So as I am currently blocked on Son of Tron, this and Voiceless It Cries are going to be getting two new chapters...mostly this one. Anyway, this chapter and the next one are related (a two parter basically). I hope you enjoy Nox Aurumque and then it's sibling (later one) Lux Aurumque.

Chapter 17

Nox Aurumque

Her thoughts swirled through her mind like the Sea that churned and wailed beneath her. She shuddered to think of the cold, viral water that at one point birthed her parents and many of her people. But, her thoughts were turned from that by the strong grip Tron, no, Rinzler, had on her arm.

If there was anything that hurt her more…it was that.

Her friend, mentor…her, for lack of a better term, uncle…was now one of the enemy. The Program who she would spend millicycles listening to as he recounted stories from the old server, made her believe in a system where the sky was alight with myriad colors, where the Disks were solid round pieces of white glass and only warriors had them, where there had been a Master Control and a giant undead Elite and were the weather was the same all the time.

It hurt to see him like this.

Yori had been more right about Rinzler than she knew…what would the Simulations' Program have thought when she saw who he really was?

Quorra didn't want to think about it…Yori would probably not survive that knowledge.

A high-pitched beeping sound screeched through the still air and Rinzler's helmet snapped up, his low growl thrumming into something darker and more feral.

"Master Key: Disengaged."

Master Key? Wait…Flynn's Disk! But…why did they go and get it when they could have ran?

Once again, she was knocked out of her thoughts by Rinzler's abnormally strong grip on her arm. The lift came to a stop and the doors slid open, revealing a brightly shining white figure before them.

"Sam…" Quorra breathed.

She felt Rinzler's hands loosen as the Enforcer's growl transformed into a deep, angry snarl. He was going to kill Sam!

"GO!" Quorra screeched, right as Rinzler shoved her to the ground and pulled out his Disks, splitting them and settling into a terrifyingly familiar stance that did not belong to him.

The Disk Sam held in his hand ignited and he charged forwards, hurling said weapon with deadly accuracy as an angry roar ripped from him.

Rinzler leaped upwards, twisting and turning over the Disk before landing elegantly in a three point landing and looking up at Sam…

Right as Sam's own Disk reached him. Faster than Quorra could see, Rinzler's Disks' shot up, blocking Sam's. Quorra arched her back, her feet coming up and she felt herself push upwards, landing on her feet as Rinzler reeled from Sam's strike. Quorra turned around, slamming her foot right into Rinzler's scarlet 'T', knocking him backwards and sending him over the edge of the lift, tumbling to his demise below.

"I'm sorry," she thought…but deep down, she knew that Tron, wherever he was in that mass of corrupted code, was thanking her for ending it.

Sam came up, catching the second Disk as he replaced his own on his back, and cut through her handcuffs.

"What are you doing here?" Quorra sputtered as he took her hand.

"We got to get to the flight deck," he told her.

She grabbed his arm, eyes wild.

"Clu will be here any minute!" she protested, "We'll never make it!"

Sam shot her a roguish grin, something eerily similar to a smile that Flynn or Anon would have given.

"C'mon," he grinned, tilting his head towards the window as he dragged her behind him, grabbing a chute and strapping it onto his back.

"Do you even know how that works?" she asked as Sam grabbed her around the waist and started towards the window, building up speed.

"Nope, but it shouldn't be too hard!" Sam laughed as he threw himself and Quorra out the window, activating the wings of the chute about half-way down the control tower.

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They tumbled to a stop right in front of Flynn, who was waiting for them both next to a jet.

"Hurry!" he yelled as Sam and Quorra got their bearings.

"Made it," Sam teased, grabbing her hand and hauling her up and helping her to the jet, "I call pilot,"

"No way," Quorra growled, giving him a light shove, "I've flown before, you haven't,"

"How would you know?" Sam asked.

"Intuition," Quorra muttered as she sat down and the controls rested in her waiting palms.

Sam rolled his eyes before leaning forwards and giving his father the Disk back.

"Try and hold onto this," Sam teased as Flynn grinned and clapped a hand on Sam's wrist gratefully, "You're gonna need it,"

Quorra smiled before starting up the jet, eyes flicking over the controls and performing a routine systems check. This was complex…way more complex than the jet Tron, her father, and Anon had trained her with.

"You've got this Quorra," Flynn reassured her, "It's all in the wrist,"

She nodded and the jet gently rose upwards, the scarlet circuits flickering and dying only to snap back on a pale silvery-white from the two Users' light.

Quorra eased the jet out into the hanger and as soon as the wings settled into a standard flying shape, she gunned the engine, shooting out away from the ship and into the gloom.

"Head towards the light Quorra," Flynn told her before turning back to Sam, "Where'd you learn that move back there?"

"Encom tower," Sam smirked, "Couple nights ago,"

Flynn gave a mischievous laugh as the same thought crossed Quorra's mind. Sam was just as big a prankster as his father…and his digital brother Anon.

"Encom tower," Flynn chuckled, shaking his head.

A flicker of yellow, red, and orange caught Quorra's eye. She turned around and her core froze.

"Light jets," she whispered before turning towards Flynn, "Here they come,"

Flynn frowned as he turned around to see.

"Six jets…looks like Clu, four guards and…Rinzler," he murmured.

"I thought you kicked him off the balcony?" Sam started, looking at Quorra.

"Tron took a Disk to the chest…he doesn't die so easily," Quorra thought bitterly, "Why would Rinzler?"

"Sam take the turret," Flynn ordered.

"Huh?" Sam asked as his seat slid backwards and turned around, the back of their jet opening and revealing two anti-aircraft artillery guns mounted to the side of the three-man jet, "Oh man I'm all over this!"

Quorra heard him start shooting, whooping in excitement. She turned towards Flynn and he nodded, the both of them flipping the switch for the light-walls. Twin beams of silver-white light poured from the tail-section as Quorra urged the jet into a roll.

There was an explosion and she heard Sam yell in triumph.

"YEAH!" he whooped, "One down five to go!"

Quorra looked back to the front just to see Clu and Rinzler crossing their walls in front of her. She put her hand on the trigger and fired in a continuous stream at the walls. Flynn tensed, leaning back in his seat right as Quorra weakened the wall enough to break through without causing any damage.

"Nice!" he applauded, earning a shy smile from the Child-ISO.

"We gotta split 'em up!" came Sam's shout from the back.

Quorra nodded and flew through a small gap in the middle of two spires, forcing one of the three jets on their tail to peel off. She gave a grim smile as she forced the jet into a roll, crossing the twin walls from their jet and slicing off the wings of the enemy jet.

Orange voxels clicked against the cockpit of the jet and Quorra shuddered lightly, bitterly reminded of hearing the sound of voxels on glass as her people were murdered in the streets. She felt Flynn's hand on her shoulder and she shook the memory off, diving towards the surface of the Sea, hearing it's sad, keening wails.

"Easy, Quorra," Flynn told her as the ISO stared at the black waters, thinking of the possible lives that were snuffed out by Clu's virus.

"I'm fine," she told him, renewing her grip on the controls, right as Sam gave a loud laugh.

"Have a nice swim!" he yelled as a jet crashed into the waters.

Flynn gave a low laugh as Quorra pulled up away from the water and soared gratefully back into the sky. Sam continued to shoot, but it was obvious that he wasn't having much luck.

"We've got to get behind 'im!" Sam yelled up.

"Behind him?" Quorra grinned mischievously.

"You're smiling," Flynn deadpanned, "Quorra, I don't like it when you smile like that…it normally means something dangerous…that's Anon's grin…"

Quorra gave a whoop of excitement as she forced the jet to go straight up.

Flynn gripped the armrests of the seat so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"I don't think this is a good idea!" he groaned, closing his eyes.

"You're probably right," Quorra shrugged, not caring as they went higher and higher still.

"He's gaining on us!" Sam screeched, firing as fast as he could…

Right as the smaller, enemy's jet stalled, falling silently back towards the Sea as it's lightwall lit back up. Quorra felt their own jet shudder as the engine sputtered and whined and ultimately quit.

"Here we go," she thought as the jet began it's free fall.

Sam gave a wild laugh as they fell tail first, only righting as their light wall came back online. Quorra gunned the engine, speeding up and gaining ground on the rogue jet. Her eyes narrowed and locked on 'target' and she began to open fire, her shots skipping along the jet's wings and through the Black Guard's head.

"Yes!" Flynn beamed, clapping her on the shoulder.

"I had a great teacher," she told him, "Still is,"

Flynn shot her a saddened look.

"You know,"

She nodded.

"He was my teacher," she stated, "I'd know him anywhere…even if he wears the wrong colors,"

Suddenly more shots were fired, Sam yelped, ducking his head as a few nearly decapitated him and Quorra looked up right as one grazed the glass mere inches from Flynn's own head.

"It's him," she breathed.

"Only he could shoot that accurate," Flynn deadpanned, "He wasn't aiming to hit. He's toying with us,"

"It's jammed!" Sam yelled, frantically trying to shoot the turret guns but failing.

"He knows," Quorra breathed, looking around, trying to find him, "He knows that can't shoot him from behind…"

A blaze of scarlet entered her vision and Quorra froze, looking up right into the pitch-black, glassy helmet of Rinzler as he arched over them.

"Tron…" Flynn murmured sadly, "What have you become?"

For a few moments, Rinzler stared straight at him, Quorra could hear his deadly purr…but it paused for a split-second…as if it wasn't Rinzler listening, but Tron himself. Whatever it was, it seemed to have been forced away as Rinzler shot back into position, setting the three-man jet in his sights.

"Oh come on!" Sam begged as he tried once more to shoot.

Quorra snuck a look back behind her, just to see Rinzler shake his head.

"Flynn?" she asked, looking at her mentor.

"I don't know…" he murmured, blinking as Clu banked and settled right behind Rinzler.

"Rinzler! Take the shot!" he shouted, loud enough for all of them to hear, "Finish the game!"

Suddenly, Rinzler pulled up, arching up and away, soaring into the sky…right as Clu began to fire.

"ROLL!" Sam shrieked.

Quorra wrenched the jet into a spiral, spinning so much that she had a hard time telling what was up and what was down…and then it got worse. One of Clu's shots hit one of the engines, bluish-black smoke poured from the destroyed instrument and Quorra' core sank…

It was over.

She looked at Flynn, fear clear in her expression…and then that's when she heard it.

"I…FIGHT…FOR THE USERS!"

She heard Clu's scream of denial…right as Rinzler's jet rammed into his own.

There was a great explosion and Quorra's core soared at the notion that they were safe, that Clu was gone!

"It's over!" Sam called back, and Quorra gave a cry of relief before looking at Flynn.

"Did you hear it?" she asked.

"That wasn't Rinzler," Flynn said with a sad smile looking out over the sea and seeing two figures dwindling rapidly, "Quorra…I need you to do something for me,"

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Quorra managed to get the jet down safely, if not roughly, onto the Portal's platform. The glass dome over the cockpit slid back, letting the two Users and the ISO clamber out and start making their way to the Portal's beam. Quorra looked in awe at the grand sweeping arches and a bitter ache rose in her chest.

Her farther had helped build this platform. Before Jalen and Jordan had teamed up and worked on building this structure, the Portal was just a white beam on a barren rock. But having the two Architects come together and create…it was nothing short of beautiful.

Quorra shuddered as an unfamiliar memory flashed through her vision, a dark grey stone that bore lettering on it, a young boy in her arms asking her when they were going to go home…

It wasn't hers, and Flynn warned her that that might happen. The unfamiliar weight of Flynn's Disk upon her back wasn't uncomfortable, just surprising was all. She shook it off, following Flynn and Sam up the stairs…

Just to see Clu waiting for them, not even dripping wet from the fall.

But if he was here…what happened to Tron!?

"This is mine," Flynn told them both, holding Sam back as the boy tensed.

The older User walked towards Clu and Quorra moved closer to Sam.

"I had a feeling you'd be here!" Flynn called out over the roar of the Portal.

Clu gave a scathing laugh.

"The cycles haven't been kind have they?" he sneered.

"Aw, you don't look so bad!" Flynn said, trying to diffuse the tension…which wasn't working.

Clu's face darkened.

"I did everything! EVERYTHING YOU EVER ASKED!" he yelled.

"I know you did,"

"I executed the plan!"

"As you saw it," Flynn told him, getting closer to the dictator.

"You…you promised that we would change the world together!" Clu continued, face sad and strangely pleading, "You…you broke your promise!"

"I know," Flynn placated, "I understand that now,"

"I took this system to its maximum potential," Clu added, "I created the perfect system!"

"By nearly making it crash," Quorra muttered, "By murdering millions,"

"The thing about perfection is that its unknowable," Flynn told him gently, "It's impossible but it's also right in front of us the whole time! You wouldn't know that because I didn't when I created you!"

He held out his hands.

"I'm sorry, Clu," he told him, "I'm sorry,"

Clu looked at him for a moment…and then his gold-tinted eyes flicked towards Sam and Quorra, who had also wandered closer. The dictator's face hardened and he kicked Flynn down to the floor. Sam yelled and charged forwards, circuits so blindingly white that it hurt to look at him. He rammed his fist into Clu's face a few times before driving his shoulder into Clu's midsection and driving him back a few feet.

Clu grabbed the young User and flipped him over his shoulder, throwing Sam a great distance, almost into the Portal's beam itself.

While Sam vented on Clu, Quorra raced to Flynn's side. He grabbed her wrist and squeezed it gently.

"Go," he told her.

She gave a tearful nod and stood, taking a grappling baton and firing it into the walkway, leaping out over the yawning abyss below and feeling the cord snap tight, swinging her under the walkway and back up on top of it, where she landed in front of a winded Sam and an enraged Clu who was stalking closer to Sam, Disk out and blazing angrily.

She calmly stood upright, taking her katana and activating the blade, its white beam almost molten as it slid out.

"You want him…you'll have to get through me," Quorra thought, challenging Clu as she brought the katana into ready position.

"CLU!" Flynn yelled, making Clu's head snap towards him, "Remember what you came for!"

Clu shot a dark glare back at Quorra before redocking his Disk and stalking back to Flynn. Quorra put up her blade and helped Sam to his feet.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"'m fine," Sam slurred, shaking his head, "He's a lot stronger than he looks,"

"Don't remind me," she murmured as the platform started to retract, forcing them to the Portal, "C'mon,"

She herded him towards the beam right as Clu kicked Flynn in the face.

"DAD!" Sam yelled, starting forwards but Quorra held him back.

"It's too far," she told him as they kept backing up.

She saw Clu activate her Disk and stare at her…at the Disk on her back.

"Why is he…?" Sam started, but he cut off as Clu threw the Disk down and started running at them.

"GO!" Flynn roared as Clu took a flying leap, trying to catch the edge of the walkway.

"Dad!" Sam called as he and Quorra both stepped into the beam.

"Sam!" Flynn yelled back, "It's time!"

"No!"

"Sam," Quorra told him gently, "It's what he wants,"

"I'm not leaving you!" Sam protested, ignoring Quorra.

"Take her!" Flynn ordered.

Quorra took off Flynn's Disk, handing it to Sam reverently. The boy took the Disk and Quorra watched as it lit up brilliant white under his touch.

"YES!" Flynn nodded as Sam closed his eyes, a tear streaking down his face…and he held the Disk up, letting it slip through his fingers and rise up into the beam.

The Portal surged brilliant white and Quorra felt tiny pinpricks up and down her body, the Portal was scanning her, taking her up with Sam! She was going!

A flash of gold appeared in front of them and Quorra's eyes widened as Clu's grim, determined face darkened with rage. The dictator ran towards them and Quorra grabbed Sam's armor, fear flashing through her. The murderer killed her mother, her father, her people…what would stop him from killing her? She saw Flynn kneel down suddenly, a pulse of silver-white light blasting away from him.

A choked cry escaped her lips as golden voxels started to splinter away from Clu.

"What's he doing!?" Sam demanded, looking worriedly at his father as silver-white data particles started splintering off of him and Quorra both, being taken up through the Portal.

Quorra looked up at him and started sobbing. Sam immediately understood and he gave a scream of frustration…

Right as a blinding light seared Quorra's eyes.

And there was silence.

The last chapter of Legacy will be up next...as well as a handful of chapters that tie in with Son of Tron. But I've got a question for you guys. I'm thinking (after I finish Voiceless It Cries, Serenity and Son of Tron) of doing a series of AUs. The details are on my Profile at the very tail end right before the story list. If you're interested in having them play out (As well as some other ideas of AUs I can do) let me know!

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.