And now we enter Evolution territory! So we start out with Cluless and him making a visit to a 'friend'. Then we go to the Installation Ceremony and Anon's duel with Abraxas.

Voices when referring to the virus:

"asdfa"-Abraxas

"asdfa"-Jalen

"asdfa"-Both

Chapter 7

Viral

"LET ME OUT YOU FOOLS! LET ME OUT!"

Clu walked into the holding cell, noting that his sentries seemed a little…afraid.

"You think he can get out?" one of them asked.

"I don't know," the other stammered before jabbing his pike at the gate, "Back! GET BACK!"

"Is everything all right down here?" the Admin asked calmly, his light-blue eyes scanning over the two terrified Programs.

"The prisoner…he…" the first stammered.

"He's having…issues," the second finished, "He derezzed one of our number a few nanos ago,"

He looked at the scarlet cubes decorating the floor and then at the dull yellow ones next to them.

"And infected another," the first continued, "We had to put him down,"

Clu patted him on the shoulder.

"Let me talk to him,"

The Admin walked farther into the holding area, eyes glancing towards a faintly flickering Program huddled in a corner, pulsing yellow and white.

"Leave me alone," the white-circuited Program pleaded, "What did I do?"

His circuits suddenly flared yellow.

"LET ME OUT!" the Virus howled, scrabbling to get to his feet before he screamed in pain, hitting the floor and curling up in a little ball, sobbing.

"Jalen…" Clu started.

The ISO kept his silence, only breaking it by his core-wrenching sobs.

"Jalen…"

"Go away," Jalen pleaded, jamming his fists into his ears, "Just go away…"

He tore at his hair, thrashing his head back and forth as his circuits spasmed.

"MAKE IT STOP!" he wailed, "MAKE IT STOP!"

"C'mon, man, look at me," Clu urged.

The black head lifted slightly and a yellow-streaked blue eye looked up at him in fear.

"You…" Jalen gasped, lifting a clawed, yellow-white finger at Clu, "I know you…"

"Sure buddy," Clu said with a sadistic smile, "What hurts, Abraxas?"

The ISO shook his head violently, trembling.

"Not my name…yes it is…NO IT ISN'T!" he howled, "Radia…Quorra…It's so cold…The voice...the voice speaks to me…Commands me. Tells me things. Tells me about the end of all things...the beginning of new things. It calls me...it calls me to service..."

The poor creature lifted his mostly yellow gaze up at Clu.

"What did you do to me…" Jalen whispered before screaming and ramming his head into the wall either on purpose or on accident, Clu didn't know.

"Everything about you ISOs is a threat to us," Clu told him, "A threat to our perfect system. A threat I must eliminate,"

Suddenly, the screaming stopped.

Sickly yellow light flickered in the cell and Clu gave a nod as the Virus shuddered, getting to his feet.

"State your purpose," Clu ordered.

"I am the perfect weapon," the Virus rasped, "Spread my pain, infect the Grid…Destroy everything in my path,"

"Is that clear?" Clu asked.

"My purpose is clear," the Virus said with a bow of his head.

He turned his yellow gaze up to the ceiling before Jalen's face was hidden behind a mask.

"Everything is coming to an end!" Abraxas roared.

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"Are you ready?" Quorra asked, looking up at her mother as Radia stepped off the Solar Sailer.

"Always," Radia replied, gently caressing her daughter's cheek, "After all this time…we're finally going to be on par with the Basics. And we have you to thank, my dear daughter,"

"Me? I've done nothing," Quorra dismissed.

Radia gave a sad smile.

"You grow to be more like your father with every passing day," she whispered, "I wish…"

She bowed her head and Quorra gave and equally sad smile.

"I wish he was here too," she said, "Just to see what he'd think of all this,"

"Knowing your father he'd probably try to pull some stunt with Clu right after being installed as Co-Administrator," Radia laughed, "And then he'd drag you, Flynn, Tron and that Monitor friend of yours all to the Game Grid and have a game of Disk Wars,"

"I miss him," Quorra sniffed, and Radia pulled her close, laying her head on Quorra's.

"I do as well," Radia murmured, kissing her daughter's head, "Why don't you get calmed down…I'll meet you at the ceremony, alright?"

Quorra nodded and ran off to calm down while Radia continued onwards, her entourage following behind her.

The Alpha-Class ISO walked through the gates of the ceremony amphitheater and her core panged with grief.

"If only you could see us now, Jalen…you would be so happy," she thought to herself.

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Quorra had finally gotten calmed down and she was now currently running fully tilt at the amphitheater's gates…when she was stopped by two Security Programs.

"State your designation Program," one ordered.

Quorra gave an annoyed sigh.

"My name's Quorra, Radia asked me to join her. You know Radia…leader of the ISOs?" she explained, "Soon to be System Administrator?"

"No entry without proper identification," the other replied.

"But she's expecting me!"

"But Clu isn't," the first growled, "Since the accident security has been increased. No entry without proper authorization,"

Quorra's hands curled into fists, icy-blue fire that was reminiscent of her father's flared in her eyes as she held up a hand.

"Fine," she snapped, "Then I'll get authorization!"

She stormed off, racing through the crowd and weaving through many different buildings before pausing on a ledge as a flicker of cobalt blue caught her eye. She frowned, jumping off the ledge onto one farther down…this time watching as the flicker came again. Quorra groaned, realizing she had been followed the whole way down here.

Anon.

She knew she wasn't going to get away from the young Monitor…he had every ability Tron had…and that included the tracking.

The Child-ISO decided she didn't care and plunged into the crowd, wandering up to be close to the stage.

"…Which brings us to why we're here," Clu started to wrap up, "Our User, Kevin Flynn, tells us the way to that perfection is with the ISOs. And if he says that sharing the System Administration with an ISO leader is the next step, I say: Let the future Begin!"

The crowd cheered and Clu turned towards Radia, who caught Quorra's eye with a slight smile.

"I present to you, your new ISO Co-Administrator, Radia," he announced, applauding as Radia took the stage.

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He ghosted along the rooftops, watching the ceremony with a flicker of the curiosity he had once had.

He watched as the glittering ISO leader took the podium…something ached inside of him, but he brushed it off.

Something always ached now.

"Greetings, Programs," the ISO began, "While I am honored to accept this position on behalf of this historic occasion…I do it with a heavy heart. For I was to share this honor with Jalen, my counterpart, up until his tragic…demise…"

She paused clearing her throat before continuing.

"I wish with all my being that he could have been here to witness this great moment," she continued, "However, we must put aside grief. In the wake of loss, we must push forwards towards progress, and embrace this new era of cooperation between ISOs and Basics…"

He took off his Disk. Evolution will take up in turn. Their time is over! The Grid will know only pain!

Just like him…Spread. Infect. Destroy.

He leaped off the building, making the Programs scatter. One of them was foolish enough to come within grabbing distance.

He grabbed the Basic around the throat and hoisted them high.

"Greetings," he rasped, feeling his pain leech out of him and into the Basic, he felt the poor creature's terror and pain…

And he tossed them into a wall, letting the transformation take hold.

He looked at the ISO, whose honey-colored gaze stared at him in fear.

Radia's premonition had come true.

He saw Security Programs coming at him and he gave a wicked smile under his mask, flicking out his hand and derezzing one, two, all three of them.

The Virus turned his face towards Clu. He knew the plan…only pretend to attack the Admin…

And infect everyone in his path.

"Its your time…" he purred, "Embrace it,"

True to his promise, Clu reacted as if the whole thing were real.

"Sever the stage!" he ordered.

A Security Program hastily began to put in the code. And Abraxas gave a twisted smile. We couldn't have that now could we?

He hurled his Disk with old skill, the keen yellow edge punching through the Security Program as if it were nothing before thudding back into its master's hand.

The Virus stalked forwards, Disk ablaze…when another hum caught his attention. The helmeted and hooded head snapped up just to see a blaze of cobalt light and an explosion knocked him off his feet.

"Clu! Run!" the Program…a Monitor…ordered, standing upright and readying his Disk.

The Admin bolted, leaving the Monitor and the Virus alone on the stage.

"So be it," Abraxas growled, slamming his Disk into the stage controls and sealing them off from help, "If this…is what you want…"

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"ANON!" Quorra screamed as the Monitor began to duel with the Virus.

Anon whirled and danced around the makeshift arena, the Virus couldn't touch him. Anon blocked the Virus' throws, the yellow Disk careening off the cobalt one with a display of brilliant sparks.

"My turn," she heard Anon growl, his Disk beginning to glow almost white with the power he was putting into it…

Then he hurled the Disk, so straight and true that the Virus only had time to lift his Disk to block it.

And the unthinkable happened.

The Virus' Disk shattered, six pieces flew into the air and clattered to the ground, throwing the Virus many feet backwards.

Said Virus sat up, shaking his head as he looked at his broken, flickering, yet still functional Disk.

He turned a baleful glare towards Anon.

"I think you would have preferred…death…to this," he rasped venomously, ramming his Disk into the ground.

Corruption streamed towards the Monitor and Anon hurled himself out of the way, rolling to his feet as the Virus crouched down and leapt upwards incredibly high, landing on a rooftop and looking at Anon…then his gaze slid towards Quorra…

And he disappeared.

So, how about that? Next we venture a little farther into Evolution, mainly the Coup and Anon getting made mute. That ought to be a nice feelsy chapter huh?

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.