And now we really get into Evolution territory...not quite there, but close. I promise. This one isn't as long as the last one...but I felt it made up for it in the feels and such.

Chapter 5

Broken and Hurt

Jalen wandered farther and farther into the system then he had ever gone before. He hadn't told Radia he had been going this far…but there was rumor of an inconsistency this far out and Clu had put him in the position to help.

His Disk warmed on his back, the fluttering feeling in his code started up once again as the Upgrade kicked in, making his eyesight sharper, him stronger. It had taken a few millicycles to get used to, but eventually he started to ignore it.

The Alpha-Class ISO flitted across the rocks, his hooded, black cloak pulled up over his black hair to obscure his movements. His instincts told him that it was best if he kept himself hidden as much as possible.

And then he saw what he had been looking for.

A construction site…filled with Programs, most decked in red or orange, coding a massive ship. Jalen could barely make out the binary name on the ship's side.

"Memory Siphons…Firewalls...Security Programs on every tile of the Grid?" he murmured, his circuits flickering uncertainly as he looked out over the construction site, at the massive weapons ship before him, "And…this…Regulator?"

And then he saw a flicker of golden circuits and familiar blond hair.

"Clu?" the ISO leader started slowly, "But why would he…"

Jalen froze as he heard footsteps, whipping around, ice-blue eyes wide in slight fear before blinking confusedly…and pain shot through his Disk dock as his Disk spat sickly yellow sparks.

The ISO pitched forwards, rolling down the side of the rocky outcropping and landing, twitching at Clu's feet.

"It's impolite to snoop," the Admin said coldly.

"W-What's h-happening to m-m-m-my Disk?" Jalen stammered, groaning as another painful jab seared his back, "It's…it's…"

He reached back, hands trembling as he grabbed the Disk, yanking it off his back and he pulled up his holographic portrait, trying to figure out what in the Grid was going on!

He nearly dropped his Disk as he saw what was happening to his hands. The smooth, pale skin was starting to blacken, the gently curving circuits shattered, splintering and sending stabs of pain racing though Jalen's hands, his fingernails lengthened to a more brutal talon-like shape. The ISO leader howled in pain as the broad circuit across his chest shattered into what looked more akin to the bolts of lightning that arced across the Grid sky.

His ice-blue eyes stared pleadingly at Clu.

"Why?" he breathed as sickly yellow started flooding his irises.

"I'm just helping you realize your true nature," Clu said calmly, "A disease…it just needed a little…encouragement to bring it out,"

"You sick twisted basta...AGH!" Jalen shrieked, clutching his side and cutting off the User explicative that he had been trying to say, "What did you do to me!?"

He started coughing, clawing at the blackness that was starting to crawl up his arms and the rest of his body, as he spat out flecks of white and yellow bits of raw code.

Jalen scrabbled for his Disk, taking it with both hands and lunging towards the Outlands' floor, trying to break the infected thing into pieces, for becoming a stray was preferable to this…but whatever that upgrade did to it, made it nigh indestructible…for all it did was jar Jalen's hands and make him scream even louder as the blackness crept up his neck, halting right below his jaw, forming an armored suit while his shattered circuits flared the same sickly yellow as his Disk.

Clu picked the Disk up, smiling cruelly as Jalen twitched on the ground, his blue eyes washing with sickly, highlighter yellow as he glared heatedly at the Admin…

And then the curious, alive sparkle in the ISO's eyes…died.

The being on the ground was no longer an ISO. It was a virus.

The Virus shuddered, phantom pain racing up and down through his circuits as he lay with his cheek against the cold floor of the Outlands.

Clu gave a smile as he opened up the holographic portrait of the broken ISO in front of him.

"We have to make sure 'Jalen' is gone," he murmured softly, "We'll have to arrange an 'accident' won't we? And we can't have you looking like that when your precious family sees you…"

He moved his fingers in the corrupted code agilely, like he knew what he was doing. Soon, Clu had all the viral code bundled in one little place. He set a timer on it, so that at the right moment, the virus would take over…

And this time take everything from Jalen.

"Isn't that right, Abraxas?" Clu asked softly as he knelt down next to the virus.

The Virus' bleary, sick yellow gaze landed on him and he gave a weak nod, trying to stand.

Clu watched as the Virus stumbled, trying to find his legs before crashing to the ground, flickering weakly. The Admin's golden circuits flared in thoughtfulness…and he tossed a vial of energy towards the Virus.

The former ISO nearly pounced on the vial, taking it in with a fevered hunger, his circuits stabilizing a bit. Clu gave a thoughtful hum as the Virus stood once again, towering over him, but yet diminished, shaking slightly. He'd have to have more time with him…but that would come later.

Right now, Jalen had to 'die'. Clu walked around the Virus, holding his Disk and pulling out the memories he had of the site, before snapping the Disk back on the Virus' back.

Said former ISO groaned in pain, doubling over and hitting the ground, coughing and retching as his Disk flared white once again. The blackened armor on the Virus' form seemed to melt away, returning to pale skin while his yellow circuits smoothed over and flickered white. The final change happened when the Virus' eyes flickered back to ice-blue…and he collapsed, unconscious.

"That worked better than I thought," Clu murmured, picking up the unconscious ISO and dragging him off a ways.

When he was far enough away for Clu's liking, the Admin set Jalen down, and tried to wake him.

"Jalen," Clu started, "Hey, Jalen, wake up!"

Jalen gave a low moan as his blue eyes fluttered open.

"Wha…?" the ISO murmured, "What happened?"

"You fell," Clu white-lied, "Hit your head pretty hard, you're lucky I found you. How're you feeling?"

Jalen blinked, holding his head.

"Aside from a headache…I…I feel…good," Jalen started, "Really good,"

Clu broke into a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.

"Good," he said, "Let's keep it that way,"

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Something was off about Jalen when he returned home that evening…or so Radia thought. The female ISO watched as her husband's dark form came into the room, not even bothering to greet her.

"Jalen, are you alright?" Radia asked softly as Jalen swept past her.

"I'm fine,"

"Are you sure?"

"I SAID I'M FINE!" Jalen snarled, eyes blazing bright, neon yellow.

Radia blinked rapidly, Jalen had never lost his temper with her…with anyone for that matter. She saw Quorra come in, stopping as she looked at her parents. She came towards Jalen and put a hand on his shoulder.

Jalen shoved her away, making the young ISO hit the ground with a yelp. Jalen's blued yellow eyes flickered before he wiped his face, shaking his head before putting his hand down and reaching to help his daughter up.

"I'm sorry, Quorra, Radia," he said gently, "I don't know what came over me. It's…been a long millicycle,"

Radia came forward and put a hand on Jalen's chest.

"I think you need to get some rest, Jalen," she said softly, "We all do, I think. Come along, Quorra,"

The young ISO nodded and Radia led her to her room. The ISO Leader turned back to her husband.

"You go get ready," she told him, "I'll meet you there in a bit,"

Jalen gave a tired nod before walking towards the bedroom.

"Something's wrong with Father," Quorra said softly, "I don't know what it is, but there's something off…like he's sick,"

"I don't know, Quorra," Radia told her, "I just don't know,"

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The next millicycle came and Jalen was in Tron city, waiting for the finals in the Tournament to begin. Whoever won this round…would face against Tron himself.

And Jalen wouldn't lie…he was looking forwards to it.

"Be careful in your match," Clu had told him, "The Games are dangerous,"

But not deadly…not since the days of the Old System had they been deadly…or so Jalen had been told.

Then again, Jalen had also been there when Tron was told the games had been turned lethal. To say the Monitor wasn't happy would be an understatement.

Tron went ballistic and stormed right up to Clu, giving him what-for.

The ISO and his opponent, a female Basic named Diana, circled one another. Diana hurled her Disk at him, but Jalen parried it with ease. He swept his Disk towards Diana, his cloak flaring away in a dark-display as he threw.

Diana barely managed to dodge and Jalen's Disk returned to him…

CRACK!

Jalen looked down, watching in horror as great cracks started spreading across the thick Grid-glass of the arena, spreading from his feet in a star-like pattern. The ISO's blue eyes flashed as he saw one of the cracks heading for his opponent.

"Diana, run!" Jalen yelled, taking a step, but freezing as the floor creaked ominously under his foot.

Dark streaks of dirty-yellow light slipped in and out of the cracks, and Jalen couldn't help but watch in growing terror as Diana slipped, scooting back towards the wall as the cracks reached towards her. The ISO raced forwards, leaping over the cracks, grabbed Diana and flung her to the other side of the arena to safe ground. Jalen took a step back and started to run, to leap to safety…

When searing pain exploded through his Disk dock, dropping him to the ground, shrieking in pain. Dark yellow cracks spread from his hands as he clawed at the glass…

And the platform on which he lay shattered, plunging him down into the yawning abyss below.

Jalen hit the floor of the arena hard, so hard he was surprised he hadn't derezzed on impact. He groaned in pain right as his Disk spat baleful yellow sparks, sending searing agony rushing through every voxel in his body.

The ISO shrieked. A code-chilling, system-crashing, haunting scream that had never been heard on the system before…but it wouldn't be the last (even though Jalen couldn't possibly know what Clu was going to do to the Protector).

His last thoughts were of his wife and daughter…and then everything shattered into pain and rage and sickness while his world burned with corroded yellow light.

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Radia watched as Quorra took her katana and sparred with the dummy. It was Tron and Jalen's idea, since the younger ISO had such a talent for combat.

The Oracle could see that Quorra did not have her ability to See. Perhaps if Quorra had children, one of them might be able to See.

"My lady," a messenger called as he walked in the door, "I…I bring news of Lord Jalen's match in Tron City…"

Radia smiled, throwing her daughter one last look before going to the messenger. He handed her a datapad and stepped back.

The Alpha-Class ISO read the message…and her horror grew with every letter she read.

Radia let out a heartbroken scream and fell to her knees, sobbing. The messenger bowed his head in apology before stepping aside…

Only to nearly get bowled over by a slender, dark-haired blur.

Quorra raced to her mother's side, touching her shoulder.

"What happened?" the young ISO asked.

Radia turned to her daughter and enfolded her in an embrace, sobbing as she did.

"Your father…" Radia whispered, "There was an accident in the Games…"

She closed her eyes, tears streaming.

"He's dead,"

The two ISOs mourned for what seemed like ages, and then Radia turned her daughter around.

"What are you doing, Mother?" Quorra asked.

"Someone might come after us, Quorra," Radia murmured softly, taking her daughter's Disk and pulling up her armor design, "We need to keep you safe if not both of us,"

She finished her tweaking and gave the Disk back to her daughter, who put it on her back, watching as her white Arjian armor pixilated, turning black with brilliant blue light.

"So from now on in the presence of others, you are to call me Radia," Radia instructed, "When it's just you and me, you can call me mother…"

"But Mother!" Quorra protested.

Radia put her hands on her daughter's shoulders.

"Quorra, listen to me," Radia said, "With your father gone, you and I are in more danger than ever before. We cannot let anything happen to you…our future,"

Quorra bowed her head sadly.

"Yes…Radia," she murmured.

So now we have our reason why Quorra always referred to Radia as 'Radia' and not as 'Mother' in Evolution. Next we get closer into Evolution territory if not actually there.

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.