Tron Sacrifice Script

Episode Seventeen: Unmasked Part Two

One PectroCycle Earlier

THE LIGHT TASER SOARED, and Quorra jumped out of the way.

"Are you insane?" She shouted.

"Quorra, please," Kassandra pleaded, "Tron cannot know! It was part of the deal."

"A deal I was not part of!" Quorra stood up. "Tron must know!"

"No!" Kassandra threw her disc.

Quorra danced out of the way, the disc flashing before her eyes, she dived behind a lab table and pulled her sword from her calf sheath.

"Who knows? Tron must already know by now!" Quorra shouted. "So, technically, you wouldn't have told him."

"It doesn't matter." Kassandra said with a shake of her head. "I'm going to follow the terms of the agreement I made to protect us. And not you, me, or anyone else here can tell him."

"Tron isn't a fool." Quorra said. "By now he'd know that something happened when you operated on Beck's disc. His going to come back, and this time the nice protector will be not at all like he was when he showed up here. He will interrogate us until someone tells him where Beck is. I don't know about you, but I don't want to add Tron to our list of enemies with CLU already on it."

Quorra listened for Kassandra's movement, and heard nothing. Kassandra was listening.

"Tron deserves to know the truth." Quorra said, cautiously getting to her feet. "I think we both know what Tron is and represents to the ISOs. He tried so hard before the Purge to help us, to get the Basics to accept us. They are afraid of us, and what you have done is deplorable. You've given them reason to hate us."

Kassandra stepped out of her cover, and Quorra peeked around the table. She watched as the scientist arrested her disc and tossed the tasers onto a nearby table.

"I'm so sorry, Quorra."

"I betting the program was Cyrus?" Quorra asked, putting away her sword.

Kassandra nodded.

"I know you, Kassandra." Quorra placed her hands on the scientist's shoulders. "You are more loyal to the ISOs than any one of us. There must have been something more that he did or said to get you to do this."

"There was." Kassandra sniffed. "I am a fool to have believed him. To think that this could work."

"What could work?"

"He said that he had a theory to resurrect derezzed ISOs as long as their original code was unharmed and intact."

"Ohhh, Kassandra." Quorra gave her a hug. "As much as we miss our fellow friends and loved ones, they are at peace now. I understand the temptation in that offer, but there hasn't been a way to bring back the dead. I bet not even Kevin Flynn can do it."

"I was weak."

"No." Quorra shook her head. "You had a belief in something that could have potentially helped us, and that is honorable.

"Now," Quorra said walking through the sliding door, "we have to prepare for Tron's arrival."

"These are not times for extraordinary programs, Beck-may I call you Beck? Good." CLU had sent a shock through Beck to make him respond with yell. "Heroics are unseemly. They complicate things."

"Programs are starting to believe in something and themselves. To you that's nothing short of sedition." Beck set his head back with a heavy thump, breathing hard from the shocks.

"I can't afford to. When programs start thinking, they get ideas. When they get ideas, they want me to accept them. When I don't accept them they become unhappy. Do you know what unhappy programs do to the perfect system? They hinder it." CLU responded. "They won't leave me be. The ISOs are a prime example, which brings us back to the subject in question, which you are avoiding so professionally well."

"I'll take that as a complement." Beck said laughing softly.

"I'll ask you again," CLU ignored Beck's comment. "I know where you've been, and I know an ISO when I see one. However, you are different. The ISOs hide their shameful signature. Yours only appears when you are subjected to an outside force of any kind, whether it is a high voltage charge bolting through your system or a light tap. So answer me!"

The electricity surged and Beck threw back his head against his will and screamed. His light lines glitched and flickered, showing the layers different light blue circuitry. And he slumped against the support of the metal restraints.

"Why did they add their technology to your system?"

"I don't know!" Beck gasped, his chest heaving. "If you think that I am lying, why don't you Repurpose me and find out?"

"Repurposing makes mindless soldiers. They are sufficient for fighting wars and don't ask any unwanted questions, but this will not be your fate."

"Torturing me isn't working to get you what you want."

"I know what you're thinking. I won't derezz you. If you die, I can't hurt you anymore. Many know the Renegade, and they all know that you crossed me, spreading your defiance. They must see what happens after that. They must know that Tron is dead, and that I have control of the Grid.

"Now." CLU walked to a controls module and put in a few commands. "I have a special invention that my scientist made for cases like yours. Oh, don't worry. It is nothing to large, but it shows extreme promise." As CLU stepped away from the controls the metal slab Beck was strapped to, began to rotate him on his back. "This metal bed, in this position, is directly linked to the power I've been sending to you. Do you know what that means, Beck? It means that whatever secrets or information you are hiding will be mine in matter of minutes."

Beck gave CLU the hardest glare he could manage under the enormous stress and fear CLU was exposing him to.

"An organics believe when a being is subject to certain levels of emotion and pain, they can find out who they really are. So, Beck, I wonder what kind of program you are? Are you an ordinary mechanic? Are you the Renegade; a hero and Tron's newest weakness? Or are you a traitor?"

CLU waved his arm and somewhere someone Beck couldn't see, operated the controls to the metal bed. Beck felt the panic rising in his chest and took deep breaths to calm himself as he heard the bed charging.

"Who do you think you are?"

The light blinded CLU as the electricity was unleashed. The sound Beck made was unbearable, but CLU stood in silence watching the bolts of light jumping and dancing on the metal bed. The power was focused around Beck's disc and it took only a few seconds of agony and pain before Beck stopped moving and the scream echoed in CLU's ears.

The bed powered down.

"Apparently, no one." Cyrus said stepping out from a hallway in the wall and looking at Beck. "Perhaps, it was too sufficient. I will recalibrate the power intake and make the other modifications we discussed."

"Which poses a problem." CLU said. "Where to hold the Renegade for the time being to make repairs? The cells are overcrowded."

"One can be cleared out easily enough." Cyrus examined Beck and walked to the controls mod, rotating the bed. "Assuming you want him isolated."

"I think I want him in cell six."

"With Tron's team? I do not mean to question your decisions, but is that so wise?"

"Play with their minds just this once to make a show of how the Renegade is here." CLU said. "To them it is a warning we are stronger, smarter, and it is only a matter of time before Tron is under my control. And since we have his attention, we might as well use Beck's presence here to our advantage."

"Have you given my thoughts consideration?"

"Yes, I have," CLU turned his back and strode over to the door. "It will be helpful in case things don't go our way.

"Have him transferred to cell six and make the modifications. Don't forget: make it a show." CLU closed the door behind him.

Cyrus nodded and turned back to Beck after CLU shut the door behind him.

"Let's have some fun." He rubbed his hands together and entered in some commands. The metal bed rotated into an angle and Cyrus released the restrains across Beck's chest, wrists, and ankles. As Beck's limp body slid down the metal ramp, the floor right below spilt down the middle in a meter long circle. Beck slid down the hole and Cyrus smiled as he heard the thump of impact. The modifications would take a very little time. He'd planned it that way. The metal bed was just fine. Cyrus just gave Beck a shock at 15,000 volts and powered down right away to fake a blowout. He wanted to chat with Beck, who, in fact, was probably waking up right about now.

Beck was sitting at the bottom of a glass tube. He put his hands out on both sides of the glass and bushed himself up to stand. His leg burned in protest and Beck gritted his teeth to bear the pain, and leaned against the glass. He took deep breaths to clear the throbbing in his head, and realized for the first time where he was.

"Oh, nice one, Beck." He said to himself. Then he heard clapping, and turned to the source. Cyrus.

"Wonderful performance, Becky." He said.

"You're not going to leave me alone, are you?" Beck said, scowling.

"No, because something interests me about how you're handling all of this. CLU and I have told you the truth, yet, you seem to reject everything we've said."

"I'm sure you know how to wipe away memories."

"Haha, I learned that long before I met Tron, but as you may have noticed, I working on a new project." He scanned his hand on the wall and the door opened.

Beck gasped.

"Get the sub ready."

"Tron," Mara said. "We can't. I detected submarines with CLU's signature on them. If we launch now, they'll find us here."

Paige watched as Tron rubbed his eyes in frustration.

"I don't see why the ISOs would kidnap Beck, and be foolish enough to keep him there. I'm seeing this as an exchange." Paige said, getting everyone's attention.

"What are you saying?" Zed shook his head.

"I'm saying the ISOs knew we'd be coming." Paige looked at Tron. "Cyrus clearly has been with them, and you know him better than I do, but I'm thinking he had a negative influence on them. And since we saw disc nor back of this guy, I'm betting he wasn't with the ISOs when we visited."

"The ISOs help Cyrus!" Zed exclaimed. "That's crazy!"

"Maybe not." Tron said.

"I don't doubt that Cyrus was a part of this, but I don't see the ISOs agreeing to do this to us—to Tron."

"No," Paige said, "but what if it was a small group or even one, well-connected ISO. I don't think they'd mutually agree on it either, and from what I'm understanding of Cyrus, I think he blackmailed the ISOs with their location."

"Plausible." Tron said. "Okay, forget the ISOs. We are going into Argon. Find Cyrus, we find Beck."

They departed from the room to prepare for departure. Tron stood alone in silence, fighting his conscience. He knew where Beck was.

They were ready for departing, and they activated their cycles, zipping off into the freezing air. They split up to find their own ways into Argon, and planned to meet in the Square, but Tron wasn't going to show. No, this he had to do alone. While the others searched for Cyrus, he, Tron, would hunt for CLU.

"Sir, Dyson is missing."

"What do you mean, missing?"

"We have tried to locate him but he isn't here, sir. He's not in Argon."

CLU looked at the guards.

"Are the security systems safe?"

"There was no indication of them being broken into, sir. All the data cubes are accounted for." said a security specialist on the scene.

CLU was still, then got up to join the specialist.

"Bring up a cam-feed, search for when Dyson was last reported in the ship."

The technician worked speedily, but efficiently. He projected the feed on a screen and showed the whole room Dyson checking in, bouncing the view from camera to camera as Dyson walked until he stopped in the balcony overlooking the controls bay. He stood looking at something out of sight and was suddenly taken down by a nondescript program, and another joined in to help apprehend Dyson. The programs cuffed Dyson to the railing and stepped out of view.

"Bring up audio."

The tech shook his head, his hands moving fast over the controls. "They are disabled."

"Can we see what they are doing at the main computer mod?"

"No." The tech shook his head again. "They jammed the cam-signals. I can try to break it."

The red words flashed on the screen. ACCESS DENIED.

"They did a good job." CLU said, his hand at his chin, then they watched as the masked programs knocked out Dyson and dragged him with them. "He's coming."

"Sir?"

"Inform me of any improvements." CLU said simply and left the room.

It was a female program. She was on her back, apparently unconscious, suspended by a magnetic field inside a horizontally stationed tube much like Beck was in. She had a black suit without light lines.

"Met your new opponent." Cyrus said walking up to her, patting the glass. "She's almost ready."

"Ready?" Beck said.

Cyrus pulled out a disc-like device and showed it to Beck.

Beck beheld the weapon he believed was long since destroyed. It was a weapon made by the Occupation scientist Shaw for Tesler.

"Surprise." Cyrus beamed at Beck. "I checked your disc myself, and I know you believed it to have been gone by your own hands, but you are clearly mistaken, don't you think?"

"You can't use it, Cyrus." Beck said, his hands pressed desperately against the glass.

"Yeah, I saw that from your disc also. How the purest Renegade was nearly destroyed by this very piece of advanced upgrading technology. How alluring the bad side is, isn't it?"

"I wasn't allured by anything."

"Don't tell me that you didn't enjoy its power driving through your every cell and circuit? You liked it. I have experimented with its power, Beck, and I know exactly what it feels like. Everything slows down to the moment when you can see a twitch last for five NanoCycles. The details of every circuit can be memorized in a split Nano. And the strength. The agility. It would be a very great advancement for even Tron's chosen one. You choose to use it freely, and you wanted to keep using it."

Beck stared, his hot breath clung on the glass, fogging his vision. He couldn't reply.

"Haha," Cyrus laughed slowly. "I guess I really don't need to say I'm right, do I?"

He walked up to the glass.

"I am touched by your warning. But there is no need to worry for my sake. I cannot control it, much like you couldn't. This is for her, but don't worry for her sake either. I've made modifications to her programing that should help with the…overwhelming sense of power. How would you like to meet her?"

"Cyrus-" Cyrus picked up the program's disc and sealed the weapon inside it. "Cyrus, listen to me. Tron saw that weapon for what it really is: Poison." Cyrus transported it inside the tube to it sealed itself to the program's back like a magnet. "If you do this you will create a monster."

"She's a virus actually." Cyrus said dismissively. "Oops! I gave it away. But you were going to find that out eventually."

His finger was hovering over the controls, about to initiate the program's transformation, when the room filled with red light.

"Intruder alert." The computer generated female voice sounded calmly.

Cyrus pressed his hand down as he saw Beck smile.

"No!" Beck yelled, throwing his fists against the glass, failing to break from his confinement.

"Sorry, Beck." Cyrus said, half his face a glow with red and the other white the program's activation. "I have guests to attend to. I'll be back later."

Cyrus turned on his heel and Beck watched as the program drew breath and opened her eyes.