DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!

A/N: SO... It's been... well... about a day since I posted Chapter 17. Yet, I had been waiting to write this particular chapter for a LONG TIME!

Seeing as TRON: Legacy happens to be one of my TOP 3 FAVORITE DISNEY MOVIES, I thought I should add additional detail with this chapter.

Also, in case NO ONE NOTICED, I've been trying my best to write these Chapters from my Memory. Unfortunately, this particular Chapter required me to watch the movie - again, which I've been wanting to do for quite some time now. Thus, I may have written word-for-word what the characters said, but I'm certain I've managed to change it up enough to make it somewhat creative.

Nevertheless, it has come to attention how I have only received a total of FIFTEEN [15] REVIEWS! IF you truly wish for me to post my next story on here, I'm going to need at least ONE HUNDRED [100] REVIEWS BEFORE THIS STORY ENDS!

Anyways, now that I've gotten THAT out of the way, here's... CHAPTER 18! ENJOY... AND REVIEW - PLEASE! I NEED REVIEWS!

CHAPTER 18
Reconfigured Friendships

Sora was taken aback in less than an instant. He was unable to believe what he had heard his best friend say not ten seconds before . Riku had just compared the story of Kevin Flynn to that of Master Xehanort's tale. How could that be?

Well, sure the silver-haired Keyblade Master-In-Training had informed Sora about how Eugene Fitzherbert's own account seemed significantly similar to Xehanort. However, that had been what felt like a lifetime ago when they had awakened the Sleeping World of Corona. Why would he bring the same concept back into the conversation — again? It didn't seem like something the now-seventeen-year-old teenager would have done.

Despite all this bouncing around in his head, Sora only spoke two words, "Why's that?"

Riku turned to look at him directly. With a sigh, the silver-haired youth elaborated his claim. "Xehanort's thirst for answers created his Heartless; Ansem," he informed his friend. "We all have a little of that curiosity in us."

Sora crossed his arms in contemplation. "So," he summarized. "You mean… if we're not careful… any of us could create an 'Ansem'?"

His query was confirmed by a simple nod from Riku. "Yeah," the silver-haired Keyblade wielder stated. "Only, we might not create a Heartless like he did."

Sora uncrossed his arms before giving a nod. "Of course!"

At that moment, the duo realized their entire conversation had been overheard by Violet. While the angel was standing a few yards down the narrow path of the long deck on the Solar Sailor, she had been close enough to hear every word the two had spoken.

"What's up?" Sora questioned without a moment's hesitation.

With a shake of her head, Violet gave a small smile. From the previous journeys the angel had been on with the spikey-haired sixteen-year-old youth, she had become aware of how Sora typically was eager to do anything without taking the opportunity to ensure it was the better option. Hence, the Keyblader had sometimes gotten himself into all sorts of trouble throughout their quest. Nevertheless, Violet could tell his intentions were positive, even if his strategy was often not checked for any flaws and had to be made up on such short notice. "I came to… thank both of you," she expressed. "You saved me from certain danger back there."

"Of course!" Sora cheerfully accepted. "You would've done the same for us!"

"Yeah," Riku acknowledged. "You protected me when I was about to faint. What could I have done to repay you for risking your life like that?"

"'Some things are worth the risk,'" Violet admitted. "Flynn said so when Sam referred to how Quorra placed her own life on the line for him."

"Sure… " Riku nodded in turn. Deep down, he had the unusual feeling of gratefulness swirling around his chest. Uncertain what this meant, he paused for a few moments to take a few, deep breaths. If this was anything like how Sora felt and reacted around Kairi, Naminé, or any other girl….

He shoved the thought aside. Love and romance just wasn't his cup of tea. Truthfully, he was strong, handsome, intelligent… but none of it was ever adequate enough for the horrific calamity he had been forced to witness long ago — back when he was in alignment with Maleficent's team of villains stationed within the ruined fortifications consisting of the castle of Hollow Bastion….

Maleficent was not amused. "You were supposed to retrieve the Princess of Heart," she lectured. "Not rescue some… girl from a pack of Heartless."

"I thought you said you wanted me to be happy," Riku struck back.

Maleficent snorted. "I agreed to help you find what you've been searching for. Nowhere in there did I say about anyone else."

"She isn't like that!" Riku argued. "Niccole is… different."

"Of course she is," the evil fairy scoffed. "You care about her."

"What do you mean?!" Riku interrogated.

"It's really quite simple," Maleficent responded. "You should not fall for something as insignificant as… love."

"'Love?!" the silver-haired fifteen-year-old exclaimed in shock. "That's not it!"

"You can deny it," Maleficent continued. "But, it will only prevent you from realizing your true potential."

"I sincerely doubt it!" Riku challenged.

Maleficent gave an evil smile in return. "It's a matter of will," she clarified, rubbing the green sphere at the tip of her staff with her clawed fingers. "Your heart has Darkness just waiting to be awakened!"

Before he could react, Riku began to lose consciousness at an extremely rapid pace. At that moment, the doors to the room opened and a pair of individuals stepped inside. One was a tall, blue-skinned man with fiery hair and wearing a black cloak fastened by a skull-shaped emblem. The other was a slender, teenage girl with reddish hair that spikey downward. She was wearing an unzipped, sea-green-colored jacket, yellow shirt, blue mini-skirt, orange boots, and a blue bracelet upon her left wrist with a matching scarf tied around her waist. Her deep blue eyes were filled with terror as she was thrust forwards to before where Riku stood. Stumbling over, she immediately collapsed onto the hard, stone floor of the so-called chapel.

"Good work, Hades," Maleficent proclaimed with an evil grin on her lips.

"Hey," Hades returned the compliment. "I'm the one you can always count on! Remember?"

The girl squirmed at the very image of seeing Riku's eyes full of a greenish-tinted magical cloud. "Riku!" she hollered. "Stop! Don't give in! Fight!"

As he snapped back to reality, Riku gave the deepest sigh he ever had known to do. The entire recollection of Niccole's fate constantly made his mind overflow with an extensive list of regrets. Why hadn't he seen Maleficent's true colors before? How was it possible for the witch to have taken control over him? Why had he been able to recall those last few words leaving Niccole's mouth? What had she meant? He was certain such questions would never receive their proper answers.

Taken into account of how both Sora and Violet had ventured back down the complete length of the deck, the silver-haired youth speedily followed suit. By the time he had reached the group, everyone except Sam's father was gathered around the still-unconscious being of Quorra. To his surprise, the female ISO had mysteriously regrown the missing portion of her arm and had her disk returned to the slot-like position on her back.

"Where's Flynn?" Riku inquired, drawing the attention of the three sitting around Quorra's body.

"I think he said he would be 'knocking on the sky'," Sora stated in an attempt to provide an explanation to his friend's query.

"Yeah," Sam affirmed. "That's what he said."

Riku shook his head in disbelief when he caught sight of Kevin Flynn through his peripheral vision. The older man was sitting on the floor of the highest section of the deck with his legs crossed and eyes closed. The whole image caused the silver-haired Keyblader to picture Sam's dad as being in a state of meditation.

The celebration taking place inside the End of Line Club had long since disappeared after the invasion of the hostile soldiers. The only ones still located in the large clubroom were Castor and Gem. At the moment, the pair were having a face-to-face meeting with CLU himself. The leader of the programs had travelled all the way to the club upon learning about how Castor had obtained Kevin Flynn's disk. The only other individuals standing in the area were Jarvis (looking nervously at Gem) and Rinzler (who had been leading the invasion of soldiers under orders from CLU).

"When Flynn entered the space," Castor marveled at the intently-listening CLU. "Everything changed! I've never seen anything quite like it. The awe was… palpable!"

CLU appeared to be unamused. After hearing this statement, the program had the undeniable feeling Castor, or Zuse as he had once been named, knew a little too much information. "Was it?"

"I presume," Castor continued with now-growing hints of uncertainty and persuasion. "Our understanding is still valid?"

As CLU proceeded to stir a few items into a glass of liquid substance, Castor added, "Control of the city? A sizeable request, I know."

As he peered through the center of Flynn's disk, Castor pressed on. "But seemingly fitting compensation. Don't you think?"

He now had CLU's undivided attention as the latter had just finished making the drink for the former. "How long have you been searching for this, CLU?" Castor inquired. "About a thousand cycles. No? Just imagine… the secrets it holds."

CLU gave a smirked laugh as he watched Castor shake the disk mockingly. "The Master Key to any and all riddles of the Grid, Grid, Grid… "

Taking note of how CLU was staring at him, Castor added, "But there's something else, too. Isn't there? I've heard the chatter about this 'private initiative.'"

By this point, CLU was standing directly in front of him with the special-made drink held out. Though having the slightest hint of reluctance, Castor willing traded Flynn's priceless disk for the drink prepared by CLU himself.

"I realize," Castor added. "That our alliance is… at times… uneasy. But always necessary. You know you need me — right where I am… CLU?"

CLU smile became even creepier than Castor had ever seen it before. "Of course you're right. Enjoy the drink."

As CLU marched back to a nearby doorway leading onto the uppermost balcony of the skyscraper, Jarvis and Rinzler followed suit. At the same time, a group of CLU's Back Guards revealed themselves from the shadows of the vicinity. Hastily proceeding after their commanders, they stepped aside to reveal what happened to be a series of circular-shaped devices fastened onto the walls. The sounds of a ticking clock rang out from each and every one of the gizmos.

With a laugh from the now-closing door leading to the balcony, CLU yelled, "End of line, man!"

Castor was appalled. Not only had CLU refused to place the authority of the city into his hands, but the program had betrayed him to the point where the walls of the clubroom were rigged with timed explosives. Terrified, Gem clung onto his arm as Castor let the glass in his hands slip free. The cup never had the chance to hit the floor and shatter on impact.

The last thing either of the duo saw was a fiery explosion incinerating everything in sight and destroying the once-popular site of the End of Line Club.

It was an instant event. The second Quorra had come to, she jolted upright in fear and concern. While Sora, Riku, and Violet all leaped backwards in surprise, Sam Flynn placed his hand onto the program's left shoulder. "It's okay," he reassured her. "We're safe now."

"We're on our way to the Portal," Riku explained.

Quorra let out a deep sigh of relief, though her eyes were still full of fright. "CLU has the disk!" she realized with a hint of shock and worry.

"Once I get outside," Sam calmly interrupted. "I can shut him down."

Instead of feeling confident, Quorra shook her head as though she was experiencing a state of guilt. "I should never have sent you or Riku to Zuse," she confessed. "It was a mistake!"

"It's okay," Sam calmly stated. "I've made a few myself."

"Yeah," Riku agreed. "But Sora's made too many to count."

Sora was astonished. "Look who's talking!" he countered with a smirked grin displayed on his face.

Violet shook her head and smiled. "This must be what they refer to as 'True Friends'," she said. "Even squabbling cannot separate these two very simply!"

With a couple of deep breaths, Quorra sat up. Sam handed her a small, cylinder-shaped gadget, which she gladly accepted without wasting a single instant. Her eyes swept all across the vehicle. "Where is he?"

Sam smiled. "I think he's 'knocking on the sky… '"

"…And listening to the sound." Quorra finished.

Riku nodded when he heard Sam question, "How did you find him?"

"Yeah," Sora approved. "How'd you meet Sam's dad?"

For a few minutes, Quorra was showing indication of complete discomfort and anxiety. Clearly she was unaware of the fact Kevin Flynn had informed the others about her true identity as an ISO — the last one of her kind.

"It's alright," Sam confirmed. "We all know."

Violet gave a nod. "You were initially an ISO… "

"…You're the last one," Riku added.

"But," Sora inquired. "How did you survive?"

With a slow glance over everyone looking at her for a response, Quorra took a deep sigh. "It was during the Purge," she began. "CLU was relentless. The Black Guard were executing ISOs in the streets. Everyone I knew… disappeared. Then they came for me."

Sora was almost speechless. "That's… that's terrible!"

Riku asked, "What did you do?"

"I ran," Quorra continued. "A sympathetic program smuggled me out of the city, but soon they had me surrounded. I prepared for the end."

"How dreadful!" Violet exclaimed in reaction to the account.

"Just as everything was going dark," Quorra added. "I felt a hand on my shoulder. When I opened my eyes, standing above me… was the Creator."

Sora, Riku, and Violet all exchanged quick glances of utter perplexity. The 'Creator'? Who was the 'Creator'?

Quorra smiled in the direction where Sam was listening. "Your father," she admitted. "He saved me. I guess you could say I'm… a rescue."

Violet, Riku, and Sora were all astounded. Quorra — the last of the race called 'ISOs' — had been rescued from CLU's hostility by Sam's father. Now they understood what she had meant previously. Kevin Flynn was the 'Creator' himself.

"That's quite a story," Sora muttered aloud.

"Yeah," Riku stated with a nod. "But it had a happy ending."

After everyone had given nods of agreement in return, they tried their best to relax as the Solar Sailor proceeded into the direction of the Portal. As the bluish-tinted illumination shone out from behind the patch of greyish clouds gradually moving through the sky, Sam gave a deep smile. "What a view!"

"You know it!" Sora acknowledged, causing Riku to give a shake of his head and smile a smirked grin.

Quorra nodded. "It used to let us know Flynn was here. It became the symbol of something bigger, something… better than this world. I've never been this close before!"

"Really?" Violet inquired.

With a nod, Quorra added, "It's how I imagine a sunrise would be."

"Oh," Sora murmured in understanding. "I see."

"Trust me," Sam blurted. "There's no comparison."

Quorra looked excited. "What's it like?"

Sam was as startled as everyone else. "The Sun?"

Noticing the nodding head of Quorra, Sam smirked, "Man… I've never had to describe it before."

Taking note of how the young man was looking for assistance with describing how the sun looked, Sora and Riku immediately jumped into the conversation.

"Warm," Sora stated.

"Radiant," Riku added.

"Beautiful," Sam finished.

Quorra smiled so brilliantly, Violet concluded that the description of this 'Sun' was more-than-likely accurate. Before anyone knew it, several minutes had zoomed past. All at once, a voice hollered, "Get below!"

In a complete state of shock and surprise, Sora, Riku, and Violet speedily followed Sam and Quorra as the twosome dashed down to where the deck of the vehicle was primarily shrouded from sight by the crates stacked on board its cargo spaces.

"What's going on?" Sora asked as they group huddled down behind the crates of unknown cargo.

Taking a super-hasty glance up from their hiding place, Riku realized the Solar Sailor was slowing down as it entered a hangar within a humungous, orange-colored spaceship with bright-yellow circuitry. A ship that matched the description of the Recognizers from earlier was in the process of docking inside.

"This isn't supposed to be here!" Sam's dad declared.

As the Solar Sailor came to a gradual halt, Riku, Sora, and Violet were all ducked down with Sam Flynn, Kevin Flynn, and Quorra amongst the solid blue crates situated about the length of the vehicle. As the sounds of the hangar filled their ears, Riku turned his eyes at one of the crates, only to have an unknown light inside flip on, revealing human-like forms of data being stored from within. Violet covered her mouth to prevent herself from screaming. Riku was shocked silent as he heard Quorra softly exclaim, "What is this place?!"

"CLU can't create new programs," Sam's dad explained. "He can only destroy or repurpose them."

Whatever Riku wanted to know was probably what everyone else already wanted to know. Where had they all ended up? What was CLU up to in here? Even more important, how would they all get to the Portal? He was so deep in thought, that he hardly heard Sora call out, "Look!"

Riku turned his eyes at his best friend, only to see what had grasped the attention of everyone else, too. Down on a lower level of the hangar, groups of programs wielding spears were marching in military style towards a nearby platform. Everywhere else, cranes were moving crates that resembled the blocks on the Solar Sailor. Workers were scattered about, unloading the crates full of deactivated programs, processing them through machinery, and reprogramming them as additional workers and spear-wielding soldiers. Riku was astounded. "He's building anarmy," Sam concluded.

"But… why?" Sora wondered aloud.

"Let's get closer," Riku suggested. "We should investigate."

Quorra nodded, before leading the group down an exit stairway to the floor of the hangar. All at once, she stopped and peeked out from behind the railing. Riku took a peek and gasped. Patrolling from a nearby stack of crates was Rinzler. Perfect! Now an extremely dangerous program was blocking their path. Riku was about to point him out when Quorra removed her disk from her back. She handed it to Sam's dad before looking at everyone straight in their eyes. With a calm voice, she declared, "Goodbye."

With that, Quorra took off running from the stairway and headed towards Rinzler. The latter rapidly spotted her and pursued in the blink of an eye. Before Riku or the others could do anything, Rinzler had already apprehended Quorra and was leading her away as a prisoner.

"She's removing herself from the equation," Kevin Flynn said.

"We can't just let her go," Sam added.

"Yeah," Riku overheard himself say.

"Wait," Sora said. "Was that… Tron?!"

Sam's dad took another look at Rinzler when he exclaimed, "Tron! He's alive!"

"Tron," Sora yelled. "Wait for me, Tron!"

In less than a second, Sora sprinted after both Rinzler and Quorra. Violet hollered out, "Sora!"

"Sora," Riku shouted in turn. "We should stay together!"

When his best friend didn't respond, Riku sighed deeply. "Great," he muttered. "Now we have two to rescue!"

"Let's hurry," Sam said. "No telling what CLU will do to them."

"Wait Sam," Kevin Flynn said. "What about getting you to the Portal? You can shut them down from the outside."

"But Quorra and Sora come first," Sam countered. "And we still have to get back your disk!"

"Sam," his father retaliated. "If you chase two rabbits, you won't catch either."

"'Rabbits'," Violet enquired. "What does this have to do with 'rabbits'?"

"If this is a father-son thing, I won't butt in," Riku said. "But we should get back that disk at least before CLU uses it for… whatever he's been planning."

"What would he do with something as simple as a disk?" Violet inquired.

Kevin Flynn was about to speak when the group thought they heard shouts and cheers coming from the army of programs assembled in front of the platform. The group watched as CLU stood at a podium at the middle of the platform and proclaimed, "Greetings programs! Together, we have achieved a great, many things. We've created a vast, complex system. We've maintained it. We have rid it of its imperfection. Let there be no doubt that our world is a cage no more. The key to the final frontier is in our possession! With it, I will make their world available to all of us! There, our system will blossom! Prove yourselves to me! Be loyal to me, and I will never betray you!"

Riku gave a roll of his eyes. He knew CLU was lying without any doubt.

"My vision is clear," CLU added. "Out there is a new world! Out there is our victory! Out there is… our destiny!"

The hangar jolted as the entire area started to move. He looked ahead only to realize that the hangar they were standing in was a part of an enormous battleship. To make matters worse, it was travelling directly towards the portal.

"He's taking all of this with him!" Sam exclaimed.

"He's figured out how to do it," his dad added.

"Do what," Violet asked. "What is CLU attempting to do?"

"Get out through the Portal," Riku answered, staring right at the distant portal. "He's going to destroy the outside world!"

"We must stop him!" Violet exclaimed.

Riku turned back to the others. "C'mon, Sam," he persisted.

Sam nodded before turning to his father. "Dad," he began. "'We're always on the same team', remember?"

Kevin Flynn sighed. "I was afraid you would say that," he muttered.

Sam nodded. "Meet us on the flight deck and get some wheels."

"'Wheels'?" his dad asked in confusion. "What's your plan?"

"I'm a User," Sam smirked. "I'll improvise."

With that, Sam, Riku, and Violet started darting down the floor of the hangar. Riku looked around, feeling grateful that none of CLU's hostile programs were around. As far as he could tell, they were all gathered at the assembly.

"Riku! Violet," Sam called out. "We've got to save Quorra and Sora, too!"

"I know," Riku answered. "We will."

"Yet, where would CLU store that disk?" Violet wondered.

Sam came to a sudden stop, forcing Riku to halt in his tracks and Violet to unexpectedly crash into the latter. Sam pointed up towards a single orange-colored ship situated upon the tallest of the platforms. He said, "The disk should be on the Throneship! It's over there!"

"Got it!" Riku affirmed.

"Let's go," Violet agreed. "We are starting to run out of time."

Although he was desperate to track down his friend, Sora had abruptly come to a dead end. He swept his eyes this way and that, but there was still no sign of Rinzler or Quorra. With a surge of discouragement, the brown, spikey-haired teenager collapsed onto the floor. He sighed, "Tron… where are you?"

The unmistakable sound of a dark portal opening and closing echoed from behind. Jumping onto his feet, Sora whirled around to spot the same, young man dressed in the black-hooded coat as the latter had been wearing during his previous appearances in Traverse Town, Corona, Pixie Hollow, and Rascal's Dreamland. In a slightly-deep voice, the figure said, "That's what we do, put the most-precious memories deep into our hearts where they're safe. Or in your case, the most-precious… hearts?"

Sora was nearly to the point of being utterly speechless. He glared at the stranger. "Not you again!"

"The memory and heart are tightly linked," a second, deeper voice called out.

Spinning around, Sora realized the former leader of Organization XIII had snuck up on him from behind. All he could manage to say was, "Xemnas!"

Not allowing himself to miss a beat, Xehanort's Nobody, Xemnas continued what he had been saying. "Rub a few memories together and you'll get a spark of emotion — a feeling."

"I know that!" Sora snapped at the villain. "So what're you trying to do? Teach me stuff I've already learned?!"

Xemnas continued to ignore the brown-haired Keyblade wielder. "But in a digital world, memory does not work that way. Nothing is ever felt. You could hole a thousand — a million times the information, but there is still no heart with which to analyze it."

Sora's facial expression had transformed into a glaring snarl. "That's not true!" he contested. "The Tron I remember, he had something! That proves programs do have hearts!"

Not even close to showing amusement, Xemnas decided to proceed on with his story. "Once," he started. "My Master, Ansem, found a copy of an old system drifting about. He made a copy of its Master Control Program and used it to serve his own ends. That copy was updated and customized before given the name, 'Hollow Bastion OS'. This world is the original data of that system, having been stored within a back-up file someplace else."

Sora was shocked into total mystification. If what Xemnas had just told him was accurate information, then the world he was currently exploring happened to be the original version of the world, Space Paranoids. Yet, if that was correct, then where did that put his friend, Tron?

"Here," Xemnas went on. "Data can be copied. Memory can be changed and easily manipulated. Tron is a digital entity, so why should he be any different? He obeys the rules of this world."

Now turning to face the confused and nervous form of Sora, Xemnas asked, "Sora, what about you?"

"Me?!" Sora returned with discomfort in his tone of voice.

"Your heart," Xemnas answered. "Your memories. Your data. Your dreams. The countless bits and bytes having made up your life so far. Are you certain they are not just 'copies' of someone else's?"

"Yes!" Sora retaliated. "My heart and memories belong to me!"

"You had better check," came the reply from Xemnas. "Make sure the contents match what's been written on the label. After all, you have been chosen."

Silence followed uneasily for a couple of minutes as Xemnas strode into a dark portal and left. Now puzzled beyond understanding, Sora thought aloud, "Chosen… for what?"

"You still think this is the 'Realm of Dreams'?" The strange youth in the back-hooded coat inquired. Sora jumped in surprise. He had completely forgotten the figure was still there.

"Yeah," Sora confessed. "But… I thought it was called the 'Realm of Sleep.'"

The young man smirked a grin. "There you are mistaken. Data does not dream. It cannot dream. This world is real — not one of the so-called 'Sleeping Worlds'. You have no idea where you are, nor that you have already wandered off the path you planned to take. Illusions have overtaken you and your 'friends'."

Sora was feeling an overload of shock, perplexity, and discouragement. Now the sensation of anger had joined along. "What do you mean?!" he snapped out.

Rather than give any form of response, the strange youth in the black-hooded coat disappeared into another dark portal — just like Xemnas had. Still disappointed, Sora had just set his mind onto one goal — finding Tron and proving Xemnas's claim as a complete fallacy.

It hadn't taken more than fifteen minutes to reach the elevator leading up to the Throneship. The moment they had gotten inside, Riku and Violet followed Sam Flynn directly through the airlock-resembling door and into a large, square-shaped room with a total of four control stations.

The instant they had entered, a series of bulletproof glass domes emerged to protect each of the controllers. A voice through the intercom demanded, "State your handles, programs!"

Riku had already heard enough of this nonsense. "We're not programs! I'm Riku! She's Violet! We're here to help our friend — Sam Flynn — recover his father's disk!"

A few moments later, a large group of at least twenty or thirty members of CLU's Black Guard descended into the room from overhead. In the blink of an eye, Riku had summoned his Keyblade as Sam pulled out his disk-shaped weapon. Violet marched forwards a few feet and shouted, "The time has come, Holly!"

To the complete surprise and astonishment of the Angel of Dreams, nothing had happened. Her attempt to summon a Spirit had mysteriously failed. Even so, Riku stepped in front of her with a call of, "Glad I get to protect an angel!"

Though the silver-haired youth hadn't taken notice, Violet had secretly blushed.

The shouting and cheering was growing louder and louder. Sora knew this meant he was getting closer and closer to where CLU was. His only hope to track down Tron was to first locate CLU. Perhaps he could persuade the corrupt program to restore Tron and release Quorra. Even so, the brown-haired Keyblader could still try to accomplish this goal of his.

Out of the blue, Sora came to a halt in his running footsteps. Without realizing it, he had found himself on a stage-like platform with several soldiers surrounding him. With a hint of humility, Sora smiled. "Uh… hi?"

"Greetings Sora," a taller program nearby proclaimed. The man was wearing a black, skintight suit with yellow-orange circuitry. Still, he was sporting brown hair and seemed to resemble a middle-aged adult. "I've been waiting."

Sora was baffled and bewildered alike. "Who are you?!"

The program smiled. "I am CLU."

Sora's eyes lit up in realization. "It was you!" he declared. "You're the one who turned Tron into Rinzler!"

"Correct," CLU smiled back. "I had to repurpose his code."

Sora was far from amused. "Well, 'un-repurpose' it!" he demanded.

"Yes," CLU nodded. "Under the right parameters, I might."

"Huh?" Sora asked, puzzled. "What… parameters?"

"You have an item called a 'Keyblade'," CLU explained. "It can open any lock, isn't that right?"

As Rinzler stepped into view from the crowd of surrounding soldiers, CLU finished, "Hand it over, and I'll turn Rinzler back into Tron."

Sora was awestruck and concerned. Summoning the Keyblade into his hands, Sora looked at it with uncertainty. "The… Keyblade?"

As much as he wanted to save his friend, the brown-haired teen knew he couldn't just give up the Keyblade for anything. The weapon had chosen him as its wielder. Clearly CLU had absolutely no clue in regards to how such weaponry worked. The program just desired to possess the weapon as his own.

"I… I can't," he finally decided. With a voice full of sudden determination, Sora added, "This is what lights the Darkness! It's a chance to make everyone happy — not just me!"

CLU shook his head in disapproval and denial. "The 'chance to make everyone happy'? Flawed reasoning!" he concluded. "I'll take it by force!"

With a nod in the direction of Rinzler, CLU had given the unspoken order to allow his henchman to zoom over and attack. The soldiers who had been surrounding Sora instantly hurried off in a state of alarm and panic. Taking out a pair of disk-shaped weapons, Rinzler hurled them straight at Sora.

Before the pair of disks could injure him, Sora raised his Keyblade and blocked them. All he could think of saying was, "Tron?! Why can't I get through to you?"

"Fight Sora!"

Sora whirled his head around before spotting Quorra leaning over the railing of a balcony watching him. "Quorra!" he exclaimed. "You're okay! I can't believe it!"

"Yes," Quorra admitted. "I think Tron heard you. He was distracted long enough for me to escape. You can do this! You can get through to him! You just have to fight him!"

Sora was taken aback. Sure, he wants to save his friend. However, the only way appeared to be if he were to fight Rinzler.

"But Quorra," Sora stammered. "How can I—?!"

His voice cut off as Rinzler threw his two disks once more. Though Sora managed to block them, he heard Quorra call out, "You have that key! It will bring Tron to his senses!"

A second later, Rinzler had lunged straight at Sora. Fortunately, the spikey-haired youth had leaped out the way and blocked a charging attack. As he shoved Rinzler back, Sora shouted, "I'll try!"

While Rinzler managed to regain his balance, Sora stood up straight and tall. He positioned his Keyblade into the usual fighting stance before pausing. A small teardrop flowed down his face. Sora knew he was on the verge of having to battle another one of his friends. First Riku. Now Tron.

Reopening his eyes, Sora glared at Rinzler with a look of sheer determination. Sora looked straight at his reflection in Rinzler's shiny, black helmet.
He shouted, "Let's do this, Tron!"

A/N: Now that's what I would call a TRUE CLIFF-HANGAR! Don't you agree? I mean... come on! Sora's about to battle one of his friends in order to save them! Not to mention, Sora even shed a TEARDROP! This should PROVE he does NOT wish to fight Tron, but he has no other option!

Also, I'm certain you've noticed how I gave a hint with what Xemnas and the strange youth were trying to tell Sora! IF you're certain you know what they were saying, please post your answers in the REVIEWS for THIS CHAPTER!

So, I hope you've enjoyed the storyline of this world. After all, Chapter 19 might very well be the FINAL CHAPTER of THE GRID!

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

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