A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay - Happy New Year! This year's gunna be great, I can just feel it! ;D

Song Listened To : Something better - Audien ft. Lady Antebellum

*Chapter 144*

With her face firmly pushed into the back of Zed's warm shoulder, the rhythm of his sturdy bike nearly lulled her into a coma of a haze, a dream she only wished she could just escape to. The feeling of dread fell over her; she scrunched her face hard, into Zed's warmth, and now knew exactly how Penny felt when she ended Selka's life. She shook her head and now understood just what lengths she'd go to, to protect those that mean the most to her, as well as her own kingdom. After a handful of minutes of silence, it became clear to Tessa that Zed's bike had finally escaped Tron's slick grid and graced the train wires she so desperately missed. She knew, on this off Sunday for the Arcade, that the trains, that sail from station to station, would be busy bustling everyone around; likely to and from EZ Living's port.

Tessa felt hot tears escape her eyes and softly dampen the back of Zed's shoulder. She let her glassy eyes dull to the dim, blue hue of the train tunnels she was now becoming familiar with. Flashes of ancient, deteriorated graffiti shot by as Zed's bike whirred and sparked on the train's disagreeing, live-wired tracks. Just as Zed neared the End Of Line station, he slowed the bike and leaned close to a few railings that came within arms reach. As they came to a complete stop, Zed grappled for the railing, held on tight and glanced over his shoulder, to cue Tessa to dismount. Once she was safe on the other side of the railing, Zed followed suit and, as safely as he could, he raveled the bike back into its baton form. With a huff of an exhausted breath, he gave Tessa a bewildered look, though it quickly sloped to surprised anguish at the mere sight of her, as if the weight of everything had suddenly came crumpling down onto her existence. He reached a tender, shaking hand to her.

"Tess," he eased as softly as he could, so to speak eons of gentleness into her wavering soul, though to also keep from the sturdy walls from carrying their voices.

"I want to go home," Tessa lightly complained, though not in the sense of seeming selfish; she knew she wanted to solely make sure everyone was safe. Including her uncle Rancis.

"Me too," Zed started carefully, "I moved Dead Zed to End Of Line Station."

"What?" Tessa's sullen eyes finally graced his, "Why?"

"My outlet wasn't getting enough power, in Game Central Station, for some reason," Zed naively shrugged, "End Of Line's power strip surprisingly isn't too far from Game Central. I didn't even have to move the cabinet. Just had to worm the cord around the back of a few games."

"So, Dead Zed is in this station?" Tessa curiously, though lazily, waved her hand about the dock that proudly stood a few dozen feet down the desolate tracks; murmurs of voices could be heard as the Arcade got a late start to their lazy day off.

"Yeah," Zed breathed, he gave Tessa an earnest look of worry, "Is it ok if we just step in really quick? I just want to check my brain activity and make sure I got rid of Radex, for good."

"Guess since we're already here," Tessa's cold voice stated, though her mannerisms and heartfelt intention made it clear to Zed that she was potentially too exhausted to physically prove that she was elated they were home; though how badly she wanted to do cartwheels about the place, if only she had the energy.

"We'll go to Sugar Rush straight afterwards," Zed assured carefully, his words were meticulously timed, as if he were simply tip toeing around a land mine, "Are you alright?"

"Am I alright?" Tessa repeated, almost in sarcasm she had the energy to muster up, though with a simple drop of her hands to her thighs and a smile of scared disbelief, her eyes lazily darted about the cold, rounded walls all around. Dust particles hung in wait, as if they were excited to be previously stirred, though found their way back to the grid, in hopes for next time.

"I-I just mean-"

"I'm not alright," Tessa barked quietly, her eye contact finally grew stiff with energy, though her body language took a minute or two to follow, "I just permanently killed four people. I never wanted to outdo Penny. Not in a million years."

"A-At least you didn't personally know them," Zed eased, though he knew he was only digging himself a deeper grave at this point.

"That doesn't help the fact that they're gone," Tessa urged as her eyebrows were forever scrunched into a look of upset anguish.

"A Queen makes sacrifices for her kingdom," Zed firmly stated, in hopes of bringing her mind back to her priorities, "You were protecting your home, Tess... It's not like you killed just to kill. You killed for the safety of the hundreds of thousands of your citizens... Your people needed you, Tess."

"Tron's protectors..." Tessa looked down, the grey concrete under her bare feet made her feel strangely at ease; the fact that she didn't have to bother with shoes anymore had her secretly beaming.

"They did Tron a solid," Zed urged quietly, "They thought we were simply messing with the system... But we weren't."

"You used to be one of them?" Tessa wondered, her cold skin finally began to show warmth and an inch of life that seemingly wanted to come back on its own, as if she was a ball of energy that couldn't be contained in darkness for long.

"I did," Zed stated as he looked down, "Before I even knew Radex. I swore to keep it a secret... I stepped down once Radex began talking plans of 'allegiance' with Sugar Rush... I knew, if Radex had his hand in Tron, the entirety of the world would likely be rocked."

"You left to protect them," Tessa glued the pieces together gently.

"They thought I simply took a light bike, light disc, and left to spoil Tron's secrets," Zed stated sadly, his eyes softly slid to Tessa's, "I took those things with the hope of one day returning to my position. To remind me of how to get back."

"They sound like they didn't want to trust anyone," Tessa eased, she clenched her fists over and over, in a dainty, feeling sort of way. As if she was thrilled to feel her wrecking powers underneath all her familiar circuits. She thanked User she made it back safely, so she could feel such power once more.

"No... It took a lot to even get to that level of trust, with them," Zed stated, "I stumbled upon Tron... They needed more protectors. Who better than a game core with no quarter alerts."

"Radex ruined everything," Tessa muttered, though Zed finally smiled, albeit in an annoyed manner.

"Well, it all stops here," Zed urged as he lovingly gripped Tessa's hand, "I missed these."

"Y-You did?" Tessa asked in quiet shock, she could feel her heart finally jump with the impending glee she so desperately craved.

"Of course," Zed bashfully breathed as his eyes glossed over her figure, her arms and hands, and straight to her eyes, "You were beautiful in the real world, but I wouldn't trade this version of Tessa for anything."

Tessa's look of love struck grief finally had her looking to her feet in a small beam of bashfulness she knew well. She squeezed Zed's hands in a draw of their lingering passion from the night prior, though she suddenly felt alien, as if she quickly had to relearn every single detail she studied so hard for, last night. She peered into Zed's brilliantly blue eyes and caught a breath. She nearly forgot just how vibrant his hair and eyes were in the arcade. Zed gave her a small, understanding smile, as if to volley the same feelings to her in return, though, for the time being, they both knew they had business to finish before mastering their detrimental act of love they so desperately were hoping would be successful.

"C'mon," Zed breathed, he cocked his head in the direction of the station before bringing his attention back to Tessa, "We made it home... Let's go see everyone."

"I underestimated just how much I would miss Lickity," Tessa mumbled with a smile as the two swiftly walked down the narrow path, which were parallel to the humming, live tracks to their left.

"I hear that," Zed sighed, he squeezed Tessa's larger, more familiar hand, "I miss Sugar Rush's sweet smelling air."

"Me too," Tessa complained, "After everything is settled, I'm going for a joy ride around the game."

"I call shotgun," Zed smiled excitedly as the two approached the dock, where the gamers would board the train. He took a curious look around and, before any bystanders could see them crawl out of the dark, under belly of the station's tracks, he gestured for Tessa to follow.

"You wish," Tessa snapped, she finally felt comfortable smiling once more, "I need to give Lickity a big hug... And an even bigger apology."

"Why, what happened?" Zed wondered, the two moved into End Of Line station with ease; Tessa ogled the station with much excitement, even though it wasn't her home station. She knew she'd now become very familiar with it, with Zed's game plugged in here.

"Lickity was mad that I wouldn't go find you, to solve the whole 'Radex in the code' issue," Tessa waved it off, as if it were merely an old memory, nearly long gone, "I uh... Sort of goaded her to the point of her killing me."

"She killed you with her fire?" Zed wondered, he gave Tessa an incredulous raise of one eyebrow. Tessa sheepishly beamed.

"Yeah, it sucked," Tessa chuckled, the two moved through the gloriously lit station, though Tessa knew there was no station more grand than Game Central Station, "Serves me right for thinking I could go toe to toe with a dragon."

"Sisters," Zed spat, though she gave Tessa a kind smile, as if to insinuate that hers and Lickity's bond was far stronger than his own bond with Lickity. Tessa gave him a thankful smile in return, and as she tucked her hair behind her right ear, she looked down to her bare feet and the cold station's tiles underneath.

"I'm really hungry," Tessa urged quietly, after a few moments of peaceful silence. The two walked hand in hand down Dead Zed's wiring.

"You had a donut before we left," Zed stated softly, though Tessa furrowed her expression and looked up to the wiring that domed around them.

"I did, didn't I," Tessa breathed in an annoyed way, "User, I could really go for another burger from that one In'N'Out place."

"Don't remind me," Zed grumbled as the two approached the glorious, jungle tree ridden entrance, though the sloping hill showed a glorious view of a portion of the green game, as well as Zed's old town.

Tessa squinted lightly, she felt her heart jump with the mere touch of Dead Zed's warmth that graced her, the humid breeze the enveloped the two in all the mystic, enthralling stillness Zed's game had to offer. The jungle trees practically rejoiced at the sight of it's King returning. The horizon was sprawled with wilderness, as far as the eye could see, though Zed's old city hung true in the center of their majestic visual, a crown jewel, though humble and small, it still boasted a rare amount of character and life. Colorful pops of humble buildings that dot the brilliant green scenery, it was certainly hard to miss. Tessa heaved a sigh of relief and felt her throat catch a breath; she knew her heart would only truly sing once she got a good embrace of Sugar Rush's atmosphere. Just as she was about to let her eyes gloss over to the far away peak of Zed's loft, home and code room, she flinched as Zed's arms and spine suddenly riddled with angry blue pixels. The game hummed a confused noise.

"... You okay?" Tessa wrinkled her nose and took a small step away, in hopes of avoiding any stray pixels that decided to make their burning way into her presence, though she largely assessed Zed and felt her heart jump in confusion.

"Whoa," Zed coughed, he shook his head in bewilderment and scratched the back of his scalp, though with the blink of an eye, his hair easily dipped to a jet black.

"What's happening?" Tessa laughed as she attempted to hold her hand out it him, as if to wonder if he needed to be steadied. Zed looked about in curiosity before he landed his naive gaze to Tessa's. His stare looked lost.

"Hi," Zed uttered quietly, though he almost bashfully took a step away from Tessa and peered out to his old city. Tessa cocked an eyebrow.

"Uh, hi," Tessa uttered in an annoyed tone, "Why... Why did your hair turn black? It's only black when you were Zane."

"How do you know my name?" Zed wondered, he almost looked mildly offended. Tessa flinched and assessed him in cold surprise.

"... Kinda hard to forget it, dude," Tessa laughed, though she suddenly felt a weird wash of fear come over her, "Alright, real funny. Knock it off."

"Where'd my board go?" Zed wondered as he suddenly looked about, his mannerisms looked strangely energetic, as if he had been give new life. Tessa gave him a wild, incredulous look as he drew his distracted attention to her, just barely, "Did you happen to see a blue surf board when you came down the wire?"

"Ha-ha, true shit, nice throw back, can we get back to reality?" Tessa argued, she began to feel upset that he was toying with her, though she dared to wonder if this was real.

"I probably dropped it home after seeing Jeska," Zed mumbled to himself, he fingered his lip and curiously peered to his city, as if he had just been there.

"... Jeska?" Tessa practically seethed, "Zed, knock it off, this isn't funny anymore!"

"You know Zed?" He wondered, he furrowed his black brows and set his electric blue gaze pierce Tessa's with surprise.

Tessa raised her eyebrows in hard, scared anxiousness and took a faltering step away from Zed. She shook her head and nervously let her eyes scan his figure; he looked exactly the same, clothes and everything. The only thing altered was his brilliant blue hair. Tessa felt a scared prickle run down her arms. She suddenly felt very alone.

"What's this?" Zed wondered softly as he pulled his light-cycle out of his back jean pockets, though he flinched as Tessa suddenly grappled for it and yanked it out of his tender grip.

"Uh, nothing, that's mine," Tessa muttered as she shoved the light-cycle baton into her back pocket; she was thankful she was strapped with Zed's backpack. Her chest nervously rose and fell through intakes of anxiety.

"Are you from Dead Zed?" Zed kindly wondered, merely shooting the breeze with a stranger. Tessa slumped her shoulders and lightly shook her head, though simply for the fact that she was largely blown away. She stuttered on a few words as she remembered she was having a conversation with someone who didn't know her anymore.

"U-uh no, I'm... I'm from Sugar Rush," Tessa mumbled as she took yet another step away from Zed.

"Sugar Rush! Wow, I've heard awesome things about that game," Zed sagged his hands into his pockets and scoffed a small breath, "Well, I should head home."

"You... You live in this town?" Tessa wondered, for future reference.

"Yep! I have a loft at the edge of town, right on that hill, there," Zed squinted, pointed and smiled proudly, "Be seeing you."

Tessa slumped her shoulders and watched as Zed walked away. She almost thought it humorous the way he stepped away, without a care in the world. She furrowed her expression and held her gaze to his disappearing figure. She held her breath and waited for him to whirl around and reveal the long, drawn out joke, though he pushed forward. Tessa felt a numbing feeling hit her coding, as if she suddenly had no where to go, nothing to do. She shook her head, gestured her arms about and let them slap to her thighs in a lazy fashion.

"I'm only the girl you had sex with nine hours ago, no big deal," Tessa called, though he was clearly out of ear shot.

She peered out to Zed's old town and felt a whole wash of new problems hit her skin. She bit her lip in concentration and had to wonder if Zed had tragically and accidentally deleted himself in the process of wiping his coding free of Radex. She let her scared gaze finally find purpose as her sights landed on the far away mountain top, in which held the code room. She knew said code room wouldn't have Zed's proper, forgotten coding. She raised her eyebrows as information quickly rushed her brain. She whirled around and peered down Dead Zed's dark wiring.

"The code-source placement," Tessa breathed to herself as she clenched her fists with growing purpose, "Sugar Rush has Zed's coding...!"

Tessa swiped the light-cycle out of her jean pocket and, with a small glance down to it, she kept her eyes glued to the games wirings, which led to End Of Line station. She coughed a small noise, as if to be completely beside herself. She could hardly believe something so drastic could happen, only to be revealed in such a nonchalant way. She felt her heart and emotions almost go numb to the situation at hand, as if to protect her from crumpling to the ground and weeping out loud. The strife and turmoil that was continuously handed to her was clearly testing her for the days where she would officially claim Sugar Rush. She inhaled a readied breath, puffed her chest, and strapped her feelings to the back burner. She knew she had to retrieve Zed's coding, from Sugar Rush, so she could properly return him to his own game, clean coding and all.