Beck's instantly out of the jeep and runs to the edge of the dip into the valley that is the city. Paige sees him reach for his knife, and turns back to call. "Stay in groups and be on guard!"
There is little hesitation for the others to follow the Renegade into the valley, and Paige holds onto Mara's wrist as they stumble down.
"Where's Zed?"
"I don't know. He may have found a group." Paige hisses, grimacing as her feet step on the blood soaked cobblestones. She forces herself to look to the bodies lying limp, searching for signs of life….
"There."
Paige turns to where the door had creaked to see it ease open.
"Could it be…?"
"Let's find out." Mara pushes ahead, and opens the door the rest of the way. "Don't be afraid, we won't…."
Paige joins her with a gasp. At the table, a family of four slumps across the table, blood staining the wood.
"Don't throw up." She must have seemed pale, and she does feel the bile rising, but forces past it. "Please."
Paige nods, and Mara enters into the dark house. Mara lets go of her hand as she searches the rest of the house, and Paige can't find herself to move past the entry room. She looks down to her feet, and her brow furrows at the small glint. She kneels down, and picks up the chain and charm, one in the shape of a cross, and looks up to the hand dangling from the table.
They must have known. They must have been praying to be saved….
She clenches the charm tight, and stands to see Mara return.
"There's no one else in the house. We should move on."
"No luck so far?" The Renegade asks as they approach. Mara answers for them with a shake of her head, and Paige stares down to the charm again, where it imprinted on her hand…
"Renegade!"
Beck turns, gripping the knife in his hand tight to search for any enemies, but relaxes when he sees Zed stumbling to him. He meets the other man, and he slows at the facts that Zed is holding something long in his hands, and he is shaking from head to toe.
"What is that?" Beck asks warily.
"I-I found it near the square. There was so much blood...the bodies were indistinguishable. I barely found this."
Zed holds out the object, and cautiously, Beck takes the sword, examining the hilt.
"Where is he?" He looks back up to Zed, who still shakes, and his face seems to age.
"I...I couldn't find him. I couldn't find Tron. I'm sorry."
Beck doesn't say a word. His head bows to the sword, and everyone gathering fall into a hush, as if everyone knew that the protege had found his mentor_ the leader of the revolution's_ fallen sword.
Finally, he clenches the sword before wrapping the cord of the sheath to his side. Without a second glance, he starts slowly out of the city, climbing up the way they had come, and everyone slowly falls.
At the top, a rock is in his hand as he waits for everyone to pass him by. Then, he kneels down to overlook the massacred city. He creates a pit around the rock and places it firmly and sticks his oldest knife into the dirt in front of the rock. He stays there, and no one says a word. Paige clenches the necklace charm tight as the chain dangles. She closes her eyes tight as tears edge her eyelashes, and she turns her head away.
Nobody deserved this.
Finally, Beck sighs, and stands again. He doesn't say a word to anyone he passes and climbs into the jeep next to Mr. Newhall.
"We need to turn back. Clu's Army has already passed here, and that means they will be closing in on Argon if we don't move fast."
Mr. Newhall turns the jeep around and the others slowly begin to fall into step.
"Wait." Mara stops at Paige's strained whisper. She doesn't stop to look back to see if Mara did or not as she kneels in front of the rock. Sighing, she tightens the hold of the knife in the ground, before resting chain over the hilt, and the charm softly blows in the wind. Then, she stands, watching the blackened sky where the fires had been put out, before she turns to Mara. "Let's go."