As part of the Radiant Garden restoration project, the main computer system had been moved to a separate building some distance away from Ansem's Laboratory. The physical computer racks were underground, along with backup power supplies and networking infrastructure. The very noisy machines on the building's ground floor were mostly HVAC equipment, along with the primary access terminal and the matter transfer laser. Those had been upgraded as well.

...or so Cid had claimed. Riku couldn't see a difference. Laser looked the same. The giant screen was still there. The keyboard was new; apparently somebody had jumped all over the old one.

Cid nodded as everybody filed past him and into the laser room. Upon entering, Roxas immediately glared at the computer screen as if it had stolen his ice cream money.

Kairi regarded the screen with marginally less hostility. "This is your 'special training session'? We're just going to play a computer game?"

"Not quite. Everybody, stand with your backs to the screen. Close together, like we're taking a picture. Good. Now, Tron, if you please."

Kairi looked around. "Tron? Sora's mentioned him before. Isn't he -"

One short trip through the matter laser later, Riku found himself staring at the eternally-glowing walls of the Space Paranoids user terminal area. Turning around, Riku counted heads. Good, everybody made it through. Riku waited as his friends shook off the effects of digitization.

" - that guy who lives in a computer and Riku what is WRONG with you dummy you have to warn us before you do whatever that was!" Kairi said as her voice gradually un-distorted.

"Heh. Sorry. Would it help if I said you looked great in blue?"

"That's not going to - huh?"

Kairi and the others looked at each other with varying degrees of confusion as they realized they were wearing the white-with-colored-patterns Grid jumpsuits.

"Oh!" Namine was first to react, jumping behind Kairi. "What happened to my skirt? And why are my legs glowing? Riku, what did you do!?"

"Relax, it's just an alternate form. Everybody in Space Paranoids gets one."

"Relax? This...whatever I'm wearing...it's covering my legs completely, and it barely fits! How am I supposed to move like this?"

Riku suddenly realized that not everybody in their group had used alternate forms before. Or had worn pants.

"Whoa, nice!" Axel said as he admired himself. "This world's got my color memorized!"

Axel's suit was indeed highlighted red. Riku and Kairi's suits were both the traditional blue. Same for Roxas (who was busy staring at the computer terminal like it had drowned his goldfish). Namine's was a pale yellow, and Xion -

"Master Riku, why am I different? Is there something wrong with me?"

- Xion's entire jumpsuit was somehow black instead of white, with purple highlights.

Uh oh. Xion was starting to panic again. What was the proper Masterly response for this? Riku searched the recesses of his mind.

Why do you fear? Is it because you seek order where none exists? Chaos is your ally!

"It's fine. I'm pretty sure the color choices are random. Besides -"

Do not fear the DARKNESS! Embrace it!

"- you look great. Black suits you."

"Thank you, master!" Xion beamed. Well alright then. Apparently that had been the correct answer.

Riku was saved from any further pontificating by the timely arrival of Tron.

"Greetings!"

"Everybody, this is Tron. Tron, thanks for letting us visit on such short notice."

"It's my pleasure to serve the users." Tron blinked. "I'm sorry, Riku...you mentioned earlier that we had met before? I'm certain I don't recognize you, but I feel like I should."

"I've met a copy of you on another world, er, system. Your hearts are connected." Somehow. Sora had tried to explain it to him several times without success.

"I see. How is the other me doing?"

Hoo boy. "He's, uh, great. Fighting for the users and all that."

"That's good to hear." Tron turned to the rest of the group. "I know I haven't met any of you before. It's good to - wait, Sora?"

Tron walked up to Roxas. "I didn't realize you were here! Where are Donald and - wait, your signature is different. My apologies. You are not Sora."

Did Roxas just flinch? Nah. Must be the lighting.

For some reason, Axel decided to intervene anyway. "Hi, name's Axel."

Tron did a double-take at the red suit. "I will remember that."

"Say, what's this? I found it stuck to my back."

"It's an Identity Disk. It contain a record of all your personal and experiential data. It is also your primary weapon, for both defense and long-range attacks."

"That means I can throw it, right?" Axel traced the red spiral on his disk. "Glowing red clothes and a free frisbee! Can we stay here forever?"

"No!" Roxas finally found his voice. Marching up to Riku, he said, "Riku, did you forget what happened the last time I was in a computer? That Ansem trapped me in an imaginary world and brainwashed me so I'd be easier to manipulate? Or that you helped him?"

Riku straightened to his full height and looked Roxas in the eye. "I haven't forgotten anything I've done."

Roxas faltered slightly, but Riku noticed his hand tighten into a keyblade-holding shape. "Then why -"

"Were you expecting a vacation? I told you this was a special training session." Riku gestured to the glowing hallways. "The Heartless can appear in any world. They've appeared in this one before. Sora drove them off, and they haven't come back -" Riku glanced at Tron, who shook his head "- but we can't get complacent. And Sora isn't available right now. It's up to us."

Riku tapped Roxas on his glowing chest. "You want to carry a keyblade? It's going to take you to places you don't want to go. Get used to it."

"...you're right. Master, I'm sorry...I..." Roxas said, looking abashed.

"Don't worry about it. This is why we train. If you were already perfect, I'd be out of a job." Riku said, patting Roxas on the shoulder (Master technique #47). "Speaking of which: Tron, if you would lead the way?"

"Alright, listen up. When we visit a world, Heartless aren't the only source of danger. Every environment is different," Riku said, gesturing to the flat blue vista before them, "and swinging a keyblade isn't enough - you need to adapt to your surroundings. Your alternate forms are just the tip of the iceberg."

Riku passed out glowing metal sticks as he spoke. "This area is called the Game Grid. Its original designer meant it as a form of entertainment - a large maze with walls that could be reconfigured at any time, so visitors would never get bored. Then a guy called the Master Control Program turned it into an offbeat way to execute people. Now it's under Tron's control, so we can use it for training."

Riku held up one of the metal sticks. "This is a Light Cycle. Who here has ridden one before?"

Silence.

"Good." Riku leaned forward, holding the stick in both hands. A flash of light, and Riku was surrounded by a cross between a motorcycle and a neon 'We're Open' sign. With a distorted roar, he took off at top speed, down the length of the empty Game Grid and back. Four seconds.

Stopping directly in front of his friends, Riku let the motorcycle disappear. He stood up and grinned, eager to see their reactions. Kairi was rolling her eyes at him. Namine, still startled, was holding onto Kairi's arm. Axel and Xion were making enthusiastic sounds and hand gestures, and Roxas...Roxas was jumping in place, looking more like Sora than ever.

"The Light Cycle's maximum speed is faster-than-anything-you've-ever-felt-before. But speed is only half the challenge - the rest is control. Tron, if you please."

A seemingly-random assortment of blue walls suddenly rose up out of the ground.

"The Light Cycle specializes in sharp turns, and that's exactly what you'll need. The goal is simple - navigate the maze as fast as you can."

"We'll do a non-combat run first. Then Tron can add simulated Heartless, and we'll focus on defensive techniques. Everybody goes into the maze at the same time. Namine, that means you too."

"Really?" Namine looked at the metal stick in her hands as if just noticing it for the first time.

"Sure. The Game Grid's a controlled, self-contained environment with no Heartless presence. The only danger is the maze itself - and the other drivers, technically, but that's not a concern for any of us."

Kairi did her best not to scream in frustration as her Light Cycle hurtled down yet another blue corridor. "Why do all the walls look the same!?"

Over the onboard radio, Kairi could hear the amusement in Riku's voice. "That's the point, Kairi."

Kairi didn't have a comeback for that. Personal irritation aside, the 'training' was going well. Everybody had made it into the maze - after she and Xion had fallen over several times trying to activate their light cycles. And Roxas and Axel had accelerated straight into the entrance wall. And Namine had accelerated in reverse, which, according to Tron, wasn't actually a feature in the Light Cycle program. But once in the maze, she heard nothing but Axel and Roxas's cheerful banter.

"Just watch. You're gonna want to memorize my next move!"

"As if! I've seen Large Bodies move faster than you."

"Kairi, you takin' the scenic route? Catch up with us!"

Unfortunately, the radio couldn't indicate where they were. At least she wasn't the only one lost. "Xion, you don't have to stick with me. You realize I have no idea where I'm going, right?"

The soft response came from the light cycle directly behind hers. "Neither do I."

"We could split up. One of us might find Roxas faster."

"It's fine."

"Riku, where are you?"

"I'm still with Namine. She's finally worked up the nerve to accelerate above walking speed."

"Boooring!" Axel said. "Hey, Tron, can you hear me? Can you toss in a few of those simulated Heartless that Riku mentioned earlier?"

A friendly voice echoed all around them. "Sure. One moment..."

Kairi watched as small lights appeared in the corridor ahead of her. The lights coalesced into simple backlit rectangles with yellow circle 'eyes'.

"There you go. This is still a non-combat simulation, so sideswipe the targets to earn points."

Kairi ran through a rectangle as she turned down another corridor. The rectangle disappeared with a satisfying 'ding'.

The next few corridors had the rectangles in different locations, but it was simple enough to nudge the control stick into each one. "Hey, this is fun!"

"Uh, Kairi?"

"Riku?"

"If you see Namine, could you let me know? She, ah, found her accelerator."

A chorus of 'dings' suddenly filled Kairi's ears, followed by a light cycle moving at breakneck speed in the corridor directly in front of her. Kairi turned to follow as the cycle smacked through a solid line of rectangles -

- and directly into a wall. The cycle disintegrated, flinging a surprised Namine through the air.

With no time to maneuver, Kairi's light cycle quickly followed suit, sending her through the air and onto Namine and the...spongy Game Grid floor?

Kairi had just enough time to lift her head and hear a third crash when Xion landed on her.

A fourth light cycle drove up - thankfully without crashing - and disappeared, revealing a concerned Riku. "Are you three all right?"

"We're fine," Kairi said. She and Namine were still dizzy but otherwise unharmed; Xion was already up and walking around, pressing her feet on different areas of the floor experimentally. "The ground is soft. Tron must've added a safety feature."

Riku helped Kairi and Namine to their feet. Kairi heard Roxas's voice, apparently over the radio in Riku's still-intact metal stick. "Riku, what happened?"

"There was an accident. A three-Kairi pile-up." Kairi smacked his arm. "I'll activate my homing beacon so you can find us."

Wait, homing beacon? Riku had one of those the entire time!?

A few seconds later, and two light cycles showed up neck-and-neck. The first, trying to avoid an oblivious Xion, overcompensated and rammed into a wall.

Riku shook his head. "Good, there's Roxas. And..."

The second light cycle rammed into the opposite wall. And then burst into digital flames before disappearing.

"...there's Axel. Tron, can you drop the walls? I think we're done for now."

Axel dusted himself off. "Okay, the bikes turn into light when they crash. I get that. But why did mine catch fire? There's nothing to burn! Why is that a feature?"

Tron looked confused. "It isn't. I've never seen 'fire' before. You users never cease to amaze me. Oh, before I forget..."

A large rectangle suddenly appeared floating in the air. 'Space Paranoids: Light Cycles mode=demo lvl=1 multi=6 combat=off' was written at the top. Underneath was a two-column table, with everybody's names in one and a series of numbers in the other.

"User 'Namine,' you got the high score!"

"Oh! Thank you. That's good, isn't it?"

Axel studied the table. Namine's name was indeed first, with a number far higher than all the others. Axel and Roxas tied for second, followed by Kairi, Riku (who apparently had ignored the targets while looking for Namine), and...Xion was in last place with zero?

Axel turned to Xion. "Um, Xion, where were you during the race?"

"I stayed behind Kairi."

"Directly behind her? So you didn't hit any targets at all?"

"Ah, that's bad, isn't it?"

"It's not your fault. Maybe somebody should've explained the rules before we started. Hint hint, oh wise Keyblade Master."

"No, that was part of the training," Riku explained. "Remember what I said about adapting to your surroundings? Most worlds don't give you a user guide when you show up."

"Well, maybe we should've covered how to ride a motorcycle then. Does anybody here even have a driver's license?"

Riku shrugged. "Never bothered. Most worlds don't check for one."

"Where we come from, boats are more important," Kairi said.

"I never went outside," Namine said.

"What's a driver's license?" Xion said.

"I don't think any of us are old enough anyway? Well, most of us," Roxas said.

Everybody turned to Axel. He shrugged. "You caught me. I don't have one either. Never needed it. That's what Corridors of Darkness were for."

One short return trip through the matter laser later, and the group was back in the computer room. After typing their farewells to Tron, the tired group piled into the Gummi Bus and headed home.

Kairi smiled as she looked at her friends curled up on the Gummi Bus benches. Sure, Riku's 'special training' might not have gone quite as he had planned, but everybody seemed much more relaxed than they had been in the morning. Xion looked quite peaceful sleeping (and not at all like she was headed to her own execution), and Roxas wasn't sitting quite as far away as he had before. The day had turned out well.

...although it was way past Xion's bedtime. Kairi would have to be more careful about that in the future.

Maybe Kairi's plan to bring everybody together was working? One day wasn't enough to prove it, but Kairi already had the next day trip planned out. The passports were sitting on her desk at home, and everything was packed and ready to go. She'd have to remember to thank Aqua for the idea.