Chapter 25: Binary (The Coming Storm)
Phoenix Tower, Travis's Apartment and Negator's headquarters, 0400 PectroCycles...
Grace entered the simulation room drowsily, to find Travis punching and kicking holographic replications of the Superior Six- now up to seven with the addition of Helen of the Psy Twins. Bags were slowly forming underneath Travis' eyes, and Grace stopped his attacks on the holograms by placing an arm on his back.
"Calm down there, hot stuff," Grace said, rubbing her eyelid softly before looking at him again. "I woke up and you weren't there. You haven't been for the last three Cycles. Come on, you can tell me, I'm your girlfriend." Travis sighed, pulling the thin gauntlets around his wrist off before talking to nobody in particular.
"Computer, reverse program by about three NanoCycles, and save and end simulation." As the space around him went dark, Travis gestured to the door, and Grace followed him out of the simulation chamber and into his apartment's main living space. "The others aren't up yet, are they?" Grace looked around, not seeing any programs from Travis' team, and nodded slowly. Travis sighed, knowing he didn't have any way to get out of telling her. "First off, who said we were dating yet? I thought we were, like, friends with benefits or something." Grace shook her head, and Travis frowned. "Fine. Second; Computer, bring up a map of Argon's recent criminal hubs." The AI of his apartment complied, showing a purple blotch in one section of the map, located around Concept's fortress.
"I don't get it." Grace said, looking at the map. "So? The crime hub is closest to Concept's fortress. Doesn't make a difference."
"Yes, it does," Travis replied, pointing at the purple section. "The crime waves are closest to Concept's fortress, and ASF only reports small tangles of crime outside of that area, the one that Concept laid his turf on. Do you know what that means?" Grace shook her head, and Travis answered. "It means that Concept's been gathering Argon's crime and turning it into his own private looting force. I've only been taking down the symptoms of Argon's criminal system, when I made a promise to take it down at the disease itself." Travis slumped into his seat, and breathed heavily. "I failed. And I can't let it happen to me, or Argon again."
"Trav, you didn't fail." Grace said, giving Travis a crushing hug. "You just didn't fix things the way you wanted exactly. I know you. You need things to be exactly the way you planned them out to be. Come on, let's go back to bed. And by us, I mean you." Travis smiled, returned the hug, and slugged his way back into his bed.
Concept's fortress, Conference room 5B, 0901 PectroCycles...
"What was Cyrus thinking?!" Hobgoblin roared, slamming his disk into the table. The lit edge dug into the surface, the rest of the Superior Seven, minus Cyrus, gathered around the table. "Son of a glitch endangered the entire campaign! Boss, you gotta let me tear him apart!"
"No, Hobgoblin," Concept said, much to the surprise of Negarade, whose code-thirsty look looked at Concept, the craving expression gone for several NanoCycles. "This is an opportunity that we can use in our favor. But we will need to keep Cyrus contained. Otherwise, our entire operation will go downhill." Concept turned to two Enforcers, his putrid yellow, cracked circuitry gleaming against their visors. "You two. Signal the other Enforcers to round up the citizens of Argon, and have them gathered in the Coliseum. I believe that we may have to act as General Tesler, and make sure every program gets the message."
The Road between Argon City and the Coliseum, 1000 PectroCycles...
"Really? Concept called everybody to the Coliseum?" Beck said, his LightCycle braking to avoid slamming into traffic in front. "Now he just ripped a page out of Tesler's playbook and called it his own."
"Well, at least he didn't just force everybody into it, he only asked and only used his Enforcers to round up the last few." Anon replied, landing on top of a Light Tanker.
"Sounds like you're taking up Concept's side, Anon," Grace said, weaving through the crowd of vehicles using only her feet. "I wouldn't get used to it."
"I'm not taking his side. I'm just saying that if I were to pick between Concept and CLU, I'd probably go with Concept, just because he doesn't push around civilians."
"I know this is weird, coming from me, but Concept seems to be the better choice." All heads swerved to look at Travis, who was headed forwards without his teammates. "I know it sounds weird, coming from the guy who started the 'war on virus' thing to begin with. But, he's actually trying to make the city better for the populace. It's the reason why they're not turning against him the way we did. They think he's done so much good, and, in his point of view, he has."
"I can see where that would happen," Grace said, leaning against a parked Light Cycle. "The same universe where you got corrupted by the damn guy."
"Sounds like fun," Beck cut in, using his newer flight pack to jettison to the top of the coliseum. "Come on, he's starting."
"Programs of Argon!" Concept's voice boomed across the loudspeakers, in a far more commanding tone that Tesler could ever muster. "It is time to now know why you all found yourself having wandered so far from your homes. The perfect response to this question is: the Renegade! We ransacked what was left of his base, and found traces of mind control gas! The same used a KiloCycle ago by Tesler to command those who lived in this city before you!" A roar of anger erupted through the audience, as Concept grasped the railing of his speaking chamber. "Yes, it is true, programs! The one who claimed to be your savior has been using you this whole time!"
Up above, Travis and his team were watching the whole thing, with masks on for protection.
"How about that?" Anon said, leaning over the handrail. "And here I thought your rep couldn't get any worse."
"Stow it, 'Non." Beck ordered, and Anon went back to his usually silent self, with Delta looking at Travis in the black void of his helmet to match Travis' bright orange bug-eyes. "What's the plan?"
Travis thought about it for a second, and turned around. "For you all to stay here."
With that, he leapt off the side, to the shock of all of his other friends. Beck rushed to stop him, but was too late in keeping Travis from shooting a cable at Concept's barrier, sliding down the funneled roof and pulling hard.
What Concept saw next was a flurry of orange and white circuits smashing into him, coded glass shattering into voxels as he looked up to see his arch-nemesis snatch the headset and speak into it. "Hey. Now, I wonder how many things I can find in that last sentence that match your description. Let's find out, shall we?" Travis stood up and pointed at his fingers, raising them in playful banter. "One, two... oh, yeah." The Renegade's orange lenses narrowed, as he lowered into a fighting stance. "All of 'em."
"You would know what I'm saying, Renegade!" Concept roared, a virus infected hand reaching up to sock Travis in the stomach. The impact, however, sent Travis straight into the wall, a large dent forming when he fell from the indent. "You claim to be Tron; we all know that isn't true, because he would have killed me by now."
"You'd be surprised how much a guy can change in a KiloCycle." Travis retorted, slamming his disk into the ground. Concept scoffed, drawing his viral disk and flinging it at a now defensive Renegade. Dodging it, the Renegade saw it bounce back towards him, using his feet to expertly catch the disk in the circle of space, and fling it back at its owner. Concept saw this coming, however, and moved his billowing cape into a position where the disk bounced harmlessly off and back into his hand.
"I am surprised, Renegade. Surprised at how poorly you've tried to derezz me. Did you really think I wouldn't believe that others would attack me from behind?"
"A disk-proof weave," Travis growled, unsheathing his talons. "Should've guessed. Gotta admit, virus, you got me there."
"And in more ways than one." Concept finalized, grabbing Travis' claws and splinting them from his fingers, and gripping his face and dragging him down to the floor. "You've been searching for Tron all this time. Checking every corner of the surrounding cities to find him. But maybe you didn't look closer to home."
Concept released Travis, who was panting in exhaustion, and growled in the darkest tone Travis had ever heard.
"Maybe he's right in front of you."
And that's the NanoCycle Travis went ballistic.
Grabbing his disk, Travis swung as hard as he could, the disk never leaving his fingertips to leave a slash in the face of Concept's mask, the shadows eating away at the cauterizing marks.
"You... actually hit me." Concept said, sweeping his feet to try and escape Travis, who remained on the blitzing offensive, and was swingly his disk and limbs wildly, trying to make contact again. "You actually managed to make contact with my face. That's impressive, Renegade. You may yet earn the title of Tron."
"I'm done listening!" Travis said, his disk striking Concept's armor-weave to slice through Concept's helmet. "I won't believe what you said! There's no way you could be... him." Concept, slowly wearing down from constantly being on the defensive, began to collapse in his posture, and the Renegade took advantage of this, kicking his opponent to the floor. Grabbing Concept by the cape collar, he moved so that their masks were inches away from each other. "If you really are that program... you've done nothing to earn the right to the name. Tron would have found a way to secure order on the Grid, and without all of... This!" Travis waved his arms about, gesturing to the sickly yellow circuits that adorned the private box. "Tron would have done it the peaceful way. You aren't Tron. And I may not be either. That's for neither of us to decide. But what I've decided..." Travis unsheated his Light Katana's baton, drawing the blade to Concept's neck. "Is that the Grid's been far too placent. They've forgotten what the color yellow meant two kilocycles ago. Your virus has rusted their vision. And I think..." Travis' lenses narrowed, as the katana neared its target. "..it's time to give them back their sight."
"Go ahead." Travis expressed a brief second of disbelief, then returned to the cold, hardened gaze of the void that was Concept's helmet, a few sickly-colored circuits expressing the hardness that Concept felt as well. "Do it. Let's see if you're enough of a program to take up the mantle. All you need to do is push a little harder, and you'll do it. You'll free the Grid. But there's the chance that one of us, the villain, is Tron. But which of us is the villain? The one who fights endlessly with no end to his endeavors, or the end that pushes oppression quickly to make peace-"
"Stop it!" Travis roared, his eyes inside his mask threatening to spill tears. "Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! Your words have no weight here! I control the outcome!"
"If you think you're one of the good guys, then go ahead. Do it. But there's a chance that this altercation could be taken the wrong way by the programs you're trying to protect. Do you really want to take that chance?" Travis hesitated, and Concept's demonic chuckle filled in the gaps left by his guard's hesitation. "You see? You're not weak, Renegade. You just have a different set of codes you follow. Whereas I-" Travis looked down to see Concept's arm grasping a tazer spear, which Travis grabbed before it stabbed him, and he flew across the room and out the window. "-Am not bound to such petty spots of weakness." Noticing the disappearance of his opponent out the massive window, Concept sighed in disappointment. "A shame, too. I nearly thought he could have actually been Tron. Well, maybe the next person to find that disk could become somebody-"
As Concept strolled out of his box, a live missile flew into the room, Concept barely dodging the blast as it sent fragmented code and smoke in all directions. Klaxons blared as the viral leader stood, watching as the Renegade stood, his costume torn in multiple areas, aboard the top of the Phoenix's hull, his lenses almost a bright orange line in his mask.
"Hi," The Renegade said, clenching his fists, as the airlock to the Phoenix opened. "I'm the new guy. Welcome to User Hell." Leaping into the inner workings of the ship, the airlock closed as the Phoenix blasted out of the coliseum.
Concept merely watched as a ship he designed took off into the night. He knew that they mean nothing eventually. For them... he had much bigger plans.
Phoenix Tower, Travis' apartment, 1800 PectroCycles...
"So, this is it, huh?" Travis said, his mask retracting and his costume derezzing into his street clothes. "Concept's dropped the ball with this one. He's convinced Argon that I'm the bad guy." Travis turned to Beck, a grim look on his face. "And he didn't even need Cyrus to do it."
"Look on the bright side," Anon said, using his disk to upgrade the antenna on his helmet, as well as repair the damaged battle skirt that he now wore. "At least they know he's the bad guy too." The rest of the Negators glared at him with steeled expressions, and Anon shrunk. "Sorry." Within NanoCycles, he returned to his work. "Wrong phrasing. Don't talk as much. Lost my touch."
"To hell with your phrasing," Grace said, turning on ANN and placing her arms around Travis' shoulders. "We've got major problems on our hands. The Negators are beginning to lose status as heroes, minus Beck and Anon, and now..."
"We interrupt your program to bring you this special report!" The newscaster said sharply, quickly sorting through the files on her holopad, before the feed cut to static and Concept's face appeared in its place.
"Programs of Argon. I recently spoke to you about how the Renegade was the true reason for crime skyrocketing, and, as you all know, what followed was a large altercation that nearly resulted in my demise. The Renegade has turned Argon into a war zone, by bringing dangerous-grade weaponry into this city, and he must be stopped. But I cannot do this without your help; and for you to help, you must leave. It is my last intention for the programs of this beautiful city to be harmed in any way. Therefore, I leave the Renegade a challenge. In one HiloCycle these programs will have left the city. In the Cycles following this exodus from Argon, you and I shall have a personal discussion about who should leave this city. Stay safe, my friends. One month, and that is all you have before we begin 'talks'. Concept out." With that, the hologram once again flickered between frequencies, with the Negators watching the ANN holocast in blank shock.
"I can't believe he just did that!" Kit said,tightening the bolt on her armor, causing her to yelp in pain, but bounce back quickly. "Did Concept, the program who never reveals his plans, just oust his plans and give a one-HiloCycle warning of preparation?!"
"He did," Beck said, looking at Concept's gleaming fortress in the distance. "Concept's declared war on the Negators." Kit, exasperated, looked from the rest of her team to Beck.
"But why?"
"To send a message to us."
"Like what, exactly?"
Paige stood up, finished treating Travis' taser wounds. "Concept's sending a message to the programs that he cares about them more than we do. Which is, as usual, a lie. He's good with those, I'm guessing?" Beck nodded, and Paige continued, having gained her boyfriend's approval to press her argument. "But to us, the Negators, he's sending a message to say that he's lost."
Kit rose and smashed her armored fists together. "A premature middle finger. He just gave us an invisible, premature middle finger. I say we walk over to that fortress, and give that son of a glitch a piece of our disk!"
"Let's not rush things." The rest of the Negators stopped arguing, turning to Travis, who had remained silent throughout the entire conversation. "Concept just opened up a blind spot in his playbook. One full HiloCycle of no contact. It's not something that's unusual for him, but to openly announce what he's going to do is plain crazy. He just gave us his strategy. We could spend that time planning while he's gathering the manpower to defeat us. And while we're at it, sabotage the supplies that he's bringing into Argon. Maybe even take down his buddies in Gallium and Bismuth while we're at it."
Travis looked at the window, and leaned against it, before furrowing his brow in a classic manner. "But that doesn't mean he doesn't have a card up his sleeve. We can't forget the Superior Six, and we have to maintain secrecy and regularly hide away from Phoenix Tower, so they don't suspect our secret identities."
"I want to help too." The Negators looked to the door, to see a wheelchair-stricken Natalie standing in their foyer. "If there's anything Night Streak can do, just say the word."
"Natalie?!" Travis recoiled, and walked fast to help her adjust her wheelchair. "Nat, you can't possibly-" A glare from Natalie promptly stopped Travis in his tracks, but planted a firm smile on his face. "Okay, then. Welcome back aboard, Streak."
Natalie smirked, knowing that smile. She liked that smile. It meant she knew Travis had her back. And in this battle, she knew that he also had everybody else's backs, and Argon's as well. They would need it this time.
"This is it, guys," Travis said, bringing up the war table in the living room, "Concept's given us free time. I suggest we use it to the fullest; get your affairs in order, say goodbye to our loved ones; because in One HiloCycle..." Travis closed his eyes intensly, and opened them as his Renegade mask clasped over his face, the orange lenses flashing as they clicked into place.
"Nobody leaves safely after this."
A/N: So, remember those extra ten chapters I had planned? Well...
But, before you start pointing disks at me, its mostly because I've done almost everything I can with this character. Travis and the Negators have gone as far as I believe they can go, and with this universe, I say the only way to go is forward. But that doesn't mean I have to do it the same story as everything else. These extra tales could go in Avenging Renegade, but for now, my main goal is get Unlimited down and in the completed folder so that I can start putting much-needed attention on Reassembled. But for those of you that have supported me in the long run, I give my thanks tenfold, but these last five chapters are it.
Also, sorry for the much smaller chapter. Again, the title is the Coming Storm, which means that the next five chapters are gonna be BIG ones, and preparation for the Nobody Leaves Safely arc, the last one of the series, is in the works, but with school and work, it's gonna be a hassle getting these last few out. I'm also taking a one-month hiatus, to match the one-month gap between this chapter and the next one. Just ask PandaBearLover317 about it; from what I've heard, she's certainly getting the brunt of the homework slap.
On a lighter note, I'm also going to focus my attention on my Star Wars fic, and also bring some life back into Reassembled like some kind of fan fiction Frankenstein. So, once Unlimited is done, and I begin work on the expanded Unlimited-verse, those other stories, along with my Pokemon PMD fic, are gonna be getting more detail and love like Unlimited has received.
Please favorite, follow, and review, and remember, you guys keep me motivated, so those reviews are essential to getting your daily fix of Unlimited!
Next Time: In One HiloCycle (See chart for what that means)... Everything ends.