Her head pounds as she wakes. It's dark, and she's lying on something soft, softer than anything the past few months. She winces to as so much as turn her head, but she can see her armor discarded to the side.
What...what happened?
Light floods the room for a second, and she turns slowly to see Beck pause at the doorway. He's staring at her, eyes wide as he doesn't even seem to register her face.
Why is he staring_
My armor.
It's gone.
Her hand hurries to cover the sun tattoo, but she knows he's already seen it.
"Beck." Her voice is...small. "I can explain…"
She begins to push to sit up, and he takes a step back. At that moment, Mr. Newhall rushes in, only to stop at the sight.
"I should have known!"
"Beck!" She tries to get his attention, but he seems to leave even quicker at his name. The advisor grabs her wrist with surprising strength and jerks her to her feet. She holds her bandaged self as she is pulled into the light.
"I should have known there was something up with her!" He throws her to the ground, before pointing at her. "She's a spy for Clu's Army, and has the mark to prove it!"
Mara covers her mouth with her hands as others gasp. Paige bends over herself, clutching harder at her side that she doesn't even notice him approach Beck, who leans against the jeep with his arms crossed.
"You know what the punishment is for traitors."
Beck merely flicks his gaze to him as for a long moment, he says nothing. Finally, he uncrosses his arms, reaches into the back of the jeep, and holds the pistol tight in his hand. As he disengaged the safety, all those frozen return to motion and chaos.
"Beck no!" Mara runs to him, but Mr. Newhall intercepts her. "Don't!"
Paige slowly looks up from her hunched position, and her grip tightens as he aims. She feels the cold metal of the muzzle against her forehead. His eyes harden, and his face betrays nothing about his thoughs. She can't stand to look at him, so she closes her eyes to wait in the dark. There, all she could sense was her own breathing pattern and her frantic thoughts trying to figure out an escape. There is none, not this time. She deserves this, after all, she hurt them. At least she could allow herself to wait in the dark for death instead of having to see her friends' faces…
BANG
She flinches at the shot, but finds herself still kneeling in the snow, and she can hear muttering. Slowly, she opens her eyes to see Beck is waiting for her response, before lowering his gun from the sky.
"Now we're even."
He holsters his gun before he continues, not able to look at her. "Don't ever come back to Argon. It will be better for all of us if we never see you again."
He turns his back to her. "Leave the tent and her belongings, and move out."
His troops obey with few wordless glances to Paige, who averts her own.
"B-but…" Mr. Newhall sputters after Beck, "this isn't what Tron would have done_!"
Beck turns on him so suddenly that he can't even finish his sentence. The look in his eyes struggles for control over burning rage and pelting grief and he doesn't speak for a long moment. Finally, he allows himself.
"I am NOT Tron. And I won't ever be!" He turns away before his advisor can say another word. When he realizes everyone had stopped to watch the outburst, he returns to strict business. "Move out!"
Everyone returns to gathering their things and within moments, the army begins their march home. Paige watches them go, still hunched over herself. When they disappear, she relaxes, and looks to her pack left in the snow. After a long pause, she struggles to her feet and stumbles to her pack. Grunting, she lifts it to see all her rations and supplies had been left untouched. She looks up to the long gone army's tracks, as she grips her bag tighter. She would live another day.
The chilling breeze reminds her of the winter, and that she is barefoot. She shoulders the bag, glancing back once, before retreating to the tent.