Chapter Ten

By now Beck was getting used to creeping along the extensive network of underground tunnels. Users, how many tunnels did one general need? The question that left Beck shaking his head in annoyance would never be answered. So he avoided any soldiers blocking the way and took different twists and turns.

That was pretty much how he spent the next few pectrocycles. Just wandering aimlessly through the halls trying to find where Dyson was hiding. It was a boring job. But he needed to keep up his work if he wanted to get anywhere.

What he wouldn't give to have someone to chat with. At least when Mira was with him she'd always have something to say. Now that he was alone he realized just how much he missed her. And not just because she had kept him company during missions.

He paused when he reached what looked like a dead end. The tunnel was winding towards the left. It made him wonder if these tunnels were all connected to the three bases that Dyson had kept in operation. If that was the case than finding Dyson would be easier than he'd originally thought.

Suddenly the sound of footsteps echoing caught his attention. Beck reached for his disk, growing tired of knocking out soldier after soldier. The sound was getting closer as he got further down the tunnel. Without warning he threw his disk, only to have it blocked by a light sword. In a matter of nanocycles the enemy had him pinned to the floor, sword aimed for his neck as he struggled to free himself. His mask receded when he recognized his attacker.

"Natasha?" The red-head suddenly released her grip on the light sword, looking more amused than anything else. "How did you..." He cut himself off, already knowing the answer.

"These tunnels are all connected," she replied.

"Wait, how many times have you been through here?" He was surprised when she helped him up.

"Enough times to know that Dyson is here, waiting for us," she explained. "He has guards posted in one central room. Clint and Tron are closer to it than they realize."

Okay, that was pretty impressive. He always kept forgetting how much more experienced Natasha was with these situations.

"So we take out the guards and than Dyson," he suggested as they started making their way through the tunnels once more.

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy," Natasha pointed out. "From what I've gathered those soldiers are there to give Dyson an alarm. If anyone manages to reach that room he will know, if he doesn't already."

Beck pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. So much for this being simple. If what she said was true than Dyson probably had some sort of backup plan. He was determined to make Clu's dream of a 'perfect system' come true.

So the two of them made their way carefully towards the room Natasha had mentioned. Only to find that the soldiers had already been taken down. Beck raised an eyebrow curiously when he saw that the door to the room was already opened.

Natasha was the first to venture forward, boldly making her way into the room where Dyson was hiding. Or as Beck would soon find out, simply seated at what looked like a throne with the soldier from Purgos standing beside him.

"The Renegade and infamous Black Widow... I was wondering when you two would show up, seeing as your friends have already tried taking me down." The grin Dyson wore made Beck wish he could tackle the corrupted program off that throne. But seeing as they were evenly matched, he knew better.

"Wait, what do you mean-" Dyson cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"Your wonderful mentor, Tron, was easy to take down. As for the other User that was with him, well, you can see how that ended," Dyson replied with another low chuckle. Before he had a chance to say anything else, Natasha lunged forward. She moved faster than Beck could think, pinning Dyson against the chair with the light sword Tron had given pressed at his neck.

"Where is Mira?" Beck's eyes widened at the question. He hadn't even thought of asking that, and suddenly that familiar pain in his chest returned. Dyson's grin only grew wider, to the point of creeping Beck out. How much worse could this nutcase get?

"Standing right beside you, actually." The light sword was poised to strike, only to be knocked out of her hands. The soldier standing beside Dyson earlier twisted Natasha's wrist behind her back, throwing her right onto the floor. "Tron made the mistake of training this little User... such a strong one, thanks to him. I find much better use of that strength, if you haven't noticed."

That's Mira? Beck's eyes widened again, this time in horror, when he recognized the symbol on the soldier's chest. When Mira had left them after the incident with Cyrus, she had changed her suit's appearance and name to keep Tron and Clu off her trail. Now he suddenly understood why this soldier had looked so familiar.

"What have you done to her?" Natasha threw her legs forward, landing on her feet moments before Mira easily caught up with her, this time kicking her in the thigh. The two were evenly matched, but Mira's smaller size made it easier to twist away from Natasha's attacks.

"The scientists I recruited developed a modified code, to repurpose Users," Dyson explained. "I knew full well which User I would test it on. The one that Tron and his apprentice care so much about."

This time Beck struck out, anger getting the better of him. Now he understood why Tron was intent on derezzing this lunatic. Dyson was mad enough to test on a User and turn them into something they were not.

Beck swung a fist into Dyson's face, colliding with his nose. The general didn't even flinch as he heard something snap. Relentlessly Beck kept throwing a fist at Dyson, ignoring the fact that he was tiring out. The final fist he threw was aimed at the stomach, only to be stopped with a simple flick of the wrist.

"Why don't we end this, shall we?" It didn't take long for Beck to register what that meant. He was about to say something when a sharp pain stabbed at his side. Almost at once black spots clouded his vision, until he was struggling to stand. "As I said before, I'm here to finish what I started."

AN: Apologies for the shorter chapter, but what can ya do? On the plus side, lots of exciting things happening :P So... yeah. Thanks 2theSky, QuilSniv, and Panda Bear Lover 317 for reviewing! You guys are awesome :)