Tron: Sacrifice

Episode Fourteen: Vision

"YOU'RE NOT REALLY gonna take me out of this."

"Unless you stable, I won't." Tron crossed his arms. "You have to realize-"

"That you're doing this to help." Beck sighed. "I know."

Beck and Tron faced each other for a moment and then Tron heaved a huge sigh.

"Alright, this is the deal," Tron said, pointing a strict finger at him, "if you can get Paige to look you over, and to tell me you're fit for combat, I'll let you-"

Beck smiled.

"Wow, Tron," he said. "You're getting soft."

"I wasn't finished." Tron fought a chuckle back, and put on a real serious face. "After Paige okays you, I'll let you to go though some training."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously." Tron said firmly. "I want to make sure you didn't become sloppy."

"Sloppy!"

"That's the deal."

Beck slouched against the wall, giving Tron a glare.

"When Paige says so, I'll put you in training with Mara and Zed. That should make your day."

"Fine." Beck gave in. "At least you'll let me do something around here."

Tron turned, finally letting his smile shine through, as Beck turned to leave.

They'd made it back to Tron's safe house alright. And Beck, on Tron's urging, revealed himself to their fellow mechanics. He became suddenly popular.

"Wow, Beck." Zed looked behind them. "You've got a posse."

Beck looked and shook his head as their follow mechanics followed behind them. Beck stopped, and Zed and Mara halted too.

"I need to settle this."

They came up and bombarded beck with loud questions.

"Guys!" Beck shouted as they pushed and shoved into them.

"Hey," Zed shouted as someone pushed Link into him.

"I think," Mara started, "we need to escape!"

"Got any ideas?" Beck shouted back, as he back into the wall.

"Hey! Best friend here!" Zed pushed back Bartik and Hopper.

Beck pulled out his baton and Zed and Mara followed his lead.

They jumped up out of the crowd, and speed away only to deactivate their bikes and start running.

"How did Bartik and Hopper get here?"

"They miraculously stood with us at the garage." Mara said as she reached the lift first, and opened it for them.

Beck and Zed jumped inside and Mara shut the shaft.

They collectively groaned.

"I didn't think it was gonna be like this." Beck said.

"Tron's getting it bad too." Zed said. "Didn't have a problem when he was pretending to be the Renegade."

"No wonder he doesn't walk around the base anymore." Beck said as they went to the top level. "No wonder he keeps himself up here."

"It will wear off."

Zed snorted, "In a hundred Xelas!"

"Tron's given us top authority." Mara said. "He'll expect us to calm them down, Zed."

"Great."

"Come on." Beck said. "I have to find Paige."

"That's easy." Zed shrugged. "Look for the program who's always alone."

"Zed." Beck sighed.

"It's true! No one wants to be around her."

Mara looked at Beck. "Everyone thinks she's still Occupation."

"I'll take care of it." Beck said. "Thanks for the escort."

"Sure, Beck." Mara tugged at Zed's arm. "Come on, Zed."

Zed cracked a goofy smile at Beck, making him roll his eyes. Beck turned around and almost waked into Paige.

"Oh, hey!" Beck started. "I didn't see you."

"You're one of few that don't see me." Paige gave a small smile.

She held out her hand, as if she already knew why he was here.

"So…" Beck said, giving her his disc. "A few mechanics came together and built a club. Want to go later?"

She eyed suspiciously.

"Watch out, Beck. Programs might think you are up to something."

"Aren't I always up to something?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Renegade." Beck said, triggering her to smile more, and he was satisfied.

"You didn't answer my question."

"You're disc is stable. I'll give Tron the permission for training."

"Come on, Paige." Beck said. "The club?"

She stood still, frozen with Beck's disc in her hand, thinking.

"All those times," she said, "when you were the Renegade…"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you help me?"

Beck was surprised.

"I was fighting for every program."

"Yeah, you already said that when I was in the games." Her face suddenly changed, and a hard look entered her eyes. "You didn't frame me."

"Bet it was Pavel."

"Knowing, Pavel, it probably was."

"Come on." Beck took her hand, and gently pulled her to the lift.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"You're coming with me."

She pulled back unexpectedly on his hand, and pushed him over, kneeling on his back with his arm twisted.

"I don't think so."

A laugh started up Beck's throat and let some of it escape him before he could silence it.

"What was that?" Paige said.

Beck put his knee out and knocked one of her feet out from under her. He pushed up with his hands and jumped off the floor, facing Paige.

"Does training start now?"

"I can still beat you." Paige said. "I always did."

"Haha, you sound confident about that."

"I am confident."

"I bet you can't this time."

"What are the stakes?"

"I win, you come to the club with me. You need to get the other programs to like you." Beck said, as she spouted a dry laugh.

"And if you lose?"

"I'll get Tron to."

She smiled genuinely. "The odds are slightly in your favor."

"Ready?"

She stuck out at him, her disc flashing in front of his face, then she took a fighting stance.

"You?"

Beck smiled as he lunged at her. She jumped up and shot her legs out at him chest. He turned his chest and she streaked past him, landing on her feet.

"That all you got?"

"Sparring," Tron said coming out of the lift, "in my lab."

Beck and Paige broke their fight poses as Tron looked at them.

"Paige?"

"I cleared him for activity."

"Fine." Tron turned to the lift. "But continue this in the holodeck. I don't want you two breaking anything."

"You should be getting tired of this by now." Ruby said.

She had he knees on Dyson's chest and her disc at his throat.

"I would find it more entertaining if you would surprise me by actually derezzing me instead of monologuing." Dyson said drily. "You waste too much time."

"Well, you know," Ruby smiled evilly, "if it's over too quickly, I won't be satisfied."

"Have it your way."

Dyson brought his arm up and struck the side of her head. He jumped off his back and picked up his disc a little ways away.

"You won't get anything done."

Ruby raised her disc, as well as her eyebrows.

"And you know exactly how to get things done?" She laughed, slowly advancing on him. "Aren't you fighting me because you couldn't capture and deliver Tron?"

"Let me inform you," Dyson said calmly, "I'm getting closer to capturing Tron and earning Clu's trust. Then I'll also have the Renegade in my hands too, and I will still remain on Clu's right hand. That's more than what you can say for yourself. Your devotion to Tron will get you killed."

"Let it be done."

Ruby threw her disc, and Dyson deflected it of course, the shock of impact running up his arms. She caught her disc and leaped up. Dyson ran toward her and raised his disc high. Her leg struck him in the shoulder, and she crashed down on him.

She then grazed her disc on his chest, across and down. She also struck him across the face just before the tone signaled the end of the round. She got up and stood back to admire her handy work.

Dyson gritted his teeth in pain, and looked at his chest.

Ruby marked him with a "T".

"Now you have your own scar." She said, motioning with her disc to her's on her face. "And a little something else.

"'Til next round." Ruby said, strutting away and glared up at Clu.

Clu raised his eyebrows in amusement. Of course, this was directed at him also.

"Spunky." He said simply when he observed Ruby's art work on Dyson's chest in the Medical Unit.

The medics were healing him.

"I have new weapon that should make things much more interesting."

"You're using this as publicity?" Dyson said, as the medic gave him back his disc. "Normally an insult like this would result in Derezzalution."

"Times are changing, Dyson." Clu said, sitting down. "Don't forget the message he gave you. And yet, he spared your life when I would have taken it."

Dyson stretched out, stiff where Ruby cut into him, then he touched his face.

"You forgot one. Heal it."

"No." Clu said, and Dyson looked at him defiantly. "I want you to keep it."

"Why?"

"Show Ruby you're not afraid."

"I am not afraid."

"All those times she could have derezzed you, and you're not the least bit frightened?" Clu said. "Impressive."

Dyson looked at Clu with uncertainty.

"You are planning something."

"Let's just say, your fate depends on whether your friend holds out his end of the bargain. Otherwise, I will have some thinking to do."

"You are amazing."

"I've worked hard to become so."

Paige clocked her elbow into Beck's stomach. He doubled over for just a moment, and Paige took his arm on her shoulder and flipped him over onto his back.

"Had enough?" Paige said, pushing her heel into his chest.

"Not remotely."

"Tron will derezz me himself if you aren't fit for training."

Beck shrugged, "I'll improvise."

He took her heel and rolled his body over, causing her to lose her balance. Back on his feet he threw some playful punches, and Paige grabbed his wrists, and twisted them over each other.

"You know," Paige used his twisted wrists to push him to the ground, "I don't think you're actually trying."

Beck laughed, "What makes you say that?"

"The way I can do this."

She kicked out with one foot and still holding one of his wrists, he swung out awkwardly. She gave his wrist an extra twist and tug, folding his arm to his back, and she shoved his face to the ground. His body slammed into the floor, and Beck laughed again.

"What's so funny, Beck?"

"This."

He kicked her off of him with his feet and pounded into her, slamming her back to the holofloor.

"I win."

She laughed, and he froze.

"What?"

"I think that was the first time I heard you laugh."

"Was it?"

"Yes."

Paige smiled at him and laughed again.

"You going to let me up?"

He smiled.

"Depends."

"On what?"

'Beck!'

Beck's smile faltered slightly.

"How long you promise to stay at the club?"

"Well, you technically didn't win."

"What do you mean I didn't win?"

"You didn't win." Paige said. "You won three times. You won once."

"What!"

"But," she said, "if you let me up, I'll go."

Beck pretending to be considering her proposal, when something strange happened.

'Ada, what are you doing?'

His vision was getting fuzzy and it warped and rippled.

'I'm not doing this.'

"Well, Beck?"

"Sounds like a deal."

He shakily got to his feet, stumbled, and sat back down on the floor.

"Beck!"

Paige knelt to the floor. Her face swam in his vision.

"I'm just a little dizzy."

Paige practically ripped his disc out of his hand and searched through his files.

'Ada.'

'I can see her.'

'Ada.' Beck thought to her. 'Close your eyes!'

At once his vision began to clear, and Paige's face focused in.

Paige put his disc in his back, and opened one eye. She examined the other one.

"What?"

"I thought I saw something." She dismissed it. "You okay now?"

"Yeah. I think I may have over done it."

"I'll let Tron know you not to exert yourself."

Paige helped him up. They walked over to the lift.

"We still going to the club?"

"I think you should rest. A regeneration cycle is in order, I think."

"Paige." Beck said. "Ten Micros? Please?"

Paige sighed, "Okay, ten, and that's it. It's the sleep cycle for you afterwards."

Beck smiled.