Tron: Sacrifice Script

Episode Twelve: Stronger

"HELLO, RUBY."

Ruby ran a hand down her long braid of hair and laughed.

"Pleasantries won't help you in the arena, Dyson."

"Be reasonable, Ruby." Clu said watching her with a cheery eye. "Or... I may suddenly see fit to relinquish your friend's medical treatment."

Ruby froze and her good eye shot up at Clu, desperately wishing for a laser.

"You wouldn't."

"I don't think you know what I would or wouldn't do to get this point in your mind: You are under my control." Clu said darkly. "Tron hasn't come to rescue you."

"Obviously, he has his hands full of his Renegade." Dyson added.

Ruby stared at her feet, rapidly thinking, then suddenly looked up nonchalantly and began to swing her braid around.

"I will not be persuaded." Ruby stated, suddenly harsh. "I am loyal to Tron and no other."

"You think this is an attempt to make you swing loyalty, Ruby?" Clu chucked. "You're wrong. This is about Tron."

"When is it not?" Ruby shrugged. "As I told you many, many times before with assurance from my disc, I do not know where he is. As for if he's seen my dominance over Dyson here, Tron is smart enough not to take your bait. He knows I can take care of myself."

"But can you take care of Miranda?" Clu said. "That is the question..."

"We had a deal, Clu." Ruby clenched her hands into fists at her sides, her lame eye eerily vivid. "I fight for Miranda's treatment. Don't be a coward by dishonoring that agreement."

Clu considered Ruby with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Fierce." He said finally. "A worthy warrior of the Grid. You would do well on my side, Ruby. Tron is failing you."

"Tron is waiting." Ruby counterargued.

"Waiting?" Clu leaned forward becoming only a couple inches away from Ruby's face.

Ruby held her ground, as Clu's eyes penetrated her good eye.

"Waiting for what exactly?" Clu breathed on her face, slowly bringing up a hand to gently stroke her cheek, drag his fingers along her jaw, and caress her neck.

"If you want to know," Ruby whispered seductively, "you might what to refrain from this sort of unflattering behavior."

She lashed out, striking Clu away from her.

"I will not be seduced! I remain ever faithful to Tron!"

"So it would seem." Clu stood up, his hand covering his cheek and jaw where Ruby struck him. "Take her back, Dyson, and bring in the new prisoner."

Dyson took out his disc and forced Ruby out of the throne room with it.

When Clu was alone he uncovered his cheek and examined the damage Ruby inflicted upon him. A deep, jagged gouge reflected at him angrily from the reflective metal, showing to him his deep yellow cubes.

"Can't have that, now can we?" Clu said cheerfully to himself, and took out his disc to heal himself.


"What do we do now?" Kassandra asked Quorra. "Kayla is not responding to our signals."

"I know." Quorra said.

Tron, Mara, Zed, Paige, and Beck stood by hardly knowing what to say.

"We have enough energy to last us for a while," Kassandra said, "but what will we do when we run out? That energy is the only way Clu's poison hasn't affected us yet."

"Yet?" Beck asked, and Kassandra turned to him.

"The sub conduits we built were designed to flush out the poison, but it takes a large amount to separate the water from the contaminate and send both back out to the Sea."

"Come back with us."

They all looked at Tron.

"Come back with you?" Kassandra sneered. "We can't."

"Why not?" Zed said.

"Zed," Mara spoke up before Kassandra could laser him with that glare she was wearing. "All their equipment is here."

"Exactly." Kassandra agreed in a harsh tone. "Beck needs to go back into stasis several more times before he can continue out on the Grid."

"Thank you kindly for your offer." Quorra said to Tron, giving Kassandra a silent warning. "We do have other energy suppliers, just none as generous as Kayla."

Tron nodded, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Beck thinking.

"If Kayla, is it, was arrested couldn't we hear about it? Do you have information kiosk devices installed around Argon?" He asked.

"We do." Quorra said. "In case we ever got wind of an ISO in trouble."

"If Clu's arrested Kayla, he broadcast her charges around Argon." Beck explained. "I know it won't help the energy supply, but we'd know if Clu succeeded with extracting that information from her."

Quorra acted immediately, picking up a tablet and accessed their information recorders.

"As of thirty Micros ago, Clu hasn't made any announcements." Quorra reported.

"We haven't been in touch with current events in Argon." Tron said, and Quorra handed him the tablet. He looked down the announcements.

Beck saw Tron stop and reread a line. Eventually, Tron read it aloud: "'Rogue program Ruby will continue in the Games for a second round against First Commander, Dyson.'"

He looked up at the others.

"Ruby was part of my security force before..." Tron stood breathless, staring at the tablet. "I thought... Dyson said I was the only one..."

He looked at Paige.

"Did you know?"

"No." Paige said truthfully as Mara gazed at her with a suspicious eye. "I did not know this."

Tron looked back at the screen, "Of course! Information like this would be highly top secret. Only Clu, and probably Dyson would know."

"I know what you are thinking."

Tron was bemused and looked up. He didn't recognize the voice that spoke, and only when Beck continued again was when Tron locked his eyes on his friend.

"You what to save her." Beck said.

"She's the last of my battalion! My duty and obligation is to my team!" Tron said exasperated.

"He's drawing you out, Tron!" Beck brought his hands to his head and threw them back down to his sides in frustration. "Offering you a cure didn't work according to his plan, so now he's brought back this Ruby. For all we know, she may not even be alive!"

"He's got a point there, Tron." Zed said with a shrug, and then muttered something that sounded like "hero complex."

"Tron," Mara said as Tron began to look like anyone else who objected would be thrown out into the Sea of Simulation. "We understand, really, we do. But Beck does have a point. We need to make sure Ruby really does have living status. Then, we'll have to plan the rescue carefully."

Tron was staring at the tablet again, but he slowly nodded to tell Mara he was listening.

"Okay," Kassandra said slapping her hands together. "Now that we're all friends again, I'll need to put Beck back into stasis."

"How many more times until we can leave?" Tron said.

"If you're in such a hurry," Kassandra scuffed, "why don't you leave Beck behind?"

"No way!" Beck objected.

"We're not leaving until Beck is well enough to leave." Tron said.

Paige glared at Kassandra.

"And rest assured," Paige added to Tron's refusal, "if the occasion came that we had to leave him behind, he would not be here alone."

"Paige." Beck started.

"Shush." She said staring at Kassandra, but the ISO stood her ground.

"Of course," Kassandra said with a small smile. "You must stay with your significant friend."

Before Paige could say another word, Kassandra took Beck by the arm and pushed him over to the pod.


Beck opened his eyes, and stumbled back from Ada in surprise.

"Are you always here?" He said recovering from her sudden appearance.

"I cannot go anywhere else."

"Sorry." He said. "I guess I'm not thinking straight. Tron's been... Well, Tron, I guess. He's got it in his head that he has to save everyone. Clu has a couple of his old officers, and now Tron has a hero complex."

"It is natural Tron would want to save his fellow peace officer." Ada said.

"I know that, but so does Clu." Beck said. "He'll be walking into a trap."

"Tron is smart. He'll work out a plan."

"He will, I know that." Beck said to her, he's voice echoing slightly. "The point is I think Tron is going to try something alone."


Tron moved as silently as possible. He tiptoed around a couple of ISO guards without a problem. Now to access the sub launch bay was going to be a little more of a challenge.

He squatted in the shadow behind a sheet of metal behind the railing, and peeked his eyes above it. The ISOs were secure as well as innovative. He'd been watching them for the passed few cycles and noticed their watch guard schedules changed at random and they were always on their highest alert like they expected to be infiltrated any second.

Then a hand slapped over Tron's mouth, and Tron nearly fell into the metal sheeting in front of him, and whirled around to find himself face to face with Paige.

He pulled her down next to him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Stopping you!" She whispered harshly and yanked her wrist out of his grasp. "I think your programing is getting old."

"What makes you say that?" He glared at her.

"I just sneaked up on you. You. Tron." She got her point across, and crossed her arms in disapproval.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Beck warned me of your hero complex. He seemed to think you'd try something. Seems he was right." She started to pull on his arm back the way they came in. "Now let's go back before we're caught."

"No." He threw her hand away and watched for the break in the guards' paces.

He was about to climb over the railing when Paige's arms came around from the behind and she hurtled him to the hallway and stood between him and the bay.

"We're in this together, aren't we, Tron?" She asked him, her arms down at her side. "All of us?"

"Yes," Tron said looking behind her at the railing, "but I have to do this alone."

He dodged at her, and she threw her weight into him, knocking not only Tron down, but herself too off balance.

"No, you won't." She pulled him aside. "This isn't the time."

"Time?" He repeated angrily. "We haven't got any!"

"You're the one who told me that Beck needed me." She struggled to keep him at bay as he pushed at her. "Now listen to me now, when I tell you you'll need Beck for this one."

"Beck!" He shoved her aside but stood where he was. "What does any of this have to do with Beck? Okay, let's talk about Beck! He's not coming. As soon as we're out of here, I'm shutting him down for good! He nearly killed himself the other day, and now his a danger to himself."

"At least his is himself now."

"Are you kidding?" Tron looked at her with exasperation. "He can't tell ISO memories from his own right now."

"He'll get better, but you can't leave until he is healed!"

"Just before you were saying if he was left behind it was okay. Why change your mind?"

"Because think how Beck would feel if you just up and left without saying goodbye!" She saw Tron falter. "You're his best friend. And you were about to leave him! I asking you to stay for him."

"I can't stay!"

"This is a trap set by Clu."

"Of course it is a trap! I wouldn't be Tron if I didn't everything could be a trap."

"Stay! What good would the revolution be if you were captured by Clu? The revolution would be over."

Tron was silent.

"Stay for the revolution means staying for Beck. He started it, you can't end it without him, if you shut him down like that we might as well surrender right then and there!"

Tron looked at Paige's eyes, and they were harsh with purpose. Tron knew she wasn't going to let him leave if he didn't have a great enough reason. If he left now to walk into Clu's trap, he would end the revolution.

Paige saw Tron's shoulders fall and he turned back to exit the bay, then looked back at the bay.

"They need my help."

"We'll plan it out." Paige said and took his forearm to lead him out. "We will help you get your old friends back."


Beck ran with his disc, ready humming with energy and rage. He slashed out at every black-clad program with a rage and vengeance that only those in this moment of ultimate violence would understand. From his mouth parted screams of anguish and wrath, until there were cubes lying all around him, scattered like shards of glass and fragile metals that were now undistinguishable in the glittering piles. He was disgusted with himself. He murdered all these programs.

Beck heard a sound ominous sound of a humming disc behind him and turned, ready, in fighting stance. The program smacked him with his disc, and nearly brought Beck to his knees. Beck lashed out, but not before he was slashed open by his opponent's disc.

He cried out, and sank to his knees. He looked up at his murderer.

"Tron will be reunited with Flynn, and you will die."

"I really doubt that, especially when it comes from an ISO." Clu's mask finally came away and Beck glared lasers into Clu's eyes. "Tron is dead."

Beck laughed, a serene laugh.

"If you say so." Beck grunted sarcastically.

"Apparently," Clu said, dangerously calm, "I didn't put my disc inside your belly deep enough."

Beck grunted in pain as Clu ripped through his middle.

"Beck!"

He started, and jumped back as Paige, waved her hand in front of his face.

"Come back down to the Grid, Beck!"

"Sorry, Paige." Beck said, sheepishly. "I was thinking."

"Apparently really hard too. Don't break your disc. You're still recovering."

"Ha, hu. Yeah." Beck chuckled unmoved by Paige's joke.

"You were right." Paige said. "About Tron."

"You stopped him? Huh, I'm impressed. Tron musta softened up a little."

"You guys are all softies."

"Haha, right."

"Paige!"

Beck jumped and Paige flinched from his sudden movement.

"Beck?"

He was looking down over the railing. He froze, thinking this through.

"Did you hear anything?"

"No. What did you hear?"

"Someone called your name, like they were yelling from down there."

"No one called my name, Beck."

"Yes, I did!"

Beck looked around trying to locate the voice, when he realized it.

'Ada!' He thought.

"Yes?"

"Ada!"

"What?"

"You're talking in my head!"

"Yes."

Beck groaned out load, and put his hands over his face.

"Beck?" Paige's face was marked with worry. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing." He said staggering back a little. "I just need to figure something out."

"Beck talk to me, maybe I can help."

"Thanks, but I have to figure this out alone."

"I stopped Tron from leaving because he we are in this revolution together, Beck. You don't have to be alone in figuring whatever-this-thing-is alone."

"I know you're there, but trust me."

"You'll fill me in?"

Beck hesitated.

"Beck."

"When I'm ready."

"Safe answer."

Paige nodded solemnly, turned on her heel and walked away. Beck went the opposite direction, and found a dark corridor where he sank down against the walk and closed his eyes.

At once the dark vast room with the one light appeared and he was standing in the middle it.

"Ada!"

"I know."

Beck turned around to see her worried looks.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know."

"You were talking in my head."

"We're still talking in your head."

"Just before was different. I wasn't in my subconscious when I heard you. When Tron hears about this he'll shut me down for sure. You can't talk like that without me being prepared." Beck looked her in the eye. "How did you even know I was talking to Paige?"

"I just saw it. Very distantly though."

Beck opened in his mouth in realization; he figured it out.

"Like from a long distance?"

"Yes."

"We need to figure this out, Ada."

Ada looked at him thoughtfully, "This is the first time you came to me without the ISO's help. It's almost like we'd be sharing the same installment soon. I'll be active while you are. We'd be competing for a chance to speak."

Clu watched Dyson fight Ruby. But he was distracted. A new prisoner came in with an erased disc, and when he tried to extract information form her, he left her in no condition to give him information. He'd sealed her fate to derezzolution.

'She knew that information.' He thought as Ruby just cut Dyson across his forearm with her disc. 'Or perhaps more than what I'd hoped for.'

He could have kicked himself. And now he knew nothing. Instead he has a dying program on his hands. How could he swing this back to his advantage?

The tone rang, signaling the end of round two, and as before the guards struggled to restrain a violent, enraged warrior.

'Perhaps Repurposing...no, her disc is too damaged. She will be derezzed. She takes up too much space.'

Ruby snarled at her enemies, her blind eye almost lit with anger.

"Just you wait," she told Dyson. "You will die."

'A warrior...yes, make a warrior; a killing machine that will only obey me.' Clu smiled to himself as Dyson came closer. 'How shall I do it? Repurpose Ruby? No, her pride is too strong. She'd find a way to derezz herself first, and Miranda has other uses...how, how?'

"Dyson?"

"Sir?"

"Your new scientist. I have something for him to do for me. Tell him to meet me at the next cycle, here."