Twenty-three Grid-days had passed since the Incident. Very few knew what really had happened the day Rex's liberation team had been completely wiped out at the Solar Sailer station, but there were rumors. Whispers of a nightmare that been thought derezzed, but had suddenly appeared again; most undesirably, and most terrifyingly alive.
Unrest and worry rippled through the Resistance, not helped by the fact that their fearless leader seemed to have locked herself away in her chambers, and had not been heard from since. Cyrus tried valiantly to quell their anxiety, but found his efforts counteracted by the very, very unhelpful actions of Pavel, who was encouraging the unrest with his sharply cynical statements, criticizing Rezz's current leadership policies. Finally, after nearly a full grid-month, Cyrus found himself in front of Rezz's chamber doors, pounding on it with his fist with fierce desperation.
"Rezz! Rezz, you need to make an appearance! You need to talk to the soldiers and the refugees. Everything's falling to pieces out here. Please." He sighed and leaned his head up against the wall. "We need you right now. You're the only one who can control Pavel; he won't listen to me, and all he's doing is causing trouble."
There was a soft hiss as her door opened.
"All right, then," she said, her voice soft and weary. "I'm finished, anyway."
Cyrus turned to look at her, and was shocked by her appearance. Her brilliant yellow circuity was now dim, and it was obvious she hadn't been resting. "Rezz, you've…you've been overworking yourself."
"It's all right now," she said, giving him a weak smile. "I've finished the code." She held up two discs proudly. One shone red, the other blue. "This is Tron," she said, wiggling the blue one, "and this…" she shook the red one, "is Rinzler." She put the two discs together and they melded into one entity. The circuitry glowed purple for a microcycle, then faded into bright blue. "I've managed to build a suppressor that should hold Rinzler back for at least twelve grid-days before he re-emerges. And when he does, I've got a fall-back code that will automatically shunt both personalities into sleep-mode until I can re-work the suppressor."
"…may I?" Cyrus asked, holding out a hand.
Rezz nodded, and put Tron's disc into it.
Cyrus turned it over and over in his hands, frowning slightly. "I think…I remember something."
"You mean something from before?" Rezz asked curiously.
She'd come across Cyrus during the Purge, a wild and dangerous program muttering about liberation, and how derezolution was the only true freedom. He had clearly been insane, though what had driven him mad had never become clear to her. She had, however, managed to smuggle him into the catacombs and, over a very long period of time, nursed him back to sanity. He'd lost all memory of who or what he'd been before, and Rezz had the impression he was afraid to remember.
"I think…I think I knew Tron," Cyrus said hesitantly. "Before…I met you." He handed the disc back quickly, and shuddered. "I didn't get a clear picture, but I don't think we were on very good terms."
"Cyrus, you don't have to regain those memories," Rezz consoled him. "You are who you are now, and who you were is merely…an echo. He's not you anymore. I would like to think you're a much better person for losing your memory."
He swallowed uneasily, but bobbed his head in agreement.
"Well," Rezz said quietly, "I think I'll get myself something to rejuvenate my energy, then we will see about a public appearance. And you can tell Pavel that if he doesn't watch his mouth, I will personally see to it that he is sent out on every reconnaissance mission to the Outlands from here on out, until such a time as I see fit to relieve him of duty."
A truly amused grin broke on Cyrus' face, and he gave her a closed-fist salute over his chest. "I'll be sure to deliver the message."
Rezz smiled tiredly at Cyrus' back as he walked swiftly down the corridor. He had a good heart, and was as kind and loyal as any program could be. It was better that he never remembered what he'd been before.
When the soldiers and civilians had been pacified, assured that Rezz knew what she was doing––a feat that had taken Rezz quite a bit of clever explaining––she followed the tunnels that led to Tron's secluded prison cell. She had locked him away as far from the main body of the Resistance base as she dared, trying at the same time to ensure her people's safety and his identity's secrecy.
When she entered the observation room, Cyrus was already there watching Tron––Rinzler, rather––on the monitor. "He's not moving," the program said quietly. "He's just staring up at us. He's figured out where the camera is."
"Does it bother you?"
"It shouldn't."
Rezz turned her head to look at monitor, and saw Rinzler's face upturned to look at them. She leaned in closer to get a better look. "His eyes are red. Did you notice?"
"No, I didn't."
"Interesting." She straightened and took a deep breath. "Well, I'm going in."
"Be careful, Rezz."
"Aren't I always?"
As she left the room, she didn't hear Cyrus mutter in worried bemusement, "No."
Rezz pressed a button on a control pad set in the tunnel wall, and the section of wall in front of her peeled away to reveal the entrance to Rinzler's cell. She stared in, looking at Rinzler who appeared to be sitting cross-legged on the back wall, glaring at her. Rezz smiled grimly; this cell was of her own design, with a controllable gravity field. From Rinzler's point of view, she was standing horizontally, looking down at him from the "ceiling". If Rezz stepped in now, she would find herself suddenly falling at a rapid rate towards the "floor" where Rinzler waited. A single push of a button would shift the gravity so that one of the walls would become the floor, and another the ceiling, and she could walk in properly.
Taking a deep, nervous breath and then letting it out slowly, Rezz keyed in the command for gravity shift on the control panel, and waited until she saw Rinzler slide off the far wall and onto the "floor". Knowing it was now safe–in the relative sense of the word–to step inside, Rezz did so and the door closed behind her, once again becoming a seamless part of the wall.
The moment of truth.
Crossing the distance between her and Rinzler in several long strides, Rezz pulled out his disc and said, "Turn around. I need to put this back."
Rinzler growled at her wordlessly, and sprang.
Rezz leapt aside, Rinzler flying past her and landing cat-like on his feet. He spun on his heel to face her and snarled dangerously.
Knowing that even with his arms restrained he was a force to be reckoned with, Rezz remained alert while attempting to engage her enemy in conversation. "Why do you never speak? I know you can; that function is undamaged."
Rinzler lunged again, and this time Rezz did not dodge quite fast enough, and his left shoulder slammed into hers, causing her to stagger painfully. Recovering her equilibrium quickly, Rezz decided the slow and cautious approach was useless. She wanted this confrontation over with quickly. Clearing her mind of all thoughts besides the immediate goal, Rezz relaxed as she waited for her opponent to make his next move. She had to anticipate his action in order to choose an appropriate reaction, instead of going with her gut instincts as she had been so far.
They edged around the perimeter of the cell, Rinzler prowling like a cornered lion, and Rezz the hunter, waiting to strike. After a few tense moments, Rezz broke into a sprint, leaning forward to give herself better balance, angling herself so she would be able to reach behind Rinzler's back and reattach his discs. Rinzler anticipated her movements, leaning back and delivering a vicious flying kick. Rezz was too close to dodge or even react, so when Rinzler's leg connected with the side of her head, she was sent flying sideways into a wall. Rezz's body impacted hard, first her shoulder and side, then her head flung forward by the momentum and hitting hard enough to cause some of her data to be damaged. A splintered, pixellated wound appeared on the left side of her face. She slid down onto the floor, limp as a rag doll.
For several vital moments, Rezz was completely disorientated. There was a loud ringing in her ears, and the room appeared to be swaying drunkenly, as if it were the one that had been injured, not she. Then a black figure filled up her vision, and Rezz tilted her head to stare uncomprehendingly into Rinzler's triumphant face. There was a wild, hungry look in his eyes, and his mouth was twisted into a grim sort of smile. He knelt down, pinning her legs beneath his body, and he leaned forward, his face becoming blurred as it came too close for Rezz to focus on it properly.
She only realized what he was going to do when she felt his hot breath on her neck. Rezz shivered involuntarily.
He's going to bite out my throat.
She was only still alive because he had paused to savor his complete dominance.
Her mind suddenly clearing as she realized she had only seconds left, Rezz tightened her grip on the discs that were still clutched in her hand. In a swift, fluid motion that surprised Rinzler enough to cause him to hesitate, Rezz wrapped her arms around her enemy in a loose embrace, managing in the moment before his teeth sank into her flesh, to reattach the discs to Rinzler's back.
The effect was immediate. Rinzler reeled back, clutching at his head with both hands, his mouth open in a silent scream. He was on his knees, his entire body rigid as he uselessly fought the invading code. His red circuitry was quickly being overtaken by a soft blue, his corruption slowly being driven back by Rezz's suppressor. In mere moments, it was over. Rezz finally relaxed, slumping back against the wall and letting out an exhausted breath.
After short time, Tron stirred. He placed a hand against his head and said weakly, "What happened?"
Rezz lay panting on the floor, too exhausted to reply.