AN: And this is the longest chapter I have ever written. Like over four thousand words! For me that's an accomplishment, and since I've written this many words I decided to post early. And this one is about the end of the back story, but there will be more in due time. Enjoy the long chapter :)

Chapter Fourteen

For the last few cycles Mira had been taught how to ride a light cycle. She had learned how to use her disk in battles, and her light staff for self defense. She was becoming more agile by the passing cycle, and knew which programs to avoid and where to go next. Her new goal was to reach Tron City, where the Portal was located. With Flynn around he might be able to send her back to the User world, where she desperately wanted to find her parents.

Her thoughts churned with anxiety as she wondered what Flynn would say when she found him. She had also wondered if Tron would be with him. The security program had never even considered that another User had followed Flynn onto the Grid.

Once she was finished with her training she had decided to leave Castor and Gem to further explore the Grid. Each city she explored there were programs that had begun to notice how much smaller she was compared to them. None of the programs had a chance to question her though as she usually fled before they approached. She knew that Flynn or one of the security programs would soon discover that he was not the only User on the Grid.

She tried not to think about it when she reached the outlines of the city. Programs were wandering around aimlessly as they fulfilled their missions. Mira had learned that they did what they were programed for. Castor was an exception to the program's abilities. She had discovered that he had a security monitor's ability, but it was with limitations. And then there was a new problem that Mira had discovered within the Grid.

The ISOs. She had seen a couple of these ISOs before at the clubs, but she rarely spent time with them. They were different from other programs. They could do what they wanted without following Flynn's orders. Some of the programs had called them dangerous because of their new-found freedom. Mira thought they were just strange to begin with because of the odd tattoo on their shoulder.

"Hey, what are you doing so close to the city?" Mira rolled her eyes as a program with orange lights approached her. It was one of the guards that followed Clu's orders. She had noticed there were more and more guards around, probing the other programs and derezzing them when they got out of line.

"I was hoping to meet with the Creator," she replied innocently. "Is he here?" She already knew that Flynn was here. The light from the Portal showed like a beacon.

"He doesn't have time for you." The guard reached for his disk, and Mira immediately tensed. She didn't have a chance to react when he threw the disk. Her eyes widened in horror when it cut across her arm. She forced back a cry of pain when the disk tore through her suit. The guard's eyes widened when he realized that she wasn't derezzing. "User!" Before he had a chance to call an alarm a disk flew into his chest. The guard let out his own cry as he was derezzed on the spot.

"Thought that guy would never shut up." Mira looked up suspiciously to see a darker-skinned program standing beside the derezzed guard. "Name's Cutler," he explained. "I've been noticing more guard activity and thought I'd check it out. Turns out I made the right move."

"Why did you help me?" she demanded when she put her hand on her injured shoulder.

"Because you needed it," Cutler replied. He glanced at her shoulder and narrowed his eyes. "You should see a medic about that."

"It's not like they can be of any use," she muttered with a shrug. That was enough to cause pain, and she immediately regretted the movement. "Besides, Users can heal their wounds." She struggled to remain standing as Cutler raised an eyebrow.

"Right," he said with a roll of his eyes. "So why would another User be here?"

"That's kind of why I'm here," she explained. "I was hoping to see if Flynn would be able to get me back home before the Portal closes again."

"That might be easier said than done," Cutler said when Mira reached for her light cycle baton. She gasped when she heard the sounds of battle echoing in the distance. "Look kid, I'm not programmed for fighting. If you really want to see what's going on, I'd heard in that direction."

Mira studied him carefully for a few nanocycles. She knew that he was wary of her, and she couldn't blame him. She herself was wary of any program she came across, especially after what had just happened. Eventually she nodded and sped away, leaving Cutler in the dust.

I'll find my own way out of the Grid, she told herself. I won't let my parents worry about me.

. . .

Mira woke with a start when she felt something poke her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see Beck standing nearby. Instinct told her to grab her disk when she realized that Paige had returned. The commander was fuming while sitting on a rock looking at the sea.

"We can work together," Beck said when Mira reached them. "I could build a ship that could float in these waters by modifying the system."

"Don't you need to be a mechanic to do something like that?" Paige asked irritably.

"Anything's possible if you put your mind to it," Mira replied. Beck glanced at her before looking back at Paige, who seemed to be thinking about it. She suddenly stood and narrowed her eyes at Beck.

"You're injured," she said in an accusing tone. Mira hadn't even noticed the cut on Beck's shoulder. It reminded her of the first time she had received in injury by one of Clu's guards. The wound had healed, thankfully, after a few cycles.

"It's nothing." Mira rolled her eyes and wondered how stupid Beck could be.

"You could lose the arm if it's not healed," Paige insisted when she used a tool to observe the damage. "I'll need to access your disk." Immediately Mira stiffened and glared at Paige, who glared back when Beck stopped her. "I'm only doing this because I need your help," she grumbled.

"So... you're not going to derez me?" he demanded. Paige remained icily silent, and Mira forced back a sigh of annoyance. "You're calling for a truce?" he continued asking questions that Paige would likely never follow if there were guards around.

"A temporary truce," she finished.

Eventually Beck had no choice but to give her his disk. Mira was ready for any signs of betrayal. She knew what the guards who followed Clu were like. They would look for any chance to gain an advantage over their enemy.

Fortunately Paige had followed through on her words. An image showed on the screen and she began to sift through files and codes.

"How did you learn how to do that?" Beck asked when Mira stood beside him.

"All soldiers learn how to heal battle wounds," Paige explained. "It's part of our training."

That makes sense, Mira thought. Clu wouldn't want to waste his time with medics.

"Huh, feels good as new," Beck announced when she was finished.

Paige smiled playfully before handing him back his disk. For the first time since meeting Paige Mira began to notice there was more to her than meets the eye. Paige eyed Mira curiously and sighed in annoyance.

"So where did you come from?" she asked.

"That's classified information," Mira replied with a smirk.

The commander rolled her eyes and looked like she was ready to burst with laughter. Beck seemed to notice their change in attitude as well. As soon as his shoulder was healed they went to work building a ship that would get them off of the island.

. . .

Clu had destroyed everything the moment Mira reached Tron City. The Grid had begun to change in heartbeats. By the time she managed to reach the arcade she saw that programs had been derezzed in a battle. The Portal had closed, and there was no sign of Flynn.

Mira scowled when she realized that she was too late. Her silent promise had been for nothing. She could never get back to the User world if Flynn was gone. Her fists clenched as she began to wonder how this could get any worse. Here she was stuck in a place she barely knew about with little hope of returning home.

Her scowl faded when she saw programs fleeing from the buildings. Another program stood out amongst the ones that were running. She saw a faint 'T' mark on it's chest and gasped.

Tron, that has to be Tron! she thought as she began to ran towards the program. She had heard from other programs that Tron was different because of his appearance. He had a 'T' mark on his chest that made it easy to spot him.

She stopped when he suddenly swung his disk across the arm of a fleeing program. Her eyes widened in panic when she realized that the program fleeing was an ISO. It took Mira few nanocycles to realize that this was no Tron. Tron would not have derezzed an ISO because Flynn had ordered their protection. The program turned to look at her, and Mira felt her blood pulsing with confusion. A low growl emanated from the program's throat, and Mira felt her hair standing on end.

The program rushed forward with lithe almost cat-like movements and grabbed her before she could make a run for it.

Mira gasped when she felt something slam into the back of her head. Before she could make sense of what was happening black spots clouded her vision. The last thing she saw before fainting was the program's 'T' mark hovering above her menacingly.

. . .

Beck was almost finished with the ship by the time Mira shook the memories off. She didn't want to think about what Rinzler had done to her. Yet she couldn't help but think that Rinzler was the reason why she became who she was now. Her fists clenched as she thought of what she would do to Clu once she found him. There was no way she would let him live after everything she went through.

"My powerpack was ruined in the crash, I'll need a new one," Beck announced when Paige approached them.

"My ship as a full powerpack," she said with a slight grin.

Mira followed them towards the other side of the island where Paige's light copter had crashed. Sure enough there was another full powerpack hidden inside the ship. She was surprised that Paige didn't try to argue with Beck when she helped him carry it.

She wants to get off as much as we do, Mira decided after helping Beck grab the powerpack.

"So suppose we get off this island, than what happens?" Beck asked when he pulled out codes that would help modify the ship.

"I either derezz you or you turn yourself in, your choice," Paige replied. She turned to look at Mira, who was focused on the ship. "And what about you? I'm assuming you work for him seeing as you're always together."

Mira blushed almost as soon as Paige had finished speaking. Beck didn't bother responding, but she noticed that he'd slowed down.

"I'd rather just get back home," she finally murmured with a shrug.

Paige raised an eyebrow at her response. Suddenly the ground began to tremble, and Paige cried out in surprise when it derezzed from underneath. She was left struggling to get herself up when Beck stood.

"Paige, hold on!" Paige stared at them in panic when Mira looked over the ledge.

"Grab my hand." Mira tried to reach out, but she realized that she was too short. No matter how hard Paige struggled to couldn't reach. She glanced back over her shoulder, but Beck was already gone. With a sigh of annoyance she looked back at Paige. "We'll be back," she promised.

She managed to catch up with Beck, who was struggling to start the engine. "Come on!" He gave the powerpack a good punch, and suddenly it roared to life. "Get on," he ordered as he hopped on.

Mira followed him without hesitating. She wanted to get off the island now more than ever, especially with the memories becoming clearer with each passing nanocycle. Once he sped forward with the ship she was relieved to get away from the island. Paige was still struggling to get back on land. Mira's eyes widened when she suddenly let go and fell into the water.

"Hang on Paige!" Beck's shout was left unheard as he plunged into the water. Mira stared at the bubbles in surprise and wondered how long they would last under water.

She didn't have time to think about it as one of Tessler's ships flew near the island. A crane pulled down and plunged into the water as well. Nanocycles later and the crane had pulled Paige out of the churning water. And there went the trust they were slowly building. Beck came up shortly after the crane left.

"I hope she learns someday that we're not the enemies," she said as she helped him up.

"You were... different on the island," he told in an accusing tone. "Something about the island effected you somehow."

She found it difficult to swallow as she looked down at the sea. "I... can I tell you what happened when I was with Rinzler?" Just saying the name sent flames of anger through her.

"If we're supposed to be a team I suppose you'll have to tell me." He tried to sound encouraging, but she could hear doubt in his voice. Mira sighed before she began to go into detail about what had happened during her time with Rinzler. All the while they were returning back to Argon, where she hoped the nightmares would finally go away.

. . .

When Mira woke up she found herself in what appeared to be a holding cell. Only glass walls surrounded her, and down below there was a bottomless pit. Her hands and legs trembled with fear when she realized that the program that had attacked her was there as well.

A low growl sounded from the programs' throat. Mira stared at the program with wide eyes when it lunged. She couldn't even tell if the program was male of female because of the noises it made. She didn't have time to process what was happening when the disks it used flew across her arms and face. She cried out in pain and shock at the sudden impacts the disks made. The noises they made were nothing compared to the growls that emanated from her capture's throat.

She tried fighting back by grabbing a light staff that was not with her. She gasped in surprise when she realized that her disk was gone as well. She had no means of defense as the program continued it's onslaught.

Each graceful strike provided more pain for her. She tried holding up her arms for self defense, but the program's disks only sent her flying across the platform. The program didn't stop until a noise sounded from above. Mira held her breath and half-expected the program to continue using her as it's target. She was surprised when the program simply dragged her out of the cell.

She knew what the program was thinking as it threw her into a holding cell.

I am your prey, she thought bitterly. And I can't escape. Not until I am dead.

Tears suddenly fell down her cheeks as she wondered where her mother and father were now. Surely they would have done everything they could to get her out? She could only imagine what her mother would have said to the program if she found out what was happening. Then another, more fearful thought, dawned upon her.

I don't remember what they look like! She tried to picture what her mother looked like. But each time she tried she only saw programs and the sharp details of the Grid. Even her father's image became harder to remember as she tried to process the information.

The door to her cell suddenly swung open, and Mira tried to reach for the disk that had returned. But she was handcuffed to a pipe in her cell. She couldn't defend herself against any program that came to visit. Fear was quickly replaced with relief when she saw that it was a medic program that approached her warily. The faint green circuits glowed against the darkness of her cell.

"I am sorry," he simply said. He was a medic with ruffled brown hair and brown eyes. Mira noticed that he tried to avoid her fearful gaze as he reached for her disk. "I was told to... fix the damage."

Again she said nothing. She continued staring at him with a fearful, panicked gaze. She wished there was a way to get out of this place. The medic felt no sympathy for her. She didn't expect him to after the way she had seen other programs act around her.

Once he was finished he placed the disk out of reach and backed out of the cell. Mira gazed after him and wondered if there was any chance she could escape. After feeling what the rogue program had felt, she had little hope of getting out unless there was a miracle.

She sighed and decided that a little sleep might get do her some good.

. . .

A few cycles of the same amount of torture had passed. Mira found herself hating this Rinzler character more and more. Yet there was another feeling that churned deeply within her when she managed to catch sight of his pale face. He was feeling the same amount of pain that she felt. He was Clu's puppet - someone who could not get away from their master no matter how hard he tried. It was pity she felt for this odd angry program. And she hated the pity she felt.

Now she was being dragged to a different place. The games were becoming a popular event on the Grid. She had overheard some of the medic programs talking about it. They were eager to see who would be derezzed next and who would become the next soldier for Clu. She had also overheard that the ISOs had been destroyed since her time in the cell. Flynn's perfect system was becoming more like a place of death than a system full of life and hope.

There is no freedom beyond the games, she had decided after trying to fight off Rinzler for so long. She had not spoken in so long that she found it difficult to remember what her voice even sounded like. One of the medics that came in to check on her had felt some kind of pity. They tried speaking to her, but she turned them away. I don't need your sympathy, she told herself.

She could hear the distant roaring of a crowd as she was led through the dark halls. Handcuffs had been placed around her wrists to keep her from striking out. She had been surprised when the guards gave her back the light staff and disk, but that was only after they had pinned her down. Something told her that this was Rinzler's final fight. Some kind of dread had suddenly washed over her as the roars became louder and more apparent.

Mira gaped when she was shoved into what looked like a large arena. All around her were programs booing and shouting insults as she was shoved further into the arena. Rinzler was standing in the center with a few other guards around him. One of the guards handed her the baton that Castor had given her. She looked up warily and was about to ask what this was for when the guard narrowed his eyes.

"Programs, I bring you the User that will be derezzed at last!" A voice echoed around the arena, and the crowd roared with excitement.

She didn't have time to react to the voice's words. Rinzler and the guards around him had rezzed their light cycles. Mira rezzed her own light cycle and sped away from them. She knew she didn't have much hope in getting away from them.

Suddenly escaping didn't matter to her anymore. As the walls came into view, she realized that she had no other choice. It was now or never to fight back. As Rinzler came into focus she drew out her light staff and prepared for the final fight.

Her skills had improved since she first met Rinzler because of the constant fights they were in. This would be no different. This was her final stand.

Rinzler didn't get off of his light cycle. She didn't expect him to as the other guards swerved left and right. Rinzler reached for his disk and was ready to swing it through the air. The orange and white lights glowed as he sent it hurtling in her direction.

Mira used his throw as a distraction and jumped forward. She used her staff as means for balance as she swung over Rinzler's helmet. The program let out a snarl of fury and tried to turn his light cycle around, but she didn't give him the chance. She slammed her light staff into the light cycle and sent it flying across the air. Rinzler jumped out of the cycle just before it crashed into the wall.

She managed to dodge another blow just in time to be caught by one of his guards. "Keep still User," the guard hissed as he held her down.

Her teeth ground together with fury when Rinzler drew his disk once more. There was no point in struggling. She was outnumbered three-to-one in a battle where the Users always failed.

Just as the disk was about to be thrown something sounded in the distance. Mira gasped in surprise as a bomb was thrown across the arena. The guards released her and screamed in shock when an explosion quickly followed.

She looked around in panic as the programs that had watched the game fled. The sound of an engine running told her that one of the programs had grabbed a baton.

"Get on." Mira blinked in surprise when a program had stopped a light cycle beside her. Their face was hidden by a mask, and she could tell that they had altered their voice. "I said get on," the program insisted as Rinzler and his guards recovered from the smoke.

She didn't bother questioning the program, though her stomach lurched when she sat behind the program. Rinzler and his guards were beginning to follow just as the program began to speed forward. The program didn't give them a chance to catch up as she headed for a hole that the bomb had created.

"Hold on, it's going to get bumpy," the program warned as they drove through.

We're not going to make that jump! Mira thought fearfully. She held on tighter and had forgotten that she was with another program. Just when it seemed like they were going to fall the light cycle they were on changed into something that could drive in such conditions.

Mira looked over her shoulder and saw that Rinzler and the guards weren't following them. The program that had saved her suddenly retracted their mask. She was surprised to see that it was a female program, with short black hair and white circuits that glowed brighter than Rinzler's had.

"I'm Quorra by the way," she said when they came to a stop near the edge of a city. "Can't you talk?" She was concerned now when Mira opened her mouth. No words came out, only a hoarse cough that she struggled to keep back.

"Mira." She choked out her name and closed her eyes to fight back the pain.

"I saw what they were about to do and intervened," Quorra explained with a shrug. "Users aren't meant to be treated this way. What you went through is..." She couldn't find the right words to describe the horrors that Mira had faced.

"Thanks," Mira managed to whisper. She was too exhausted to fight back when Quorra observed her wounds, fresh and old, for the first time. The program's eyes widened in dismay when she saw how severe some of them were.

"You can rest peacefully now," Quorra murmured. "I won't let them harm you."

For the first time since she had been on the Grid, Mira felt relieved. She was too exhausted to tell this stranger that she didn't need sleep. And again for the first time she had slept as peacefully as she ever would.

. . .

"After we first met I fled from city to city," Mira finished with a shrug. "Argon City was the last place I could call home until Clu took over that as well."

Beck was silent throughout her story as they made their way back to Argon. Mira felt something rather than anger after finally revealing her past. For the first time she felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"I'm sorry." Beck's words shook Mira from her thoughts. "You remind me of Tron in a way," he added suddenly. Mira stared at him in surprise, but he was looking ahead at the faint outlines of the city. "He's had a rough past too you know."

"I guess that does make us sort of alike," she murmured.

Maybe Tron and I aren't so different after all, she thought.

AN: Quorra didn't get much time in this chapter, but she'll be mentioned throughout the story. And now I'm off to take a break... maybe tomorrow I will write the next chapter :)

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