DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!

A/N: Okay! I already am fully well aware I posted this Chapter one week LATE! However, that does NOT mean I'm not going to do it at all! I've just been busy with Summer School-related things. That's REALLY all it is!

Either way, I've also been busy watching a variety of Disney Movies this Summer - INCLUDING the new OZ: The Great & Powerful!
I'm also EXTREMELY excited about the upcoming KH -1.5 HD ReMIX- & Kingdom Hearts III!

Still, I've been working on this story little by little so I would successfully post the next Chapter as soon as possible!

So, without further ado, let's continue with the story of TRON: Legacy!

CHAPTER 17
"The Game Has Changed!"

"I really owe you one. With all of my functions up and running again, I think I've got a chance of getting System Control away from the MCP. I'd better get to work. It's what my User would want."

"What Ansem would want… Listen Tron, we didn't get the password from Ansem. We just sort of…found it back in the User World — by accident. And one more thing, Ansem… he was our enemy. I mean… he still is, I guess."

"Well, actually… he's my enemy, too."

"What do you mean?!"

"Ansem took ENCOM's original system and customized it for his own use. I was part of the original system, and Ansem modified me too. So, that makes him my User. But Ansem is also the one who brought back the MCP. The Ansem I first knew wouldn't do that. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"Fine, but… now I really don't get it."

"I don't… understand it, either."

What did Tron mean by that? This was the query currently moving around through Sora's head. He had heard Sam Flynn's father, Kevin Flynn, mention the corporation Tron had referred to as ENCOM. Based on the given information, it sounded like Kevin Flynn had once been the head of the company. Yet, what had Tron meant by Ansem obtaining a copy of their computer system? Which Ansem had succeeded in getting their hands onto it? Was it Xehanort's Heartless? Or was it Ansem the Wise — the real Ansem? Such questions had been lacking answers for quite so time.

"Sora?"

Snapping back into attention, the brown-haired Keyblade Master-In-Training took into account how Violet was looking at him with impatience. A moment after, Sora realized he had started pondering right in the middle of a game of Chess with Violet. At the moment, the angel seemed to be on the verge of placing his king into danger. Fortunately, Sora had foreseen such a move coming. With one swift action, he moved his queen straight forward into the back row at the opposite end of the board. Since Violet's king was surrounded by three pawns, Sora let the words escape his lips. "Checkmate!"

Violet was either baffled, mystified, or a combination of the two. Her eyes burst with the unmistakable sight of someone being in complete denial. "Not so fast!" she argued. "This is not… this cannot be… "

It was official; Sora had unexpectedly succeeded in winning against the Angel of Dreams. This came as quite a surprise to her. Just a couple hours prior she had been on a non-stop streak of victories. However, that title of an undefeated champion had just been removed.

With a groan of disbelief, Violet muttered, "Fine! It is Checkmate… "

Sora placed his hands behind his head while his normal smile grew upon his face. Already well aware of how he had beaten an angel, this would be a moment he wanted to remember for a long amount of time.

"Sam?"

The voice made the pair whirl from their seats over to where Kevin Flynn was stepping out of his bedroom. As the man casually proceeded towards the middle of the room, the whole floor became well-lit. Based on this account, Violet concluded that the floor was designed to remain lit whenever Flynn was standing on it. Otherwise, it would stay as dark as the night sky.

Yet, it was the very image of Flynn searching around the room for his son that made them feel a sensation of concern. A full minute had rapidly flown by before Quorra stepped into the room from the hallway leading back to where she had claimed her own bedroom was located.

Taking notice of how Sam's dad was staring out the window created from a grid of perfectly-organized dots, Quorra carefully strode up to him with Sora and Violet following directly behind.

"Prepare the Light Runner, Quorra," Flynn instructed, not bothering to turn and face the others gathered behind him. "We're going downtown."

Both Sora and Violet stared at each other in total shock and worry. For all they knew, Kevin Flynn had somehow discovered the secret they had all been hiding in regards to where Sam Flynn and Riku had gone.

"It's okay," Quorra spoke up. She looked Flynn straight in the eye. "I sent them to someone we can trust!"

"Quorra," Flynn retaliated. "There is no other choice. Thank you for bringing my son to me. Chaos — good news."

As Flynn walked away from the window, all Sora and Violet could see was a speechless Quorra staring at him. It was true; Sam's dad knew the two had left and was preparing to track them down — especially his son.

Still sitting in the cockpit of his irregular-shaped ship, CLU's patience had already dwindled to the point where he just felt like de-rezzing any program he could get his clutches onto.

The air-lock-shaped door behind him opened and CLU caught a glimpse of a particular official of his military approaching him. Though their uniform was mostly the same as the other soldiers, this exact program also had a bald head with a curved piece of metal covering over a portion of it. Aware of the countless identities of the members of his personal Black Guard, CLU already knew this official the instant they had entered; Jarvis.

"Sir," Jarvis began explaining. A diagram showing the details appeared on the front window as he turned to face CLU. "Sentries downtown have recovered Flynn's Light Cycle. We have traced it to its point of origin."

Without a word, CLU placed his hand upon Jarvis's shoulder. Not long ago, the former had been considering de-rezzing this particular official primarily due to overwhelming curiosity and uncontrollable clumsiness. At last, he had finally found some other form of usefulness for Jarvis.

With a faint hint of a smile coming to be on his face, CLU spoke to his companion. "Well done," he complemented. "I've been considering your requests and might have found the perfect position for a program with capabilities like yours… "

Riku was starting to feel disheartened. Barely three minutes ago, he and Sam Flynn had traded the Light Cycle, Vintage, to a program that strongly resembled a homeless stranger begging for money. In exchange, they had obtained a pair of disguises to prevent any of the members enlisted in CLU's infamous Black Guard from recognizing them as they strolled through the streets.

Although the homeless program had managed to distract some of the guards in the vicinity while zooming the cycle down the roadways much too quickly, the duo soon noticed the clouds overhead had recently grown extremely thick. The result was a sudden downpour of precipitation in the form of liquid water; rain.

As the two approached one of the city's tall skyscrapers, a voice called out, "Sam Flynn?"

Startled, both Riku and Sam twirled around. Standing directly behind them was a young woman wearing a white-colored, skintight suit with yellowish-tinted circuitry. Her eyelashes were long and her face gave Riku the sensation of staring at a plastic doll. In the woman's hands was a clear, plastic umbrella.

"Remember me?" she questioned. "It's a shame we met the way we did."

Sam gave a short nod before turning away. Riku was puzzled. Who was this strange girl claiming to have met Sam earlier?

"You're looking for someone," the woman assumed, causing both Riku and Sam to halt in their tracks. "Who is it?"

For a brief minute, the silver-haired teenager and the young man stared at one another. It was quite clear they had no clue how to answer without accidentally revealing
their plan to reach the distant portal and delete CLU from outside. Finally turning back, Sam replied, "Zuse. He fought alongside the ISOs. Where can I find him?"

"I can take you to him," the woman stated. Her large smile gave Riku the same vibe he now sensed whenever Maleficent was close by. He wondered if this was some type of trap.

A few minutes later, the three individuals were gathered inside an elevator and soaring to the top floor of the tallest skyscraper in the city's skyline. As they continued at such a super-fast pace, Sam stammered, "Thanks, um… "

"Gem," the woman introduced. "My name is Gem."

"I'm Riku," Riku returned the introduction. He did not wish to admit it, but the silver-haired Keyblader had the feeling something fishy was happening. He decided to remain on his guard and was ready to summon his Keyblade at any moment.

The elevator's doors opened, allowing the trio to step off and approach the interior of an enormous, open-spaced room with glass windows. As they strolled into the area, loud music could be heard playing from a pair of DJs in one corner. Without a word, Gem led both Riku and Sam through the crowd of various programs dancing, hanging out, and simply partying away. They neared a small cluster of programs.

"His name is Castor," Gem explained. "If you want to speak with Zuse, you have to go through him."

Riku paused for a second. "Sounds fair to me."

"Yeah," Sam affirmed.

At that second, the three seized the attention of one of the programs. It was a tall, thin man with a similar appearance to Gem. His clothing consisted of a white suit covered by a white-greyish-colored coat. In his hands was a cane in the same shade as that of mounds of fresh snow. With a loud voice, the figure shouted something that Riku was only able to make out the last portion of. "…for everybody!"

Turning to Gem, Sam, and Riku, the man calmly introduced himself. "I'm Castor, your host. What can I do for you?"

"We're looking for Zuse," Riku responded.

Castor seemed to have taken this as sarcasm. "Indeed," he murmured. "Many are. They all come here — to the End of Line Club."

"Where can I find him?" Sam persisted.

Castor nodded before escorting the group to the middle of the room. A series of steps digitally appeared, leading up to the club's second floor. Castor turned to the others. "Do you like it? I designed it myself. It's true!"

Sam nodded while Riku shook his head. The group walked up the flight of stairs and into a small, white room. As Castor handed the two a pair of drinks in vase-like cups, Sam took a long sip of it. Instead of drinking, Riku stared at Castor doubtfully. "When do we meet Zuse?" he inquired.

Castor smiled. "You… just… did!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Riku thought he saw Gem giving a nod of agreement. If she was being honest, Castor really was Zuse. Nonetheless, Riku's doubts remained.

"After the Purge," Castor continued. "I needed to 'reinvent' myself. Self-preservation, you know. Since the ISOs have vanished for good, I prefer to be the one playing all the angles."

He happened to be looking straight at Sam. Taking note of this unusual behavior, Riku began to ponder. He had heard someone speak like Castor/Zuse before. For that matter, the silver-haired youth had the feeling the last person he recalled speaking like this was someone on the side of the Darkness — not the Light.

"I need to get to the Portal," Sam finally clarified. The reactions from everyone in the room were no different than someone would have expected if the young man were putting his foot in the door.

For a brief moment, Castor was hesitant, though his ridiculous grin was still glued upon his lips. "Well," he responded. "Then you'll be needing a form of transportation."

"Why's that?" Riku interrogated.

Castor answered, "The Portal lies far beyond the outlands and well out-of-reach for travelling on foot. You didn't think Sam's father wanted any programs 'slipping out' accidentally, did you?"

Riku crossed his arms in response. The way the program was speaking sounded very suspicious. It almost seemed like Castor was hiding something from them.

"But," Castor added. "As a man who prides himself on staying well-informed, may I inquire as to the identity of who sent you two to see me?"

After a long pause, Sam looked into the program's eyes. "Her name is Quorra," he replied. "She said she met you a long time ago."

Castor's grin grew to where it now seemed darker from what Riku could see. "Indeed, she did."

Riku was nearly convinced Castor was up to no good. He wondered what the best plan of action would be. Grab Sam and run out of the building quickly? Should he use his Keyblade to hold Castor at bay while Sam ran for it? Maybe he should use his weapon to take Castor hostage so he and Sam could interrogate the program? Which strategy would work the best?

Before anyone could speak anything else, the sounds of glass shattering and screams echoed about the clubroom. Hastily whirling to see what had happened, Riku and Sam realized a number of the guards they had encountered before had invaded the room through the overhead skylight. They gasped from shock.

Riku summoned his Keyblade in the blink of an eye. "I knew that guy had something up his sleeve!"

Sam nodded. "That's cause he's playing all the angles!"

Since the staircase had vanished, the two jumped down to the floor below. Sam immediately began using his disk-shaped weapon to fight the hostile soldiers. Riku swung his Keyblade at a few charging at him and caused the enemies to shatter into fragments of data. Taking a glance up at the window above, the silver-haired teenager saw Castor peering through with a sinister grin on his face; to the right stood Gem with her arms crossed.

In a loud voice, Castor proclaimed, "The game has changed, son of Flynn!"

Riku glared in anger at the program. Quorra had claimed Zuse once fought alongside the ISOs, which had made him a hero. Now it appeared that same program had sided with CLU and his Black Guards. He snarled silently; Zuse had turned into a traitor.

Raising his Keyblade into the air, Riku turned and sped straight into the ensuing chaos around him.

Although he continued to slash and stab his weapon through the invaders, Riku was on the verge of becoming extremely worn-out. Exhaustion was already creeping into place and he wasn't sure whether or not he could maintain the necessary capabilities to defend himself.

As what might have been the two hundredth soldier charged at him, the silver-haired Keyblade wielder began to feel dizzy. He raised his weapon, but now expected the worst to happen. All of a sudden, the advancing soldier had been eliminated.

Reopening his closed eyelids, Riku took into account of the figure directly in front of him. It was an angel with a calming effect from the radiance of Light she possessed. Her violet-color glow made it evident who she was. Violet, the Angel of Dreams, had shown up to protect the Keyblader.

"Violet," Riku said. "Why are you here?"

"Sam's dad was convinced his son was in extreme danger," Violet explained. "Quorra tried to reassure him, but it was futile."

Nearby, Riku spotted Quorra fighting a multitude of soldiers single-handedly. All at once, a group of soldiers grabbed her and held out her arm. Before he could dart over, the soldiers had sliced off Quorra's right arm from the elbow down. She was now lying on the floor like a ragdoll.

Shocked and astounded, Riku failed to notice a soldier charging straight at him from behind. Fortunately, Violet had leapt into the way, only to get her right wing sliced through by the enemy's disk-shaped weapon. With a howl of pain, the angel collapsed onto the floor, withering in agony.

In a state of total fury, Riku slammed his weapon through the soldier before the latter could retaliate. "That was for Violet!" the Keyblader snorted.

In the meantime, the silver-haired youth had just taken into account of how dark and still the clubroom had suddenly become. All around him, the programs fighting against the invasion were cornering, slashing, and destroying each and every one of the hostile soldiers. The tide appeared to be turning. Spinning around, Riku spotted Sam's dad — Kevin Flynn — kneeling on the tiled floor. From behind the older man came the obvious figure of a frantic Sora.

"Violet!" Sora exclaimed as he grabbed the angel's shoulders. He started to shake her.

"Sora!" Riku shouted, shoving his friend back in a hurry. "Don't touch her!"

Instead of arguing, Sora had noticed the injury on Violet's wing. It came as no surprise when the brown-haired youth insisted the two carry her out. They cautiously carried the Angel of Dreams into the closest elevator. Inside, they found Sam and his dad with the unconscious Quorra.

As the elevator doors slammed shut, a claw-like object snatched something from Kevin Flynn's back. Moments later, the group was speedily flying down the length of the building. An explosion occurred from the elevator's mechanism above, causing them to descend like a rock.

"We're out of control!" Sora declared.

Riku nodded. "Then do something!"

"What?!" Sora countered. "How do you stop an elevator?!"

At that precise instant, the elevator swiftly slowed down and came to a halt at a wide, octagon-shaped platform. As the doors opened, everyone realized Sam's dad had mysteriously hacked into the system of the elevator controls and succeeded in preventing a crash-landing. However, that was not all they could see.

"Your disk," Sam realized, his eyes wide with shock. "Dad, it's gone."

The truth was now crystal-clear. Kevin Flynn's disk — the 'Master Key' itself — had been stolen in the chaos up above. All Sam's dad did was mutter, "It is."

"Oh no!" Sora exclaimed. "CLU probably has it by now!"

Sam sighed in frustration. "We have to go back," he looked up his dad. "CLU will use your disk to get through the portal. I can stop him before he gets there, if you'd just let me do this!"

"You've done enough already!" his father snapped. Everyone feel silent. "Sam, you're really… you're messin' with my Zen thing, man!"

Sora and Riku were astounded. They had barely known the father and son for six hours, and still they had witnessed a number of strong arguments between the two.

"Then… what can we do?" Riku questioned.

"Nothing," Kevin Flynn answered. "We do nothing. Be still… "

After a few minutes of unbearable silence, Sam's dad asked, "You ever jump a freight train?"

"What?" Sam asked. Sora and Riku were as equally mystified as the young man was.

"We'll do it your way," Sam's dad explained. "A full-on sprint to the Portal. We can beat CLU there."

Leaning down to where Quorra's unconscious body was situated in the elevator, Kevin Flynn added, "She's stable. Let's get her out of here."

As Sam gently lifted Quorra into his arms, both Sora and Riku did the same for the now-semi-conscious Violet. They proceeded in the direction of a strange spaceship-like vehicle with a cargo of crate-shaped containers.

As the ship started up, its group of six passengers approached the bow. A pair of blue sails came into view as the vehicle began to soar down a light-blue-colored beam of Light into the direction of the Portal ahead.

"This will take us there," Kevin Flynn announced.

One glance at the vehicle and Sora instantly realized it was a Solar Sailor — just like the one Tron had used to transport Sora, Donald, Goofy, and himself straight to the lair of the MCP. Although he still wasn't quite sure why, the brown, spikey-haired Keyblade wielder was feeling an overload of excitement.

The past two hours had flown by rapidly. Bored at the sight of nothing interesting in the distance, Sora simply stood with Riku as they both watched Kevin Flynn and Sam Flynn use Quorra's disk to delve into a projection of her code. Not five minutes ago, they had recovered Violet in a similar manner. The angel was currently slouched against one of rectangular-shaped crates aboard the Solar Sailor; her wing contained a decent-sized tear. The torn wing was gradually filling itself in, but it was still quite obvious it was going to take a lengthy amount of time to finish.

"Will she be alright?" Sam asked his dad with what seemed to be like the millionth question.

"I don't know," his father returned. "I have to identify the damaged code. This programming sequence is extremely complex."

"But didn't you write her code?" Sora inquired.

"Some of it," Sam's dad confessed. As a strand of DNA-resembling piece of data appeared in the projection, everyone awed in amazement. "The rest is just… beyond me."

Sam's eyes lit up in astonishment. "She's an ISO!"

"I thought you said the ISOs were all killed by CLU!" Sora blurted before anyone could stop him. Riku and Violet nodded.

"They were," Kevin Flynn added. "Except one. Quorra is the last ISO."

"All this time," Sam realized. "You were just… protecting her."

"She's the miracle, man," his dad confirmed. "Everything I ever strived for. This is it."

"Wow," Sora finally spoke up. He had been silent for a short time, which was unusual. "You must have worked really hard."

Sam nodded. "This place must have been amazing before CLU screwed it up."

"Yeah," Sora agreed. He gazed into the dark sky full of grey clouds. "I would've liked to have seen that."

Riku shook his head, knowing his best friend was only curious because he had explored the inside of a computer system before coming here. As for the silver-haired youth, he was totally new upon arrival, and was now becoming more and more curious about the layout of such places.

"No," Kevin Flynn denied. "He's… he's me! I screwed it up! Chasing after perfection! Chasing after what was right in front of me!"

As he looked the group directly in their eyes, Sam's dad finished, "Right in front of me… "

Sam didn't seem to notice. He marveled in awe at the surrounding landscape. "Look what you've accomplished… "

"Sam," Kevin Flynn added with a deep sigh. His son turned to face him. "I'd have given it all up for one more day with you."

Silence befell the entire ship. Riku turned to face the sails and began strolling along the deck. When he took note of how Sora was following, the silver-haired Keyblader smiled. "Look too hard for one thing," he stated. "And you'll miss everything else. Then, the people around you get hurt in the process."

Sora crossed his arms. "That sounds kinda familiar… "

"Yeah," Riku agreed with a nod. "Like… Xehanort!"

A/N: What did Riku mean by "Like Xehanort?" THAT'S the question I'll be leaving as a Cliff-Hangar for the beginning of Chapter 18.

In the meantime, I have TWO things to state.

ONE: I've recently gone back and did my best to make the formatting of this story remain as consistent as possible. For instance, I made all the Flashbacks in the same, exact format so they would stand out better. The other case is with Emphasis, which I'm certain you've already become well-informed about. IF you want to take a look at what I mean, check out the previous Chapters BEFORE THIS ONE! That's all!

TWO: PLEASE DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT REVIEWING! THE FATE OF THIS STORY DEPENDS ON IT!

This is SoraLego278 saying, "See Ya Later, Keybladers!"