Now Quorra's a bit older, think around the Grid equivelent of a teenager. We have some ties in with Evolution, two/three events actually.
Chapter 4
Many Meetings
"Come and get me!" Quorra yelled, leaping over a hurdle and gracefully dodging a post.
"Quorra! Slow down!" the male ISO panted, emerald circuits flickering.
"Not a chance, Gibson!"
The two raced through Tron City, reveling in the joy of near-flight, of being the fastest in their faction. Quorra ran faster and faster, starting to lose her Sea-Born friend…
And then she crashed into someone.
The two rolled for a few meters before coming to a stop, Quorra on top of a black-armored, blue-circuited Basic.
"Ok, first of all: ow," the Basic groaned, "Second: Owww!"
"Sorry," Quorra apologized, getting up and then offering her hand to the downed, masked Basic, "Didn't see you,"
The Basic brushed himself off, looking at her, unamused through the ebon glass of his helmet.
"No kidding," he grumbled.
"There you are!"
The two whirled around as a familiar, white-garbed form strode towards them.
Tron.
"Oh, hi Tron," Quorra started, "Uh…didn't see you there,"
"Or my apprentice either apparently?" Tron said with a wry grin.
"You're a Monitor?" Quorra asked, turning towards the Basic.
"A Flynn Monitor," Tron corrected, "Flynn made him and brought him here,"
The younger Monitor derezzed his helmet, revealing unruly blond hair and sky-colored eyes…the mirror image of Flynn.
"Name's Anon," the Monitor, Anon, said, sticking out his hand, "Prototype Monitor,"
Quorra opened her mouth to reply when…
"Quorra!"
The Child ISO whirled around just to see Gibson jogging up, panting heavily and sucking breaths of air back into his system.
"Don't…do that…again…okay?" the other ISO gasped.
"Sorry," she murmured, "Anyway, Gibson, this is Anon…Flynn's Monitor. Anon, this is Gibson, a friend of mine,"
"A Bostrumite," Tron said, looking at the other ISO's green circuits.
"Yeah? So?" Gibson asked defensively.
"Oh, I just have never seen one so young. How many are in the Kernel now?" Tron asked.
Gibson's hazel eyes widened.
"You…"
"Tobias, your leader, invited me once. There was a slight Gridbug problem, so I fixed it," Tron told him, "So far, I'm the only Basic ever to visit…and likely the last,"
"Can someone fill me in on what's going on?" Anon asked.
"I keep forgetting you're new," Tron said with a faint laugh, "You learn so quickly…anyway, Bostrum is the only ISO-only colony on the Grid. No Basic has ever seen it…let alone been inside,"
"Except you," Anon pointed out.
Tron gave a light laugh.
"That's right,"
"So, where are you from, Quorra?" Anon asked.
"Arjia," she replied, her white circuits flickering softly.
"The religious community," Anon started.
"You know about Arjia and yet you don't know about Bostrum?" Quorra teased.
"I'm uh…I'm supposed to go there later this millicycle," Anon admitted.
"So I'll see you sometime later?" she asked.
"Um, Quorra," Gibson started, "I hate to break up the talking…but maybe we should go?"
"Why…?" Quorra asked slowly.
Gibson's eyes flicked towards the end of the alley and Quorra saw a few sentries coming their way.
"Ah, that's right…I forgot," she nodded, "Need to get back to Arjia…there's something I…forgot to do…See you later, Anon, bye Tron!"
And she and Gibson started off again.
"She looks like she's looking for trouble," Tron stated, looking at his apprentice, "Look after her,"
"You sure?"
"Absolutely,"
Anon gave a shrug and started after the two ISOs.
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The Monitor came back later that millicycle with scrapes and bruises…making Flynn laugh and Tron smirk.
"Someone sure put you through the wringer, Anon," Flynn snickered.
"That girl…why didn't you tell me she was an ISO?" Anon hissed as Flynn stepped behind him and detached his Disk, pulling up his code and starting to fix his injuries.
"It wasn't relevant," Tron replied.
"Yeah right," Anon grumbled.
He sat down, wincing as he irritated a scratch.
"That girl most inquisitive, most likely to get herself or me derezzed ISO I have ever met!" Anon snapped, "She snuck onto a Solar Sailer headed towards Arjia, nearly got herself killed by standing on the railing and leaning over the side, then jumped as soon as we neared the Arjia station. I jumped off after her and didn't land as good as I wanted to…then she saw me and asked how in the Grid I ended up looking like this! Then after I told her she laughed and said I might want to get back here to get patched up,"
"Wow," Flynn chuckled, "You seem to have my luck with girls, Anon?"
"What does that mean?" the Monitor asked, blinking.
"It means you seem to get yourself into trouble chasing after them,"
"I was only chasing because Tron told me to,"
"…Not what I meant buddy," Flynn chuckled, "You like her,"
"I do not!" Anon nearly yelled, circuits flashing deep cobalt in embarrassment.
"Yeah, man, you do…you just don't know it yet,"
"Like I said, the most inquisitive, most likely to get herself or me derezzed, spirited, funny, graceful infuriating ISO I have ever met!"
Flynn and Tron shared a look.
"Did you hear what I heard?" Flynn smirked.
"I did," Tron chuckled.
"Hear what?" Anon demanded, "What did I say?"
"Oh…nothing," Tron dismissed.
Anon closed an eye, unwilling to let it go…but something else caught his attention.
"Hey…where's that oh-so-fun, loving brother of mine?"
"Clu?" Flynn asked, "overseeing a Disk Tournament,"
"And he didn't invite me?"
"Anon, you've got a lot to learn before you're ready for the tournaments," Tron told him.
"Aw, c'mon, Tron, I can take 'em. I hold my own with you, don't I?"
"Oh you wouldn't last a nano in the Arena with me, Anon," Tron said with a wry smile.
It took a second to compute what Tron had said, but after that…Anon's face darkened.
"That's not fair," he growled, "You're going easy on me!"
"You want me to go hard on you? Fine. Next fight, ten nanos from now,"
"Bring it!" Anon smirked as Flynn snapped his Disk back to his back.
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"Didn't mother tell you not to go?" Quorra asked, walking up behind her father.
Jalen gave her a sad smile as he turned back to his Disk, adjusting the holographic portrait of his civilian clothes.
"How much she worries," he murmured as he finished tweaking his armor, while Quorra watched, "But I can think of no other way to break the stalemate, Quorra, to show them we are just as good,"
The Child ISO watched her father as he put his Disk back on his back, watched as his civilian clothes shimmered from Arjian white to black and became armored, his cloak melting away.
"But I must be careful," Jalen continued, "If I play too well, they'll see me as a threat, but I must also win,"
He grabbed Quorra's shoulders gently.
"I have to win," he told her.
"I know, Father," Quorra said softly, "And I know you will,"
Jalen embraced her one last time before breaking it off and brushing her hair away from her cheek.
"I'll see you in a bit," he promised, running off towards the Solar Sailer.
"Be safe," Quorra whispered as Jalen leaped agilely onto the Sailer right as it pulled away.
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"Combatant 13: Victory."
Jalen caught his Disk as the announcement rang out. He gave a smile, blue eyes sparkling bright as he walked over to his opponent, reaching his gloved hands to the downed Basic.
"Good game," he smiled warmly, helping the Basic to his feet, "You're really good,"
"If I was that good," the Basic admitted, "I would have won. You're the better fighter,"
The Basic stepped back on his platform as it started sinking to the floor, signaling his end in the tournament. Jalen looked up right as his next opponent's platform came to meet him.
"Good luck," Jalen called.
"To you too!" the new Basic, a female grinned as she pulled out her Disk.
Jalen did the same, his circuits flickering softly as he fell in tune with the Grid's thrumming. Unlike a System Monitor, Jalen couldn't hear Her speak…he heard Her sing instead, like all ISOs.
"Round 5. Combatants 3 and 13. Disk Wars: Initiate."
The female Program hurled her Disk, a strait, narrow shot, but Jalen dodged, leaping upwards and twisting over it, his slender body arcing gracefully before coming to the ground. He leaned out of the way as the Basic's Disk swerved back into her hand. Jalen hurled his own Disk, the white edge careening towards the Basic.
The Basic just managed to get her Disk up to block…and she lost her balance, slipping towards the edge. Jalen caught his Disk and looked up to see the Basic scrabbling for a hold, green-eyes frantic.
Jalen dropped his Disk, racing forwards and leaped, holding out his hand.
"Take my hand!" he ordered, blue eyes worried as they locked onto the Basic's green.
The Basic swung for his hand, missed, and dangled over the arena again.
Why wasn't Clu ordering the arena to be lowered? Jalen shook his head. It didn't matter, he had to save her.
The ISO leaned out farther over the abyss and reached farther.
"C'mon!" he yelled, "Grab my hand!"
The Basic's wide, terrified eyes flashed and her hand flickered out again…But this time Jalen caught her. She grabbed at his gloved hands, making them slip just a bit lower. But Jalen didn't notice, he yanked her back up to safety, kneeling down next to her with a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you ok?" he asked softly.
The Basic nodded, looking up at him…and then her eyes widened as they zeroed in on his arm…
Jalen looked down and saw the exposed skin on his upper arm…as well as the Arjian white ISO glyph burning brightly on his pale skin.
"ISO…" the Basic breathed right as a bunch of Security Programs rushed into the arena to make sure she was ok.
Jalen put a hand to his arm, but not quick enough that the others didn't see.
The frowns that they wore once they saw it…weren't a good sign.
"Well, this isn't good," Jalen murmured as one of them grabbed him by the arm and hauled him up to his feet, "Where are you taking me?"
"Your kind aren't allowed to play in the Tournament, ISO," one said.
The Programs in the crowd started booing…flickers of white caught Jalen's eye. His people. The ISOs were all standing, screaming their rage about how this wasn't fair. They were rallying…there would be a fight! This wasn't what he wanted!
"STOP!" came a bellowing voice, making everyone freeze.
Jalen's wide blue gaze turned to see white circuits and serious blue eyes.
"Clu," he breathed.
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Later
"I thought I told you not to go!" Radia fumed as Jalen came back, still in his ebon battle armor.
"You did," he replied, "But I chose not to listen,"
"Jalen!"
"I had to do it, Radia," Jalen told her, blue eyes pained, "They weren't going to treat us the same if we just sat there!"
Radia pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head and making the crystals on her headdress clink.
"How far did you get?" she asked.
"Second to last round…before they found out whom…or rather what…I am," Jalen sighed, "And they stopped me from continuing on in the tournament,"
"Jalen…" Radia murmured, touching his cheek, only for him to grab her hand.
"The ISOs were rallying, Radia," he told her, "I almost started what I wanted to avoid in the first place!"
He turned away and walked towards the window, staring out over the city he designed and built.
"But Clu…Clu of all Programs, Radia!" Jalen laughed incredulously, "Embraced me! He Recoded the system rules and let me compete! I never thought he would do that!"
"Then what happened?" Quorra asked, looking up at her father.
"I won!" Jalen beamed, picking her up and whirling her around, "An ISO has won the tournament! Clu rewarded me with a Disk Upgrade!"
"Jalen, that's wonderful!" Radia smiled, "What does it do?"
"I don't know," Jalen shrugged, "Haven't tried it out yet. But, in all honesty…I feel like I could take on Tron himself! A new dawn…Basic and ISO working together in one system, one parameter! Our future is secure,"
"You've done well," Radia beamed, "There's something else though, isn't there?"
"You're right," Jalen smirked, "Clu was impressed, he asked me to assist him! Examine the Grid, assess system resources, inconsistencies, memory drains!"
He gave a joyous laugh.
"Indeed, a new cycle has begun!" he crowed, circuits blindingly bright.
Most of that last dialogue actually came from me listening to the Abraxas Shards...Jalen talking about him competing in a tournament, getting found out only for Clu to let him compete and ultimately win...and so begins the descent into Evolution.
Anyway, hope you liked it. If you did, please R&R! :)
Qui vállë tóquetë, ván tecë (If no review comes from y'all; no story comes from me)
Máriessë ar mára tecië
Farewell and fair writing
Elhini Prime signing off.