My cousin Sam's a chip off the ol' block." His smile faded. "I wish Flynn was here. He'd know how to handle this way more than me."

There was a sudden shift in the air, a strange sort of shrug in the world around them.

"Did you feel that?" Retribution asked.

"Y-yeah…I felt it."

"There's something near us…" In a flash, her identity disks were in her hands.

"No." Toby shook his head and seemed to be looking inside himself. "I don't know how to explain it, but whatever just happened...I did it."

"You?"

"I just felt a force, power of some kind, just moved out of me and away from us. I…I don't understand it."

After carefully glancing around and listening, Retribution put away her identity disks. She walked over to Toby and took his face in her hand. She looked carefully into his eyes. "There is something different about you. You are not just any user."

In the distance, they heard a rumbling. Quite far away, a blue beam of light, streaked with red lighting, split the sky as it tore upwards into the endless, dark expanse.

Retribution's head jerked around to see it. "That's her. That's the Lead—she's communicating with Lora," she squinted at the strange beam, "or trying to. Something bad is happening over there. Come on!"

She grasped the bar of her lightcycle and in an instant was seated on and revving a humming, yellow motorcycle. Toby did the same and found himself astride a bright green one. As they took off, they streaked a tail of color behind them, but only for a moment. As Toby followed Retribution, her yellow cycle began to visually waver and grow smoky. Soon, she appeared to be nothing more than a moving wisp of smoke, blending in with the gray surroundings.

"Shadowcycles," Toby grinned. "Cool."

"I could've changed his coloring," Hazel said as she followed Tron down a bright corridor, Tracer close behind. "He wouldn't have had to stay with the solar sailer."

Tron shook his head. "Not a good idea. Wulf is a proud Red. He made his choices and has lived with them since. He's glad with who he is. Besides, he's not a fan of Blue Fleet HQ."

"All right," Hazel said, watching other programs going here and there, passing them. The corridor opened onto a huge circular chasm that seemed to go down forever. Beams of light criss-crossed the open space at all levels, single-rider versions of solar sailers riding the beams in every direction. Hazel couldn't help watching all of this for a moment. She glanced upwards. High above them was a giant glowing ball that reminded her of the sun, except that it didn't hurt to look at it. Golden light filtered down from it in luminous sheets. Just looking at it raised her energy level.

Tracer gaped. "Wow…the Central Core. Never thought I'd see that."

Tron paused in his quick step and turned back. "There's not many of them. It's a unique form of energy. Unlike the energy we drink, it gives us life just by being near it."

"It's beautiful," Hazel breathed. So taken by it was she, that she reached her hands up toward it.

Inexplicably, a shaft of light arced up and away from the core, streaking down to meet her hands. She cried out as the energy filled her and pulled her off the ground. But it was only for a moment. The light faded and her feet touched back down. Tracer jumped to her side to make sure she didn't fall.

Programs had stopped in their tracks and were looking at her. Hazel, though, saw only that the key symbol on her chest was now glowing a soft green.

"Are you all right?" Tron asked, quickly.

"Yes, I've never felt better. But look…it did something to the key."

Tracer shook his head. "Screw the key…that should've killed you!"

Tron noticed the passersby staring and began waving them off. "We're here to see Dumont," he told them. "This is a new program, nothing to worry about." He turned back to Hazel and Tracer. "Come on. Things are just getting too strange."

As they walked briskly along the path that followed the circular wall, Hazel asked Tron, "That doesn't normally happen, does it?"

"No," he answered. "I've never seen anything like that before. Can you tell me what you did?"

"Nothing. I was just admiring the beauty of the Central Core; it was…it was like there was something familiar there."

"You reached for it."

"I guess, in a way, I wanted to touch it."

They lapsed into silence, Hazel still wondering about the change in the key symbol's color.

They turned down a side corridor and Tron came to a halt in front of a door. "We're here," he said, pressing his hand to a pad next to the entryway. The door slid open.

A guard stood in the first room, but quickly let Tron and the others by. They entered what looked like a large control room, several programs seated and monitoring information on hovering screens. An older program, wearing a robe-like garment, turned to see who had just entered.

Tron called out, "Dumont!" at the very same time that Hazel gasped, "Grandpa!"

Dumont looked stunned as the woman ran over to him and embraced him. "Hazel?" he asked, incredulously.

She pulled back joyfully, then paused, remembering where she was. "Wait…you…you can't be my grandfather…"

Dumont smiled gently. "I am one of his programs. Your grandfather was my user. I can't…I can't believe you are here. How did you get here? Or more importantly," his gaze shifted to Tron who had joined them, "how do we get you home?"

Tron looked at Hazel with something close to reverence. "She is the granddaughter of your user?"

Dumont winked at Hazel. "My user is something of a god around here. Come. You must tell me everything that has happened. And who is this?" He indicated Tracer.

"A friend," Hazel said, meeting Tracer's glance. "We'll tell you everything."

They followed Dumont to a separate room off the main control center.

Cipher and several other programs waited outside of the Lead's quarters.

"She looked pretty bad," one said.

"That tower came down right on top of her," said another.

They grew silent as the door opened and Anthro stepped out. Cipher caught a glimpse of the Lead, still unconscious, lying on her bunk. Anthro shut the door and looked at the anxious programs.

"She has not returned to consciousness," he began gravely. "The damage is significant. I don't know how long it will take for her to recover."

Cipher waited for more. "Is there nothing to be done for her? Our plans progress and the ship is nearly repaired."

"As you said, our plans progress. We will continue with them. I will be in charge."

Cipher's expression darkened. "You? The Lead has said nothing about who should succeed her if she were not able."

Anthro eyed him. "You doubt my ability?"

"I just think we should wait. This was her plan."

"This is our plan." He waved his arm to indicate the others. "All of our plan. You know as well as I do…as well as she did, that we cannot wait. Time races on and we will lose our window of opportunity if we do not keep going." Anthro turned to go.

"You're forgetting one small detail."

Anthro paused.

Cipher watched him. "We don't have anyone to target for us. The Lead told us. Tracer is back here. We don't have anyone on Landfall."

Anthro turned slightly. "Yes, we do."

There was a collective gasp from the gathered programs.

"Who?" Cipher demanded.

"Someone the Lead put in place. Let's just say she had a backup plan. And it's just been activated." He turned fully to look at Cipher and the other programs. "We are going to Landfall. Just like we planned. Are you with me?"

Cipher looked at those around him; they were in agreement. His own faith in the Lead was restored by this unexpected news.

He nodded. "We're with you."