Tron: Sacrifice

Episode Nine: ISO, Part One

TWO CYCLES AFTER BECK'S SENSOR FAILURE

Mara and Zed stood in the cramped medical bay. They all traded time with Beck, so they rotated positions: One could rest while two were in the pit directing the sub, and the last could rest, but they usually joined whoever was watching Beck. It was Mara's turn to rest, but feeling helpless and unhelpful, she joined Zed after a few minutes of walking around her small, cramped quarters.

Zed shook his head before Mara could even ask if there was any change. She leaned against the wall beside Zed, and they both looked mournfully at their friend, covered in blue light from inside the sanitation cycle.

And whole of the sub was as silent as Beck.

Tron was devastated by Beck's plunge into unconsciousness. Paige had tried to console him, but failed miserably when Tron stopped acknowledging her.

They had checked the ISO sightings with no luck of finding a single sign that they could have existed there.

And with their bad luck, to make matters worse, the sub was running out of energy. They all agreed they would put the reserve energy to power Beck's sanitation chamber, even though they knew that they needed that power to get back to the Outlands. Getting back didn't seem to matter much anymore, and they knew the ISOs were Beck's last hope.

Paige and Tron stared out the screen, the sub lights searching the entrance of their last cavern.

Tron inhaled saying, "These caverns were the last to bring ISOs to the Grid before CLU poisoned the Sea."

Tron sounded tired.

Paige looked at him. He had his face in his hands, his arms propped on his knees, and his back arched in fatigue.

"I can take over for a while. You should get some rest."

Tron looked up at her as she said these words, and a small smile appeared on his face.

"If you hadn't joined us, Paige-"

The sub suddenly lurched to the side, tipping Paige out of her chair to the sub floor. Tron skidded to the far conduit and checked the radar. Nothing was near them. Paige's conduit light up red, and an alarm went off.

"INTURDER ALERT." The computer sounded.

"Beck." Paige said.

"Go!"

Paige ran from the pit as the sub lurched again, and Tron looked and the sub blue plan on the screen. He was about to activate the flood lock-down, as an outside force threw him from the controls.

Five masked programs stood before him holding light swords in his wake, and the sixth shoved Paige back inside the pit.

"We're just passing through." Tron stated. "We didn't mean to trespass."

"There is a ship decloaking on the starboard." The sixth program said in garbled speech, and brandishing a sword, he pointed it at Tron and Paige. "Follow it."

"I will follow your sub, but please," Tron started, "we have an injured program on board in need of special medical treatment. Please allow my medical officer to check up on him."

The masked program stood unmoving, considering, and finally motioned for Paige to lead the way. She cautiously walked passed the other masked programs and left the pit, closely followed by the the sixth program.

Tron put the sub on manual drive, and followed the lead sub into the cavern.

Paige lead the way to the medical bay, and met Mara and Zed being held outside by two more masked intruders, their discs at the ready. Paige was allowed in the bay to see another masked program, who was examining Beck.

Paige whipped out her disc.

"Back away." She said darkly.

"Paige?" The voice was greatly scrambled.

Paige hesitated.

"How do you know me?"

The program let the mask retreat and Paige narrowed her eyes at the program in front of her.

"It's good to see you, too, Paige." Quorra said with a smile.


The sub lead them into deep into the cavern, where the masked programs eventually took over the controls and word was sent to the pit that Tron was needed in the medical bay. Two programs escorted him there.

"Well, Tron," Paige said her arms crossed, "You found them."

"Tron?" Quorra said in awe.

Tron needed only to look at the program once to know she was what he'd been looking for the past three cycles.

Paige was standing in front of Beck's chamber, and Tron gave her a look to back off.

"Yes?" He answered Quorra.

"At last!" She said. "I'm Quorra, and my kind and I have been waiting for this moment."

"Waiting?"

Quorra smiled, "We were patrolling our entrances when we detected your sub signal. I must admit" she shook her head in disbelieve "I didn't think we'd find you."

"We are glad you found us." Tron said. "We were looking for you."

Tron directed his gaze to Paige to move and showed Quorra Beck's condition.

"We came to understand that the ISOs had advanced medical methods, and we were hoping you'd help us."

Quorra's smile faded, "How did you hear this information?"

"A program called Cyrus." Tron replied stiffly. "He clams you revived him after deresolution."

"I will tell you right now," Quorra said sternly, "it was a mistake on our part."

"Cyrus was a mistake all together. It isn't your fault." Tron said, as Paige crossed her arms angrily and glared at him. He gave her a slight shake of his head and continued, "Cyrus is up to something and we need Beck's help."

Quorra looked at Tron sadly.

"Will you help?"

"I don't know if we can."

Paige narrowed her eyes at Quorra, and all at once she said firmly, "I don't believe you."

"Paige-"

"You confirm that your people brought a sociopath back to the Grid from deresolution," Paige shouted angrily, "and now you're saying you can't repair Beck's disc?"

"Paige!" Tron scolded.

"Quorra?"

One masked guard leaned in through the door way.

"We've permission to dock."

"Fine, I'm coming." Quorra said and followed the retreating program.

Paige made to follow her, but Tron stuck his arm out and caught her. He pushed her back inside by Beck.

"What were you thinking?" Tron said. "They are Beck's cure! And you! Acting like the Occupation!"

"We can't trust them!"

"No," Tron said. "You can't seem to get over that moment on your disc when they saved your ungrateful code from Tesler."

Paige looked shocked at Tron.

"Yes, I know. I saw that on your disc when I brought you to the Outlands." Tron backed away, and sighed. "Paige, we're so close now. We cannot fail to treat Beck."

Paige was silent.

"He's my friend, Paige, and I need to make this cure happen." Tron turned to the door. "While we're here with the ISOs, you need to put your past with them behind you. If you can't, just remember Beck. Try to control yourself for his sake."

Tron left through the motion doors, and Paige turned slowly to look at Beck.

Zed and Mara followed Tron.

The ISOs directed the sub into a metal chamber and they all watch in awe as the water drained from dock, and an enclosed catwalk slowly extended and attached itself to the sub, which opened the waterproof seal.

As the door opened, they were introduced to a large black metal tunnel, with circuitry that extended far off down the walls and triangle shaped ceiling.

"Welcome," Quorra said stepping in front of them all, "to the False Hall."


CLU watched Dyson carefully. The program seemed to have a new bounce to his step, and CLU narrowed his eyes as Dyson bow to him with a slight smile on his face...or a smirk, more like.

"What has you all happy, Dyson?" CLU said cheerfully.

"I am a step closer to finding Tron."

The smirk turned into a grin.

"Good." CLU said. "I won't stand for any more of your...disappointments."

"You were right to have me contact the tipper, sir." Dyson said. "He will be very helpful to your cause."

"Our cause, Dyson." CLU corrected.

Dyson's smile faded a little. "Of course."

"Leave me now." CLU waved his hand in dismissal. "I have some programs to enter into the Games.

"Oh! And before I forget-" Dyson halted, "-I need a new advanced challenger. The last one was killed by the blind program we arrested in Tron City. Give the crowd something to cheer for, Dyson?"

"Of course." Dyson said without a smile.

Dyson walked nonchalantly from CLU's throne room and as soon as he was out of sight, he took off at a run. He ran all the way to the entrance and activated his bike.

He didn't stop until he was well way from Argon Square, speeding away on the highway.

CLU has him in the Games. This is his last chance for glory.


Quorra stopped in the middle of the False Hall, and turned to touch the wall with her gloved hands. She dragged her left hand down the wall and the circuitry brightened at her touch. Her fingers swirled over one loop in the wall, and the light jetted up her hand, lighting up her arm until the light found her ISO mark.

At once the hall separated. The False Hall was the threshold to their lair, and only an ISO could unlock the False Hall.

"Welcome to our home." Quorra said, as they all took in the majesty before them.

Large, rounded buildings stood before them. Bright lights of lifts slid up the pearly, black surfaces of the housing units. These units repeated until the very end of the hall.

"Are these are for ISOs?" Mara whispered.

"Yes and no," Quorra said leading the way down the hall. "This is a facility for anyone who is hunted by CLU. There are many more Basics here than ISOs, but we still have so much room. We hoped that we'd find more, but CLU..."

She didn't have to finish for them to know that CLU had killed so many ISOs.

"I cannot help you, Tron, but" Quorra said to him, "I know who can.

"Come with me." She said and Tron, Mara, and Zed followed close behind her.

Quorra lead them through what seemed like a maze of circuitry and metal, and they couldn't remember how many turns they had taken. Soon, they were standing in a very large room that extended as far as they could see. The walkway was black metal, and there were very high round-topped buildings on both sides.

Seeing their awe and unvoiced questions on their faces, Quorra explained.

"The housing units." She said simply, as they watched a lift shoot up the side of one unit, leaving a trail of diminishing light as it went.

They continued on through the ISO lair, until Quorra stopped in front of a pair of sliding doors.

"The Lab." She told them and walked to the doors that opened by their motion.

The Lab was white, with the exception of the walls which had black slots made into them. The Lab was large but empty, but for the black figure with light blue hair. Her hair style was short with two long strands in the front that touched down to her collar bone.

She looked up at them all, and they saw three of her ISO markings. Two on her cheek bones and the last down her chin, and as Quorra lead them closer, they could make out the silver highlights in her blue hair.

Tron could very well see that this ISO before him was not like others he'd encountered. This one was very exotic for an ISO.

Tron glanced at Zed and Mara. Mara looked in awe at the ISO girl's hair, while Zed stared with his mouth open.

"Tron." The ISO said and gave him a little bow.

"This is Kassandra." Quorra said. "She is our scientist and Medical personal here. She can help you, and Beck."

"Thank you, Quorra." Kassandra said, as Quorra turned to leave and waved at Kassandra, acknowledging the thanks.

"We haven't any time to explain," Tron said getting to the point. "We need to know if you can fix damaged Identity Discs."

"I can try." Kassandra said. "What has happened?"

"The Renegade needs your help." Tron said sternly.

"Kassandra looked shocked for a second, and then nodded, "I'll do anything to help."


Paige paced in the hallway by the sliding doors.

It felt like a cycle since Tron came back to the sub with the blue-haired ISO, and took Beck from his Sanitation chamber by teleportation.

She had wanted to watch, but Tron took her out.

"You have to be less defensive, Paige." He'd said to her. "Your loyalty and devotion impress me, and I'm sure Beck would be proud you defend him so, but we have to let them do their job here. We have no clue what they know, and perhaps we would only be in their way. We have to wait."

And she waited and waited, and paced and paced, while Tron, Mara, and Zed simply stood there, leaning against the wall.

"How long has it been?" Paige asked them impatiently.

"Almost a Milli." Zed replied.

"Should it take this long?" Mara asked aloud though none of them knew the answer, and shared in Paige's distress.

"We don't know what is all involved in repairing a disc as damaged as Beck's." Tron said shaking his head. "It is possible that it could take longer."

Paige looked at the sliding doors long and hard before finally deciding. She marched right through the doors, and couldn't believe her eyes.

Beck was standing there as Kassandra stood behind him, tweaking his disc with a tool she did not recognize.

"Paige?" Beck said in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Paige!"

Tron, of course came storming into the Lab after her, and stopped in his tracks as he set eyes on Beck.

"Beck!"

"Tron!" Beck said back still looking at Paige with a very worried expression on his face.

Tron walked up to Beck and surprised Beck with a hug as Kassandra was finished with her tools and strode away to sanitize them and put them away.

"Tron, Paige is here!" Beck said urgently.

"She's on our side of the Revolution now, Beck."

"What?" Beck's brow furrowed. "What happened?"

Tron's smile faded some and he turned to look at Kassandra. She beckoned him over to her side.

"Zed and Mara are here, too. Outside the Lab, in fact." Tron said. "Go out and meet them. They will explain everything."

Beck looked nervously at Paige once again and set out through the sliding doors cautiously, as if he were sure this was all a trick.

"He does not remember." Tron said as he watched Beck, and Kassandra walked over to him.

"A side effect, I'm afraid. His disc was damaged so badly." Kassandra paused, then hesitantly continued. "He-his disc failed a Pectro into the surgery."

Tron looked astonished, "Then how-"

"The wall." Kassandra said, striding over to a black slot there and touched it. The slot beeped and slid smoothly out from the wall, and Kassandra reached into the drawer, retrieving a disc. "These are discs that we managed to save, when their owners were not so lucky."

Sadly, Kassandra slid the disc back into its place and the slot retreated into the wall, beeping twice as a lock was reactivated.

"ISO discs?" Tron said, hardly believing it.

"Yes. I was hoping I could bring them back though my experiments, Unfortunately, I have not figured out how." Kassandra said, looking mournfully at the wall. "Beck's disc was replaced."

"How did you do it?" Tron said hardly knowing what to think of what he was hearing. "Surely, his programming couldn't reboot-"

"It did," Kassandra said, unsmiling, "but I had to remove the remaining programming of an ISO whose disc Beck now possesses. Beck's disc lasted long enough for me to remove his memory files and undamaged information. But it is possible that I may have missed some files in the ISO disc. I will need to observe him for a few cycles to make sure his programming is truly accepting the disc."

"Missed files?"

"He may experience some of the emotions, and feelings the ISO endured before she was killed." Kassandra explained quietly, as Zed and Mara came into the Lab with Paige and Beck.

"We will keep a close eye on him then." Tron said in a whisper, forcing a smile as Beck caught his eye.

SPECIAL THANKS TO MIKI FUJIMOTO:

For allowing my use of her creation, Kassandra, and many others to come.