Tron: Sacrifice
Episode Sixteen: Unmasked
CLU SMILED AS THE PROGRAM walked inside the throne ship, carrying a narrow box. The program gingerly handed Clu the box.
"Excellent." Clu breathed. "Finally, I have the key to finding Tron, and ridding us of him once and for all."
He opened the lid, and the light blue glow lit up his face.
"Your contact did well." Clu handed the open box to the program. "Activate him."
The program held up his hands, "I cannot. You, sir, should have the satisfaction of giving the Renegade the Occupation Welcome."
"Perhaps," Clu smiled, "you are correct. Go and work on my perfect warrior."
The program bowed deeply and turned his back on Clu.
Clu smiled. Usually, he didn't like when someone told him what to do, but this time, he'd allow it. Just for the pleasure of seeing the confusion and disorientation on the Renegade's face. He'd get to unmask him, once and for all. As he walked to the middle of the throne room, a slot in the floor opened and a slab of metal push upward until it was as tall as Clu. It had a round hole at chest level to hold the disc, and Clu fit the disc inside it. The pressure activated and held fast the disc for Clu to work. He walked around to the back of the slab, and looked at the screen. The disc was fully operational. And he commanded the disc to activate. He stood back as he heard the energy and electricity surge up, and he thought of Dyson. Clu turned on his heel and exited the room before the disc revived the Renegade, but Dyson would surely want to know he is no longer in the Games, and Clu wanted to tell him personally.
The lights turned off as Clu walked out of the room and began to look for Dyson. But he wasn't to be found. Security was tight. No one he questioned seemed to know where Dyson had gone. Clu sent two guards to locate him and made his way back to his prize.
Beck opened his eyes. Aside from the glow of his light lines, the room was blacker than the blackest, starless night he'd ever seen. He tried to move his arms. He couldn't move at all, but he was restrained in an upright position with his back held firmly by his disc, like he was mounted on something. He pushed his head back and felt the cool metal behind him. Someone put him here.
"Tron?" He whispered, but the expanse of nothingness magnified his voice that he could have just as well shouted.
What happened? He asked himself. He thought of that last thing he remembered. He was riding the light jet with Mara, and then…nothing.
He was captured, then.
As if to confirm his thought, the lights turned on, the color orange blinding him. The sound of doors sliding warned Beck he was not the only program in the room anymore, and when he squinted his eyes open, it was all he could do to not show any reaction to the program in front of him.
"So," Clu said, crossing his arms, "you are the one that remodeled my statue and imploded it."
Beck stood frozen and suddenly Clu laughed. Beck glanced around the room. No one else was there. Just him and Clu.
"How is Tron these days? I have to keep up with the antagonist, you know. Why so silent? Do I have to loosen your tongue?" Clu raised his hand, and Beck felt a current of electricity coursing through him without warning. He yelled a horrible cry of pain as the current stalled his systems.
Then it was over. Beck's body shook with the force of stunned systems coming back online.
"So how is he?"
Beck shakily raised his head, "Much better since you failed to repurpose him. But you already knew that."
Clu smiled at Beck's response. "That I did. I had the mobile Repurposing Unit built for him, but I found it would be useful for areas of the grid that are less supportive. However, I miscalculated. I didn't add you in and the result was a wreckage of the Unit and revolting mechanics. But now that you're here, I can rectify the situation at hand."
"I know what you're doing." Beck said, still breathing heavily.
Clu cocked his head sideways, "Do you?"
"You're going to use me as bait, but it won't work. Tron has enough programs to replace me. I know very well I am expendable. My position will be filled quickly by someone else."
"Ha, very good!" Clu laughed. "But you're forgetting I have had you in my possession for quite some time now. In fact, I've had plenty of time to review your Identity Disc, and I've seen how well you and Tron work together. You may be easily replaced as the Renegade, but not as Tron's friend. You are all I need to get Tron's attention, because some time ago, Tron's friend was in danger and he sacrificed himself to save this friend. History mimics itself, and dependable programs become just that: Dependable to do the same predictability over and over again."
Beck was silent. Clu was a step ahead and made Beck look the fool.
Clu smiled broadly.
"Now that we have that taken care of," Clu walked around Beck like a predator, "I want to know why you are missing a substantial amount of records from your Disc."
"What?" Beck said, kicking himself for letting his surprise through. He just woke up here after being hit on the jet with Mara. There was no gap.
"You are missing nearly a HiloCycle. And you cannot tell me those reports became lost in cyberspaces of the Grid." Clu's smile was gone, replaced by a thin, angry line. "Where have you been, Renegade? I want to know."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Beck said truthfully.
Clu raised his hand and the electricity ripped through Beck once again. He motioned for the voltage to be increased, and then stopped. Clu's eyes narrowed at Beck as he saw something flash on his left arm and fade too quickly to be seen properly. Clu glared at Beck, and motioned for the current to turn on once again. Beck pressed against the restrains in pain, and Clu watched the area carefully. He upped the voltage, higher and higher, until Beck was screaming at the top of his lungs, the lights themselves were fading in and out, and the hexagon with a sideways T stood out brightly on Beck's arm. Clu dropped his hand.
Beck slumped against the restrains and closed his eyes, gasping for breath as his limps jerked uncontrollably. He was disoriented and his thoughts scrambled, and the lights boldly flickered to life again.
"So that's where you've been, Renegade." Clu spat at him, turning on his heel and left the room. The lights turning off one by one until only one stayed lit over Beck's semiconscious body.
The silence was broken by someone clapping, and Beck looked up blurry-eyed.
A program was slowly walking up to him, his light lines prominent against the blackness of the shadows.
"Have you missed me, Beck? Or should I say Renegade?"
Beck caught sight of the program as he stepped into the dim light over them, and he suddenly felt alive. Beck struggled to break free, not out of panic but out of vivid rage.
"Ha ha," Cyrus laughed watching Beck struggle. "You won't be getting out of that. I built this just for you, Beck."
"Why won't you stay dead?" Beck growled, hi hands in fists.
"Thanks to the ISOs, we're both still kicking away death."
"ISO?"
"What Clu said was true, Beck. You are missing a lot of data from the passed cycles since your accident. An unseen side effect of the procedure, I'm afraid. But it makes sense now seeing that you were piggybacking on another program."
"Another program?" Beck said.
"An ISO, in fact."
"You lie!"
"Do I?" Cyrus came closer and touched Beck's left arm. The symbol glowed for only a moment and faded to the black of his suit.
Beck head butted Cyrus away, "You did this!"
"No." Cyrus said innocently. "The ISOs did, and right now, Clu is launching a search for them in the Sea of Simulation. They will be found and executed all because of you. Tron made a huge mistake, Beck, in stealing a deep-dive sub to take you to them."
"What do you mean?"
"You were badly injured when Commander Paige's grenade exploded in the air. You were dying, my friend. I explained to Tron how the ISOs saved me from the abyss of death, and he took you there, unable to rely upon himself to save you. What he didn't know was that I made an agreement with the ISO scientist that brought me back. She followed my instructions to place inside your disc a transmitter and place your consciousness inside an ISOs disc. You were saved and everyone was happy."
"The ISOs wouldn't believe you."
"I promised her I could show a way to increase their numbers. They are a dying code, and the ISO accepted, believing my theory. However there were setbacks. The ISO developed a conscience halfway through your host's regeneration. So I threatened to expose their location to Clu and promised their ultimate demise. But anyways, you were slowly being pushed out of the host disc as the host became stronger. Finally, your programing was sent back to your own disc where it was stored safely with the ISOs. She sent it to me, and here you are."
"Who else was part of this?" Beck said twisting his wrists in the shackles of the metal slab.
"Dyson. The ISO. Me. Later on, Clu." Cyrus said. "Don't worry. Tron will surely come for you. After all you have done for him, he owes you that much."
"What's in it for you?" Beck asked. "I know you, Cyrus. You're a mercenary."
"I get to watch as Clu destroys the legendary Tron and the Renegade."
1 PectroCycle Earlier
Paige watched in horror as Beck bent over clutching his stomach. She helped him to the floor and he pushed her away.
"Ada!" He yelled.
Before their eyes, Beck's frame glitched showing a disfigured form and they hear a voice respond. "I'm not doing this, Beck!" Beck convulsed in pain hugging his middle. "Ada!" he yelled again, squinting at them.
Mara turned like a pinning top and shot like a bullet for Tron.
Zed and Paige stepped toward him, and Beck recoiled.
"Stay away!" Beck cried, hands pressing his head as if he had a thunderous headache.
He jerked again as if electrocuted and his image glitched again. He laid still on his side, knees pulled up to his chest. His image moved again, hair long and black, and slender body figure.
"Beck!"
Tron ran to his side and looked at the strange figure before them. He reached for the shoulder.
"Augh," the figure moaned and slowly pushed herself up, first on her knees and hands, and she sat up.
"Ada?" Paige said, eyes wide.
The figure turned.
"Hello, Paige."
Paige froze. An odd sensation that she never felt before lifted up her spin and lodged in her chest. Beck was gone. Then a more familiar emotion coursed through her circuits. She leaped at Ada with amazing speed, caught Ada by the throat, and threw her up against the wall. Ada's body was jarred on impact and she almost fell to the floor when Paige slammed Ada up and held her there.
"Where is he!" Paige yelled in Ada's face, her arm pressing against Ada's windpipe. "Where is Beck?"
Tron jabbed two fingers at the pressure point behind Paige's ear, and she yelped and slumped down to the floor, stunned.
Mara and Zed held fast to Paige by the arms, and dragged her away.
Ada sank to her knees, coughing and gasping, massaging her throat.
"Nice to see you too." Ada croaked.
Tron stood between Paige and Ada, as Paige began to regain her wits.
"What the hell!" She shouted at Tron, struggling against Mara and Zed.
"This is no time to panic and be aggressive." Tron said, feeling the exact sensations run through him at high speed. "Control yourself!"
"He's gone." Paige growled, glaring at Ada as if her eyes were lasers.
"I know!" Tron raised his voice, pausing to calm down. "But we won't know how or why if you kill her."
"I wasn't going to kill her…yet."
"Cool off." Tron said to her, and told Mara and Zed, "Take a walk."
Paige stood up, shook off Mara and Zed, and stormed out of the room. Mara and Zed had to hurry behind her to catch the lift. And Tron was alone with Ada.
"Catch your breath." Tron said, waiting a moment before activating a lock on the lift door. Then he looked through the glass. "I have something to wrap up first. Stay here."
Tron walked into the interrogation room, and Dyson had his feet up on the table, lounging.
"What a ruckus! Tell me, is it like that every cycle?"
Something clicked in Tron's mind.
"You knew."
"Knew what?" Dyson said, sounding mockingly innocent.
Tron threw up the side of the table, sending Dyson to the ground and the table landing with an eardrum-shattering crash.
"You know exactly what I mean?" Tron said dangerously, anger pulsing, boiling; almost making him close a hand around Dyson's skinny little neck.
"Oh!" Dyson said. "I assume you mean the deal! But seeing as you are still here, Clu must be severely-"
"Where is he?"
"Oh, the Renegade was taken?" Dyson said. "Huh, that is interesting. I thought for sure it was going to be you. You see, Tron, Clu was very disappointed with me, so I made a deal with a program that had some very promising connections. He said that he could deliver you to me. I would be saved from the games and have my job secured. But your Mara has already rescued me from the games.
"However, something has clearly gone wrong since you are still here." Dyson said, still on the ground. "So Clu has the Renegade. All the more leverage for Clu."
Tron backhanded Dyson across the face.
Dyson laughed.
"I see you're in that position again, Tron, where Clu holds all the cards, and you are alone. You shouldn't really pick out friends, Tron. I thought you would have known by now that your friends always get hurt." Dyson chuckled.
"Who was this program?"
"Are you saying you don't even know?" Dyson raised his eyebrows. "He told me he knew you and your weaknesses assuring me your deliverance. Clearly, he meant you to surrender, and it must have been his plan to take your Renegade all the while."
Tron let Dyson's words seep in. Someone he knew…knew his weaknesses? He must have known Beck also, and knew that Beck was his only friend. There were only two programs that they both knew before, and they were Able: deceased, and Cyrus: Very much alive.
Tron made a fist and punched Dyson square in the forehead, and Dyson fell back unconscious. He opened the door to see the ISO looking into the room.
"Nice." She said and meant it.
"Do you know where Beck is?"
She looked at him with sad eyes. "No. But I need to tell you that He was aware that I was with him."
"What?" Tron sat down. "And he didn't say because he wanted to fight, didn't he?"
Ada nodded.
"Now he's gone." Tron said, shaking his head, then he started to think.
Cyrus had practically lead them to the ISOs to help heal Beck.
Tron got up from his chair so fast he knock it over to the floor.
"Come with me." Tron told Ada.
"Where are we going?"
"We're going to pay a visit to the ISOs."
