The Gray Of Mercy
"You have his disc right?" the cyan haired mechanic asked with an underlined tone of anxiety.
"Right here," Zed answered while lifting the disc in his off hand.
Illuminated by the bright red of the prison cell they were in front of, their faces were tinted red and held more shadows and contrasts than normal. They stared at the man held against the back wall of the enclosure, his body limp and eyes shut. On close inspection it was easy to see how built his body was, designed for combat and destruction. While the white coding that tattooed his face and other locations of direct skin were still unknown as to their origin and purpose, it was safe to assume they were there by the desire of the owner.
"What are we going to do with him?" Mara wondered to her companion, her voice filled with the emotions going through their hearts, fear, worry, and sorrow.
"We'll keep him hear until Tron gets back," was the answer she got.
"But what if he escapes! What if-" her rant was cut short by Zed's comforting hand on her shoulder.
"He won't, there's no way he can," Zed reassured his partner.
Looking at her he empathized her worry and stress. While she was excited to lead the fight against Clu, it was stressful. Tron had only instructed one thing, but that didn't stop Mara from asking Gavistan and others to help her plan an attack on a few key installations the Occupation held. It wasn't until she was about to announce it to everyone did she realize the stress that accompanied the lives of others. Her compassion for life made it extremely difficult to cope with fact that she had derezzed soldiers and because of their actions, they had already lost two of their own in their first siege. War was costly, and Mara was finding that out the hard way. Only with the help of Zed, Gavistan, and recently Paige, was she managing as well as she was now.
As Gavistan had already been through war, he was more than experienced with the feelings. A soldier of bloodshed, his grief and pain only magnified by the losses of fellow men and women who fought along side and fought for. Only a few Programs called it a war, others called it genocide, and they called it a cleansing. Gavistan would have liked to call it a war, but the few battles there were to save the ISO's were failures. The only Programs to survive were the basics captured at the end. Luckily, he had managed to escape and free a few of the others as well.
Paige managed the best for obvious reasons, but still held a great weight on her shoulders from her rampage after losing Beck. Zed on the other hand had no experience. Like Mara, he grew up without having to fight in a war, a safe life that people like Gavistan and Paige fought for. But unlike his counterpart, he found strength where she had none. In the times she needed him to be strong because she was weak, he hardened himself, compartmentalized the thoughts, and looked at her with a warming smile because as long as she was there, he'd be okay. As long as she was with him, she could be his strength.
"I'll just hunt him down if he does anything," a voice from their right called out. The two looked over to find Paige walking down the long open corridor of the prisons. Her heels clacking against the floor as she glided smoothly over to them. Her hair had grown a considerable amount since the fall of the Super Recognizer and cascaded a few centimeters past her shoulders. Her state looked loads better since her joining of the Defiance. For once in a few mylas she was able to get some true rest and recover, bothered by pleasant dreams of Beck teasing her and whispering loving but forgotten words into her ear.
"There's always that," Zed picked up in a light tone.
"We have his disc, is there any reason to keep him alive?" Paige asked flatly, glaring at the prisoner.
"We don't know what he's set in motion. We might need him to stop it," Zed answered in a dark tone.
"And how will you convince him to stop it? How do you negotiate with a Program whose only want in this world is its destruction?"
"Then we find a way to stop him," Mara spoke up causing her friends to glance at her. "We'll find a way. It's the least we can do for those we've lost,"
Mara and Zed returned to Outlands hideout while Paige decided to stay at the coliseum and continue watching on Cyrus. In a few pectros they were going to strike a blockade the Occupation had installed to force industrial workers into longer shifts.
A few cycles after Tron's departure, Zed along with a few of the other mechanics had announced the creation of a new vehicle; one they hoped would make ground assaults a bit safer. A four wheeled low riding car with no windshield, semi exposed rear engine and suspension components, with a moderately yet lightweight armor material that covered the front to the mid section where the driver would sit. Aerodynamically genius, the Mono, a single seater that's designed for hit and run operations, or as Zed refers to it "Boom and Zoom". *Google BAC Mono to see this car*
Their small size make them hard targets, especially with how low to the ground they are, the only downside is that Zed had yet to figure a way to compress them into a baton, often the hardest part of any vehicle construction.
Currently, a majority of the Defiance was in the lower garage of the hideout where they were preparing for their next assault with the Monos.
"Link, make sure Omni's Mono is set correctly, I noticed the right side looked a little off,"
"Here, Bartik, try this one, I make it a little bigger for your seat,"
"No! Not that one Link, that one!" Zed ordered sharply, pointing at a Mono behind Link.
Mara watched in mirth as Zed essentially took leadership of the Defiance. It wasn't the first time something like this happened. Back in their younger days, he would become the leader of their little group of four whenever he had created something, usually involving mechanics on a vehicle. His projects gave him a confidence boost and influenced him the way confidence does to most people. It was one of the things Mara enjoyed about him. While she had a steady stream of determination and boldness, it could be broken and wavered in hard times. Zed on the other hand usually found burst of courage and power from his own creations, the strength and concentration of it unbreakable to virtually anything.
"Mara! What are you standing there staring for? Is your Mono ready?" Zed's booming voice broke her from the thoughts she had been steeped in.
"Yeah, it is," she shot back, cocking her hip and narrowing her eyes at him. She liked him when he was… confident, but she'd be derezzed if she let him boss over her without some sort of stubbornness.
"Want to go over the plans one more time? We're about finished with final prep," Mara opened her mouth to spit a sassy remark, but closed it on second consideration, instead nodding curtly. His tone had calmed down a lot and she figured he felt a bit awkward that his mood could have offended her.
Zed sometimes… you can be extremely thick headed.
Making her way to the front of the long garage, she pulled up her maps and presentations from earlier on her disc.
"Alright everyone, just a quick run over. We'll be making our way in from the main south entrance to Argon. From there, we split into five teams and head to the refining factory in the Industrial Zone. While the east entrance is closer, we're taking precautions to not give away where we're hiding, all they know is that we're in the Outlands, and that's all they're going to know.
Groups one and two will be using a mix of disintegration and shrapnel explosives, four and five will use high compact incendiary and fragment grenades. The first run will be used to break the containers and factors open so that second group's explosives will cause extreme if not total destructive damage.
Group three will be doing their best to remove as many tanks and copters from the area so the other groups can make their escape.
This target is the Occupations main refinery for the fuel used in their large warships and jets, without this, their fleets in the sky will have to land or return back to Tron City for fuel. Gavistan predicts the small carriers and destroyers will land in the flat lands on the edge of Purgos, while the larger vesicles will return to Tron City. If this happens, our next attack will be on the grounded fleet. But we'll discuss that at another time," Mara concluded.
"Everyone, make one last check for weapons and suit up, we leave in three," Gavistan shouted.
The outpost was empty. It's vast space no longer cluttered with parts, mechanics, lifts, and Monos being assembled or tuned for their specific drivers. It was odd. In her short amount of time in the Defiance's safe haven in the mountains, Paige had quickly become accustomed to the bustling of the members working vigorously towards their righteous goals. With them gone on their assault, Paige, who backed down from requests to join from Mara, walked in the open of the holo room. Her eyes wondered over the long stretched the unending sea of converging horizons as the top and bottom floor seemingly went on forever, but in honesty, were displayed by the holo room to do so. With the lights on the endless room seemed less terrifying, but with the lights off, as she had them now, the horizon seemed more of an abyss. As she stared, she recalled a saying she had heard.
If one gazes into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze back.
She wondered how much of it was true. It wasn't that she was unaware, but just unsure of how far she had fallen. She had taken others lives before, believing that with their death, others would be spared. Something she believed, but could never be proven.
Beck vowed to not take another's life. But she knew he felt as guilty as a murderer for the deaths that were indirectly caused by his small pebble on top of the mountain. One pebble, deciding to be carried by his winds and fell down the mountain. The gravity of his weight enough to uplift other pebbles and rocks, which in turn, caused more rocks and stones to be moved by his actions. Stones and rocks broke, but continued to move bigger elements. Eventually, massive boulders were crashing down the mountain breaking both the summit and the smashing rocks. One pebble, in the end could, move the side of a mountain.
All from a man who wanted to preserve an ecosystem, both the good and the bad segments.
Even her. A miss guided wrecking ball, one tragedy away from unleashing hell on her enemies, destroying everything in her path, and possibly herself, just as the boulders on the mountain. She was still tumbling, and she had definitely started to crack, but was she broken? Was she past the point of repair? Was she simply a weapon, a tool, to be used for destruction?
Do you really believe that, medic?
She let out a sigh while lifting Beck's disc she had been holding for her entire introspection.
"Yes, I do believe that,"
Look again, do you only see an abyss?
Confused and surprised at what direction Beck's voice had taken, she looked closely at the holo room's abyss. Cool dark gray. That's the color she'd use to describe it. And with a few minutes past she didn't see anything.
See it?
With his words, she saw a brief movement. A body. It only happened right before she blinked. The outlines of a Program stood a few dozen meters from her.
See me?
"But how!?"
His response came after a long pause.
Because we both share the same ideals. What's within you, is within me.
"Clearly not if I was willing to derez others,"
You were forced to. I was always given the option to spare others. You-
"Killed hundreds, if not thousands of soldiers! You can't excuse my actions Beck!" she cut him off in a shout.
No, I can't. But in this war, their lives would most likely have been lost to someone else.
"That's not something Beck would say…" she muttered darkly.
Sadly, it is. I know you've seen it. You've seen me behind the mechanic. You've seen me behind the Renegade. You know more than I do what this does to Programs. His feelings on this were undoubtedly everything Clu had begun after Flynn's removal, the oppression, the deaths, and the loss of everything even remotely free.
If I hadn't died, then it would have been me in your position. She noted how he hadn't mentioned it was her who killed him.
"Are you saying if I hadn't-"
No. I didn't mean it that way. I meant if I were still alive, I would have passed my threshold for the burden. Whether Tron would pick up from where I had fallen or not doesn't really matter, but I'm sure he would have.
But it was going to happen regardless, the stress, the lies, all the weight of being the Renegade and watching helplessly as dozens of Programs were sent to the games for no reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Leaving Mara and Zed in the dark and leaving them and my job to fight such an impossibly large force by myself. Yeah, Tron was there, but he was only for training and planning out what he couldn't do himself. And he was rarely a lending ear. I can recall only a couple of times where he was the friend I needed to talk to, and it was for far too short.
I had no one. I fought cycle after cycle. Everything I did for the people of this city, but only for my actions to be countered and thrown in my face as Tesler sought my deresolution.
Until I met you, Paige. I could escape this war, if only for a pectro. You and I shared the same burden. The same pain. It wasn't nearly enough to stop the breakdown, but it was… incredibly enlightening and quickly becoming one of the main reasons I kept moving forward.
I know you've put me on a pedestal, but I'm no greater than you are Paige. The only thing that would have saved me was you. Without lies, no masks, and more time.
Paige had listened to every word intently mesmerized to them. Only a few micros after he had stopped talking had her vision acknowledged her eyes were still open and not seeing. She blinked away the blurriness and found she had crumpled to her knees, with silent tears sliding down her cheeks for the uncountable time. The back of her hands were lying on the ground while her body was limp and standing upright by pure luck.
Beck's disc laid about a meter in front of her, out of her grasp.
When I was with you, I felt invincible, and completely vulnerable at the same time.
"I was the same," Paige blinked, still shell shocked. "I never felt so free and alive before I met you, even at the hospital,"
I'm still with you. Even if you don't believe this is me, I'm still here. I always will be. At these words, Paige started shaking as her lungs convulsed and her tears started rolling down again.
"This isn't what I wanted! I wanted you next to me! To hold me, to lift me when I was sad! I-I wanted… I wanted to love you! I don't want you just being a voice in my head!" she wailed, her will completely shattered again. Strangled wet cries echoed around the holo room, the effect making her feel more alone. The pain of her spasms in her chest went ignored as she was consumed by the fear of being alone. Losing more control, she slowly rolled and was on her side with her limbs oddly placed as she, for once in her life, let the weight of everything crash completely and unfiltered down upon her, allowing it to wash over her and drown her.
Paige, you're not alone. If she had been in a more consciously aware state, she would have probably tossed it off as her imagination, but when the warmth of someone's hand rested on her upper arm and began to gently caress her with soothing motion, she felt her body regain control of itself. She started breathing in large deep breaths. Slowly, she came back from her breakdown.
When she focused on the hand soothing her, it made her afraid to open her eyes feeling if she did it would break the illusion. Based on her conclusion, she squeezed her eyes shut a little harder and allowed her mind to relax.
"Feeling better?" Beck's voice asked, this time from outside her head. Instead of bolting towards him, she slowly turned to see him sitting cross-legged next to her, a soft smile adorning his face.
"You're-" she choked on her words and before she could finish her sentence, he had pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. His hand ran along her lower back as she half lay in his lap. It took her a moment before she broke from her shock to accept that he was in fact there and with her. Meekly moving her arms so that they found purchase on his back, she clung to him. What little strength she had was used to hold onto him as she nuzzled her head into his chest.
"You're really here," she managed to muffle. The low and deep vibrations of a chuckle were felt as much heard from Paige's position to his chest. His other hand that was snaked around her shoulders moved to her head and began to kneed and stroke her hair, occasionally stopping to massage her neck. His grip on her neck was firm, causing her to relax even more as reassurance shot through her once again. They stayed like that for what seemed to be hours.
"I'm afraid to move," Paige said after Beck has stopped his ministrations and simply held her.
"Afraid I'll be gone if you do?" he guessed.
"Yeah,"
"Well, I hate to break it to you, but at some point we'll have to let go and I'll have to go,"
While her instinct was to cry out and force him to stay, in the back of her mind she felt something that told her it was true. In return, she renewed her harden grip on his back, the fabric of the suit stretching and bunching up in her hands at risk of being torn.
Beck began his care again, running his hands seemingly everywhere. It wasn't long after that she felt him kiss the top of her head and it all stopped.
She woke to see she was still lying on her side on the holo room. Her tears had dried in her sleep and her body and become incredibly stiff. Propping herself up, her eyes wondered around to gain a sense of time and awareness. She was not privy to any obvious changes or clues as to how long she was asleep but figured it couldn't have been long.
Incredibly groggy, she stood to grab Beck's disc and left to her room. No thoughts came to her as she lay down on her bed and for the first time, found it wonderfully soft.
See you soon. Beck's voice drifted to her. It was the final nudge she needed to let out a contented sigh and fell asleep peacefully.
"We're closing on the refinery!" Mara yelled at her squadron. Moving in a tight single file line through the streets, they moved with precise driving, only inches apart at times. Having a complicated and misleading route made for lots of turns and diversions, so when they finally entered the area around the refinery, it was sudden as they turned the bend of one road and found the massive structure and the area around it open.
Open being an odd word to use as the space that was between the other buildings and the factory was filled with tanks and platoons of soldiers. No doubt, Dyson was intelligent enough to realize the value of the factory. Along with the large troop amount stationed there, multiple anti-air guns and Light Copters were littered around the field, which is half the reason they had opted out of an aerial bombing. The other half was due to the increased air support already stationed over it. At least two carriers and their teams of support ships, jets, and other vehicles constantly swarmed the skies above.
"Look up ahead, it's the second and third group," one of Mara's members called out. The road they had turned onto was long and flat with an entrance that was perpendicular to it somewhere between Mara's group and the two a few hundred meters in front of her.
"Speed up!" Mara shouted back. Punching the throttle, the Monos bolted faster than they already were. The mechanic turned rebel could only smile childishly at her friend's creation, it was a great feeling to have the pressure of acceleration even at such a high speed.
The lights of the other groups were low off and hard to see, but she managed to keep track of them as they continued to near the entrance they were planning on entering from.
"Get ready! We'll be turning in five, four, three, two, one," Mara counted down, moving her car to the far end of the road for the best racing line. The moment she said one, she lurched her car in the direction of the factory and started straight for the factory.
The guards at the entrance were caught off guard as the Monos were painted black with minimal height and exposure to the light, thus making them incredibly hard to see, along with a muffler that suppressed the sound of the angry, yet tiny, 300 BHP engine. Before either of the soldiers at the control panels could react, they were on the ground as stunners high them and knocked them unconscious, courtesy of Mara.
Next, a disc from one of her group's Mono found it's way gliding through the control panel, disabling the lights that led to the core of the factory. Under the darkness no one would be seen or entering at all, buying the Defiance precious few nanos to get closer to the target without being fired upon.
"Stage one complete," Mara muttered as felt the g-force and air push harder with her increased speed.
At this point, all the groups would have entered the grounds and would be following behind her. Her energy circulated through her at an intoxicating rate. Her sight seemed to pick out small details in the dark with her pulse pounding, her ears focused and drowned out the sound of the wind whipping past her helmet, an odd sensation but still valued.
Part of her knew she was a thrill junkie, part of her knew it was dangerous and wished to suppress that side, but with the revolution, what was the point of not letting that side out?
Not a chance. She snarled with a grin to herself.
Lights and alarms started going off a nano later and the few nanos bought by their well-executed entrance was up.
"Spread out as much as you can!" Mara commanded as she primed her first grenade, having no doubt the others weren't already doing the same.
Their tires screeched through the factory as they passed. Engineers and soldiers both watched as they blinked by, and didn't catch the small balls they flew at an equal speed into their areas. None of them would know the cause of their deresolution.
The first explosion was far enough behind that it sound like a low roaring thunder strike; the boom of a few dozen more going off followed it. A new alarm starting to blare overhead, obviously their explosives had managed to do some destructive force as predicted.
Occupation Light Bikes started to finally appear, which surprised Mara, as she hadn't figured them to react as quickly as they did. It had been literal nanos between the time they were found and the time they were halfway through the factory with explosions going off.
"Ram them!" she barked. The bike next to her stood, literally, no chance to her low center of gravity. Standing too tall and centered, the bike and its rider started to tumble onto her Mono, but soon hit the ground as the Mono pulled away. The bike turned back into a baton, as the rider slid for a few meters before smacking into a barrier similar to concrete with a resounding smack.
Mara only prayed his life would be spared in the destruction that was sure to come. Other riders had faired less fortunate having their heads derezzed with the impact to the ground, or being crushed by their bike flipping through the air.
It was expected, but never accepted. In fact, they weren't even sure how many of the workers and engineers at the factory were actual Occupation members and not just regular Programs managing to work for energy under the dominant thumb of their leaders.
She shook her head hoping to clear the thoughts. It was pointless to think of it now in the midst of an operation. Taking another hard turn, she continued her lead through the large maze of the factory. She hurled her last few bombs and could see the final turn that would complete the second stage of their plan.
Only as she rounded the last turn did she feel the ground-shaking explosion of the last group's incendiary grenades igniting the fuel. Stage two had been completed. Their last and most important stage: Escape.
"Everyone, scatter!" Mara shouted at the perfect moment before her was the horrifying sight of a wall of soldiers, tanks, and helicopters, the picture taking her breath away and causing time to slow.
The fraction of a nano she had to process her thoughts expanded to micros as her mind raced. Where had all the vehicles come from? What had happened to the third group? Was this the end for her and the others? Would she get to see Zed again? Had she failed Tron, Beck, Bodhi, Paige? Why had this happened to her, it wasn't fair!
The moment her anger spiked, the scene before her turned bright and explosive. Tanks turned into flashes of bright lights causing the tanks next to them to follow in a vicious chain reaction. Soldiers and sentries were seemingly vaporized in the heat of the light along with some of the helicopters becoming caught in some of the initial large explosions and others being taken down from the shrapnel. Shrapnel, which was also finding it's way towards the Defiance member's Monos.
"What in hell was that!?" one of her other drivers snarled in anger, obviously not happy with the fact he had to the idea of death sooner than he anticipated.
"Forget it! We need to get out of here! We need to head to the coliseum!" Mara ordered, though she was empathetic toward her member.
Just as she let her panic settle, it was stirred when the smoke of the wreckage in front of them was pushed aside and a group of Light Copters came through the holes their propellers made. Their search lights and guns automatically targeting the spreading Monos.
Lines of lights rained down on their cars only barely missing them. Thankfully, the plumes of smoke that the helicopters had pushed away with their blades were spread around the open field, not completely dispersing, and provided a cover for the Defiance to weave through.
Mara almost laughed as she looked around herself. It was easy for her to compare her current nightmare to a few times at the club. Lights wising by, her friends mixed and mingled on the foggy dance floor, the mechanic herself swaying and moving to the steady beat that was around her.
She let the parallel go in her mind and steered hard to avoid another volley of helicopter fire aimed for her. In desperation, she rummaged around the small storage area under her legs for another grenade she hopefully forgot to throw, but only felt dread as she came up with nothing. Her helmet wildly pivoted and rotated around in her search for something to fight off the threat above her and her friends. It seemed much of the same from everyone else: disoriented, afraid, and essentially waiting for one of the helicopters to get lucky and shoot them dead.
There were no viable options. If they left the cover of the smoke they'd be gunned down before they could reach the safety of the buildings, and if they tried to retreat the way they came they were in risk of explosions, dead ends, and still had to race a half-kilometer without being shot. All because of a squad of helicopters that had apparently gone unnoticed to their preparations.
When the sound of more explosions rocked overhead, she was almost fearful to hope the copters had been destroyed, thinking it'd only act as a jinx. But when her eyes caught sight of the helicopters being fired upon, she screamed internally.
Coming from the seaside, a jet flew in a perfect strafe on the helicopters, bolts of light hitting their intended targets and ripping the flying machines to threads. The few helicopters unharmed turned their focus on their enemy in the sky speeding away to prepare for another strafing run. It didn't take long for those on the ground to take advantage of the distraction.
"Get away while you can!" Gavistan shouted from somewhere in the smoke. Mara shot out of the smoke, trails of it lingering behind her car before dissipating into the air. In her side mirrors she could see the rest of the Defiance pulling out as well and headed for the streets. At the road she pulled over and stopped, waiting for her allies to check for their safety, and to watch the fight happening above.
In the dark gray sky, a single jet flew with it's light ribbon activated, its white color a stark contrast to the reds and oranges of the Occupation helicopters. Other enemy jets had joined the fray and were making their way to follow the lone jet fighter, and it appeared the helicopters were backing off because of it, returning to the escaping renegades on the ground. The white circuited jet fighter had other plans instead, once he had let the helicopters get a certain distance away, he flipped his jet around and dove straight for them. A hail storm of white energy beams fell down around the retreating copters, punching holes in their wings and other vital areas of their hull. A nano later, they exploded in costly and deadly fireworks. Shrapnel flying in every direction catching one of the pursuing jets and downing it. Having caused a proper disturbance and removing the threat to the ground forces, the allied jet started heading towards the Outlands.
Mara smirked as she watched the dog fight happen. She snapped herself out of her daze as she realized he was on his way to escape the other jet fighters, and made her own way to the Outlands. She hoped the pilot would be back at the base when she got there and could properly thank him and give him a warm welcome back to Argon.
"Tron!" Mara exclaimed, her face beaming. Already back at the hideout, the named Program looked back over his shoulder away from the screen he had previously been studying.
"Welcome back renegades," He said calmly looking over the others who were behind her.
"You have perfect timing you know that?" Zed called out next to Mara, before the two reached Tron.
"I suppose you two are lucky I came when I did, those Light Copters looked to have you made," he answered with the barest of smirks.
"I guess we underestimated their response time," Gavistan remarked as he and Perl also joined the impromptu debriefing.
"It's understandable. The majority of soldiers now occupying the city are of Clu's forces, not Tesler's," Tron replied. "I was just going over some of the reports you all put in for the sorties I was away for, why don't you tell me more about them and bring me up to speed to Argon's condition,"
The Mara and Zed gave each other wary glances before turning back to their leader. The looks in their eyes were a mixture of excitement, pride, uncertainty, and fear.
"We have Cyrus locked up at the coliseum," Mara said tentatively. Tron's eyes shot open in surprise, the rest of his body growing stiff with the news. There was a micro before he started for the elevator towards the garage.
"Tell me the story as we go," he told them not turning back.
Mara, Zed, and Gavistan accompanied Tron on his way to the coliseum. They had remained silent and decided they would tell him the event when they reached the underground tunnels Link had found. It wasn't until they were halfway through the tunnels that they had derezzed their bikes and started to walk that Mara began to tell the former security program everything.
"Me, Zed, and Link were out on patrol, near the suburban area that's south of Able's garage," Mara started, "We were on the rooftops when we saw Paige and Cyrus fighting,"
"Paige was fighting against him?" Tron questioned.
"She was beating him more accurately," Zed commented softly, causing Tron's face to turn to utter disbelief and confusion.
"As I was saying, the two were fighting before Paige had Cyrus on the ground and was able to derez him. We intervened before she could,"
"You should have let her," the older Program said with remorse and weariness.
"Tron! We can't just erase Programs we see fit!" Mara protested.
"Mara…" Zed said quietly.
"Mara, you should know by now there are going to be losses. And with someone like Cyrus, he'll cause the most damage on both sides of our war. I'm sure you think war is fought primarily with two major sides, but there are usually more than that. Cyrus is the third in this case," Tron explained firmly. "He'll stop at nothing to destroy everything in front of him to reach a goal, and for the past few hilocycles I thought it was going to be impossible for anyone to stop him,"
The cyan hair girl was visibly distraught and demoralized at his words. It was a war within herself almost every cycle about the idea of taking another Program's life. Her morals always telling her it was wrong, while her mind told her it was necessary. Her heart only to be quelled by the fact that they needed to fight for the freedom she desired. If they gave up Clu would control the system and their lives would be lifeless, and what's the point of living at that point?
"Right, sorry," she felt a hand find purchase on her shoulder and she looked over to Tron who was giving her one of his open smiles. A broken smile that knew exactly what she thought and what she was going through.
"You did very well while I was gone. I'm glad I put you in charge," he said softly, all the sincerity in voice true and reassuring to Mara.
"What happened to Paige?" he asked after a moment.
"She came with us back to the Outlands," Mara answered, "I think she's unofficially joining us,"
"Is she still there?" Tron asked, his voice oddly rushed.
"She didn't say anything about leaving, she just didn't want join us on our raid," Gavistan answered as they reached the ladder that lead them to the road right outside the coliseum.
"I see. Next time you see her, make sure she stays at the Outlands headquarters, I need a word with her," Tron said before they started to climb.
Before the group was the unconscious form of arguably the most dangerous Program on the grid. His skin covered in circuit lines that connected with his suit. The three squares on his right forearm that went in tow with his single one on his left. His body seemed relaxed as anybody's in an unconscious form, but his face still retained some aura of mystery, discontent, and pure uncoiled madness.
"Where's his disc?" Tron's voice seemed to be stiff as the rest of his body.
"Here," Zed handed it over.
"You keep it here?" Tron inquired.
"Yeah. Most of the time I'm here and it's locked in the press box,"
Tron only nodded in response. He inspected the disc in his hand with narrowed calculating eyes. The disc of a madman could be extremely dangerous, and the last time he tried to have a system analyze a disc, it was entirely a trap. Who was to say this wasn't another trap?
He attempted to look at the data stored within the disc, but was unsurprisingly denied access. Fake discs often had this function to prevent others from instantly figuring it out wasn't real. His ignited the blade and inspected it closely. The highest qualities of fakes were also able to have the blade of a real disc. One might question if they were able to get their hands on a forged disc of that quality, why not simply make a new disc for themselves that would function as a true one? In the event someone lost their real Identity Disc, it would be the smarter option, but if someone had two fully functioning separate discs, the issue placed is that the mind of a Program is only made to handle one disc.
While it is not impossible to own two or more fully functioning discs of one's own, the issue that crops up is the updating of information. Programs only have one dock for their disc and most of the time, the disc is constantly being updated with the data the Program receives. The Program would have to remove their original disc and update their secondary one to make sure the data wasn't obsolete, an action that would be twice as taxing on the mind and body.
The other benefit of making a high quality fake as opposed to a new disc is the manipulation of data and memories stored on fakes. A quality fake can store a certain amount of data for inspections, and now, that was the most popular use.
Tron returned from his thoughts to the humming of the disc in his hands. Making his decision, he kneeled down and started to dig the blade into the ground as hard as he could.
"Tron what…" Mara started but stopped as Zed padded her softly, indicating to just watch.
After a few nanos, the aged Program was satisfied with the result and turned off the disc, pulling it from the ground.
"Just testing to make sure it's real. The blade of a good forge often has short circuits and outages when it's pushed," Tron justified.
"Looked good to me," Zed said casually.
"Yes, now we just have to wait a few cycles,"
"What do you mean?" Mara asked.
"We keep the disc away from him long enough and he'll lose his memories, becoming a Stray," Tron explained with a solid tone.
"But-"
"This is the best option if you want to keep him alive, Mara," he interjected harshly. "Had you not been here, I would have erased him without hesitation. Whatever he's said, whatever you think he's planned, it's not true," he paused just a fraction to let the words sink in. "He does everything himself, and nothing he plans is made to continue in his absence. At this moment, I'm positive he never calculated for. I'm not sure how he made the mistake, or how Paige was able to defeat him, but I am not going to waste this opportunity," Tron reasoned with finality. The other three stood stock still before Mara lowered her head in shame.
"Sorry, Tron," She said meekly.
"I'll hold onto the disc for the next few cycles, Zed I think you've shown yourself capable of handling the coliseum, I want you in charge here officially, I'll send a handful of others to help you here,"
"Yes sir!" Zed saluted proudly.
"Gavistan, I want you and Perl to start getting groups together, we need recruits, and with the Occupation taking so many Programs, I'm sure others are bound to realize what the Occupation is up to,"
The buff Program nodded his head in understanding and started to walk away.
"Mara, I'll say it again. You did well without me, but don't let your morals get you or anyone else derezzed. I know you're able to handle it in the moment, but there's always a chance it might stop you in the middle of battle. A leader cannot question themselves in those moments. You are a leader, Able saw it, I see it, and so do the others. Focus on the lives that stand next to you when you fight as opposed to the ones you're against. The Programs we're fighting… they can't be saved. Clu's corrupted them beyond repair,"
"You don't know that!" Mara exclaimed.
"Yes, I do. I've seen what happens Mara. They're completely rewritten. Flynn himself couldn't save them. Dyson's told me himself how the process strips the Program of their personality, makes them unquestionably loyal to Clu. The only reason i'm not one of them is because Clu wanted me that way,"
The mechanic opened her mouth to protest again, but something in her mind told her otherwise and she returned to looking down solemnly.
"You're strong," Tron stated, walking next to her. "I know you'll figure it out," he continued onto the exit and left her to think.
"It's good to see you again," Tron spoke softly, his helmet lifted to show his face.
"Now that I'm not showing you up on the battlefield," she joked lightly. It was nice to finally let go of most of her hatred and pain and accepting the feelings of comfort and security. She had Mara to thank for most of it as well as the weird dreams and visions she had with Beck's disc, real or not, they helped soothe her troubled soul.
"How was Tron City?" She exchanged the pleasantry with valid interest.
"It was enlightening," Tron answered in a mixed tone not revealing anything.
"I'm sure," she responded in slight confusion.
"Mind if I get straight to the point?" He asked seriously.
"I prefer it,"
"Beck's disc. What do you plan to do with it?"
"I'm keeping it with me. Why are you interested in it again?" She shot back aggravated at his concern. Was he still focused on his own demons that he still wanted the identity disk to set him free from them?
"I cared for him just as much as you did," he replied with almost gritted teeth. "I want to-"
"You just pushed him! Barely gave him any rest! Treated him like one of Clu's faceless soldiers!" She barked.
"What you saw? You've been going through his memories?" He asked astonished at her actions.
"Yes! Because unlike you, I'm trying to remember him! Not forget him and move on with some vengeance plot against one Program!"
"This is more than me and Clu! I- We are trying to free the Grid! How can you judge me when you've been rampaging against soldiers out of blind rage?" Paige wanted to shout something back at him but even her quick-witted mind couldn't come up with a counter to his true statement. Not too long before had she been yelling at an imaginary Beck about the same issue.
"I'm not trying to forget him," Tron sighed out as he relaxed his shoulders and hung his head. "I just wanted him to rest in peace," Paige forcibly restrained her anger as his words sunk in. He hung his head even more, and it was clear to Paige this was him opening up. And with his defeated looking posture, she realized that Beck truly was more than just some Program to secure the Grid. He had kept his emotions locked away, buried under mountains of practiced and well formed barriers, but was unearthing them to prove to her how much he had grown attached to the young mechanic.
"Now, things have changed. I don't want his disc anymore, I want you to keep it safe. Because I trust you," he went on after a brief pause to gather his emotions.
"I… How can you trust me?" the medic asked fairly skeptical.
"I had a chat with someone… someone you might remember," his answer was hardly one at all and only made her confused. For a nano, she thought of who in the world he could have talked to that knew her and drew up blank. She quickly gave him the 'go on' look and impatiently waited.
"I met Quorra,"
"Quorra's alive?" she growled.
"The only reason she attacked you was to save you from the Occupation. She didn't kill any of those Programs, Tesler did," Tron reasoned immediately, prepared for her reaction.
"What? How do you know? She told you?"
"Yes," the older Program said curtly. Making one last check, he scanned the room and the perimeter with his senses before continuing.
"I found Flynn," he informed her quietly. Her shock was instantaneous and written all over her face and body language.
"Quorra was with him. As we exchanged stories I realized you were the same Paige that Quorra had met. That's what made you join Tesler isn't it? He told you the ISO's had destroyed that sector, killed your friends, and you believed him," Tron admonished.
Shock and disbelief had quickly overrun Paige. The information had quickly deflated her and snuffed out the fire that was within her, as her head lowered. It was blindingly obvious, she had come to their rescue, treated them for their wounds. They were doing their best to survive, they weren't killers.
"She saved you, Paige," The medic only nodded her head softly, before bringing it back up, the fire in her eyes lit with their heated passion once again.
"I need you to go to Flynn. He has more information on Clu and…" the Program trailed off, seemingly unsure of his next words.
"What?"
"I told him about you and Beck, he seems to have a odd interest in you. He wanted me to tell you that he'd like to see you in person," Had Paige known this whole conversation was going to be as confusing as it was, she might have held off on having it.
"Did he tell you why?"
"No, just that he wanted to see you,"
"Typical User," she muttered softly.
"Will you go?"
"Yes, whatever he wants with me i'm sure is important," Paige stated confidently.
"I'm glad to hear it," Tron answered with the small amount of mirth she was quickly coming to be accustomed was his happiest tone.
"Quorra will be there?" she asked.
"Absolutely,"
"Good," I think I have some things to say to her.
Macros and macros of data, tendrils of plans only just beginning and confused patterns of distorted thoughts. All the information held within the disc of a deranged Program. A man who's purpose wasn't truly warped into it's desired component but of a far deeper caliginosity.
Tron stood to the entrance of the broken trans-dimensional prison under the whirlpool hidden within the Outlands.
Not hidden well enough. Tron thought snidely as he stepped over the biggest shard of the broken one way mirror. As he suspected, nothing seemed to be wrong with the prison entrance aside from it being in pieces. Taking one of his stun charges, he dropped the activated device down the pitch black whole and saw the electrical blue light quickly swallowed up. Shrugging, he hopped down the hole and feel into the dark abyss only to find his feet hitting a ledge almost immediately, as if he had simply blinked and he was standing within the prison.
The prison cell was the last thing he would have called the constructed dimension he now stood in. A peek over the edge quickly revealed the impossible depth of what was obviously a crafted tunnel. Most of the lights were off, but with the tap of Cyrus's disc on the ground, energy from an unknown source started to fill the pathways built into the structure. The added light gave away to the massive damage caused from what was some sort of Tesla device that laid on the bottom in a catastrophic mess.
The journey down to the bottom was long and tedious. Along the way, the inner workings of the machine were examined with keen cold blue steel eyes. Chunks of formatted ground and walls were strewn about, sparks of energy fizzled in and out of life along the exposed circuit lines along almost all the surfaces. It looked as if the place would take months to repair. A process that would never be done.
Finally reaching the bottom, or what appeared to be, Tron quickly looked over the Tesla machine. Taking out his own recoder, he attached its magnetic prongs to the surface of the device and preformed diagnostic scan. When the recoder beeped at him in the negative, he was relieved to say the least. Fastening the recoder back to his belt, he stood up and gave one last scan of the bottom floor before looking up. The way up seemed a lot further than it was down, along with more challenging. Tron only sighed and shrugged his shoulders. Nothing was ever to daunting for the savior of the Grid.
All he could feel was pain. Sharp, stinging pain that left smaller tingles of small explosives along his skin. He struggled to breathe at first, convulsing randomly to regain knowledge of how to do something so essential to living. A few deep breaths later, he focused on opening his eyes. Again, he struggled to do the simple task. Only after a few minutes had gone by and considerable effort was able to lift his weighted eyelids and examine his environment.
Everything was considerably red. Red barriers, circuit lines, auxiliary lights, chains- Chains? Staring hard at the red glowing chains that were bound to his wrist, he quickly swept his eyes over the other ligaments to find all over them contained. He tried to stand, but yet again, found he couldn't without a great deal of effort.
Only now that he was aware of no immediate danger, he realized how incredibly drained he was to truly feel so weak. How long had he gone without energy? Usually he could last a few weeks before ever needing some, that was of course if he was sitting around and conserving it. Obviously that had not been the case.
His next question was of his location followed by how he got into it. Clearly, he was in a prison cell of sorts. And on further inspection, he seemed to be the only one being held there as not a single other cell was occupied. The sharp electric pain coursing through him hindered his ability to focus on the missing information. Instead, he tried to remember anything. Dark images of another prison cell, one more spacious and more comforting appeared in his mind's eye. Frames of a older Program with white armor and a tetrahedron symbol on his chest also fluttered by. Nothing made sense. He felt he should have known who the Program was but there was a disconnect, as if he couldn't access the memory properly.
Instinctively, his hand moved to his back where his disc was, only to come back empty. Fear didn't creep in, as it would for others. Something in him told him he was beyond it. Anger was something he was supposed to feel, but without the disc, he couldn't really remember why. So he stuck with confusion. Questions upon questions with no one to answer them.
Then the pain sparked again, only to go critical and straight to his head. A million jagged needles flowing with electricity stabbed at the inside of is skull and down his spine. It lasted for the Program's longest minute of his life, stopping when he eventually went unconscious.
He awoke an hour later as if the incident hadn't happened, and he once again fought to do all the basic functions of breathing, blinking, and standing. The same questions ran through his head as they did an hour before, but instead of the pain returning, it seemed to have finally completely it's torturous cycle. Leaving him with a few new questions.
Where am I?
What is this place?
Why am I here?
...
Who am I?
Zed had informed Tron when he found Cyrus completely devoid of any awareness. Striding down the corridor, he quickly found Cyrus's cell, Zed, Mara, Paige, and a few others as guards standing outside. They all looked at him expectantly but no one said anything. He opened the lock and walked into the cell.
Sitting on the bench examining the cell around him lackadaisically was Cyrus. He turned to face Tron hearing the door close. The two studied each other for a long time, analyzing versus curiosity.
"Hello," Cyrus said after a moment, his voice baring more formal tones.
"Hello, do you remember anything?" Tron asked back, kneeling down so he was at eye level with the prisoner.
"No, I can't. Do you know where my disc is?" Cyrus asked genuinely.
"Yes, I do. I found it," Tron answered. "Though, it appears I was too late," he said with a hint of sorrow, all to the confusion of the others.
"What do you mean?"
"I was too late, and you lost all your memories,"
"I won't get them back with my disc?"
Tron shook his head. "You've been without it for too long. Your disc will reset itself once you place it on your dock,"
"Oh…" Cyrus responded quietly. "Where was it?"
"Your disc?"
"Yeah,"
"I found it in your old prison cell. Before this, you were a dangerous Program, and another powerful Program locked you in there," Tron replied, causing the others outside the cell to stand ridge with tense anticipation.
"I was… dangerous?" Cyrus asked in innocent curiosity.
"Yes, but now you can start a new life," Tron stated standing up and pulling out Cyrus's disc to hand to him. He hoped that his disc would detain his attention from asking his history too much. He took it hesitantly and examined it in his hands, flipping it, and slowly peering at all the corners and groves.
"It looks like any ordinary disc to me," Cyrus said sorrowfully.
"It's only because you've become disconnected from it that you don't feel that familiarity with it. Once you put it back on, everything will be in sync again,"
Cyrus analyzed the disc for a few more micros before slowly lifting it behind him and snapping it to his dock. Tron along with everyone else prepared themselves for what would happen, all standing with their muscle taught and minds razor sharp for any sudden reactions. It took a moment for the prisoner to come back to reality as his disc reformatted itself to its owner, and once it was completed, he looked up and around himself, looking the same.
"Well, I guess you were right. I can't remember anything else…" Cyrus's voice was now filled with disappointment as he hung his head slightly, before looking up at Tron. "What happens now?"
"We let you out," Tron motioned for Zed to open the cell and a nano later, the red energy wall came down.
"Where will I go?"
"I've lined up a work position for you in a nearby town. It's simple work. And safe. Is that alright with you?"
"Yeah, I don't really have any other options do I?" Cyrus asked with a small smirk, which Tron answered with his own.
"Let's go,"
It was a long ordeal. Meeting up with the owner of the landscape company, showing Cyrus his new living space, answering the many questions that he had of the area, and of himself. The process had taken a few pectros, valuable time spent during a war, but was necessary. It must have been near the end the of cycle by the time Tron managed to return along with the others back to the Outlands. Having planned a discussion on Cyrus before starting their next moves in the Defiance.
Tron sat with this back facing the large 180 degree window overlooking the Outlands and Argon. The small light that filtered in from the large in wall lights was plenty to light up the room with a bluish hue.
To his left sat Perl and Gavistan, the two had worked well while he was gone, and he suspected they were growing close as friends. It was subtle, but there distance between them when they were together was minimal, whether he was the only one who saw it didn't really matter, but he could at least appreciate his trusted…
What did he call them all? Were they his second in command? Lieutenants? Was their group big enough to even have rankings? Did they need rankings?
…friends. Tron thought about it a moment and figured it was an appropriate word for him, but not for the rest of the Defiance. It would be something to discuss in the not to distant future.
To his right, Zed and Mara sat. Zed was comfortably focused, relaxed in body language, but his eyes sharp and his mind centered on the discussions about to be held. Mara, on the other hand, was still looking quite shaken up and confused. Tron let out an internal sigh figuring she still hadn't accepted a side and was still fighting her moral beliefs.
Lastly, sitting directly across was Paige. Most of her body was covered in her cloak, the green circuits running along it went well with her growing hair that was now a few centimeters past her shoulder line. Her face withheld any outlining emotion making her look very calm and collect, a sight he'd never imagine on the fiery commander. Yet, he was glad she had joined them. The way Beck had talked her made it seem she was still salvageable from Tesler's iron gauntlet. In a way, he was right.
"You had some pretty weird questions for the guy Tron," Zed commented as they all got situated around the large circular table. The others' expressions showed they agreed with his statement.
"They were triggers. I brought up painful memories and facts to see if he would have reaction to them, a test," Tron answered knowingly.
"Shouldn't you have done that after giving him his disc?" Paige asked.
"No, I had to make sure the amnesia had taken full affect, it was a balanced and precise movement I had to coordinate with him. I couldn't tell alert him or cause him to panic with the details of his old life, but I needed to test his reactions,"
"It was all planned?" Gavistan inquired, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Yes,"
"How'd you know what he was gonna ask?" Perl spoke up.
"He wasn't the first Stray I had to interview. Back in Tron City I've come across a few. Flynn wanted to give them a chance. He had me talk to them and learn anything from them. They never got their memories back, but Flynn was able to give them work,"
"So… now he's going to live a normal life?" Mara asked.
"Yes and no. He'll be able to learn the skills required to be park of the landscape crew, but he'll always be missing that essential part of himself that defines him. It'll haunt him, but he'll manage as long as he deals with the emotions properly. That's why I want all of you to check on him every few cycles, make sure he's processing everything correctly, and if he seems off, talk to him, become his friend,"
"Wait, you're asking us to become friends with someone you would have rather derezzed a couple cycles ago?" Paige exclaimed in confusion.
"Yes. He's no longer a danger to the war, but if he's left unchecked, he can become what he was. I'm making sure we take precautions and steps to avoid that result,"
There was a pause as everyone seemed to digest the information.
"Was it right?" Mara questioned softly, her head facing downward at the table.
"Was there any other choice?" Gavistan reasoned with her.
Again, they were silent as they thought about the answer.
"No, you're right… There wasn't anything else we could have done," she let out with remorse.
"I don't get it. Why are you so broken up about this guy? From what i've been told, he's getting off easy!" Perl suddenly shot at Mara, the annoyance making wrinkles on her forehead and around her eyes.
"It's wrong to decide someone's life like that," the mechanic growled back, attempting to reign in her own frustration at the former troublemaker.
"No we don't, but he's still alive! He was trying to kill everyone in the Grid. How can you feel bad about letting him live?!" Perl bellowed. Gavistan tugged her back into her seat she had launched out of midway through the rant.
"We basically did kill him!" Mara protested.
"Mara," Zed pleaded with her.
"What? Didn't we? We erased who he was, we removed his soul from him. Does that sound better?" the girl spat out at her boyfriend.
"Mara," Tron voice was quieter than the two girls had been, but it's seriousness sternness had made everyone look back to the leader.
"I examined his disc closely using a recoder. It was corrupted. Abraxas, a virus that entered the system right before the ISO's genocide, I found lingering strands of his code in the disc. Whoever Cyrus was, he was killed long ago. Only by reseting his disc could we purge the corrupted code, along with Clu's repurposing. The soldiers out there, doing their best to derez us, not detain, not imprison, kill us. They can't be saved,"
"But-"
"Flynn told me himself, Mara," Tron interrupted him harshly, his tone clipped and irritated. "I know this is hard for you, but you need to get out of this fantasy world where everyone lives happily ever after," the room seemed to become as devoid of sound as space while he let the words sink in. "I thought you and Zed of all Programs would understand that,"
At his words, something flickered across her eyes. It was brief, but everyone saw it, and whatever thoughts were aligned with it seemed to have made her choice for her.
"Yes, you're right. I'm sorry," she said quietly before sitting back down.
"Very well. Now that we're finished with that discussion, I wanted to ask your feelings on your positions in this rebellion," the question seemed to take everyone but Paige slightly aback as to the meaning.
"During my trip to Tron City, all over you showed great leadership and strategic planning. I'm… proud of the result you were able to achieve while I was away. Everyone comes to you when something is needed, and I think it is time I made it official you are recognized as leaders in this group," Tron explained.
"You're giving us ranks?" Gav asked almost disbelieving.
"You can look at it that way,"
"Fine by me," Perl commented leaning into the back of her chair.
"Same, especially since I'm going to be taking over the coliseum," Zed agreed as well.
"Sounds good," Mara said meekly, still embarrassed from her public reprimand.
"I'll pass," Paige said with distaste, her eyes not leaving Tron's. Only after a solid nano did she finally smirk. To his surprise, he smirk back at her and realized she was done with ranks and being a leader.
"That's alright, the others can handle it," Tron answered.
"So, what are you calling us?" Gav inquired, copying Perl's body position and leaning back into his chair.
"For now, I'm going to call you Specialists,"
"Specialists?" Perl asked dubiously. "I don't really know if we qualify as 'specialists',"
"I think otherwise. Gavistan's knowledge in strategy as a tactician. Zed's expertise and advanced comprehension of mechanical devices. Mara's instincts on leadership, morale, and controlling the others during a battle. And your insight to the area along with your own leadership and kinship you have with the others," he explained.
"What about her?" Perl pointed back at the medic.
"I'm not going to lead anyone, anywhere. I'll leave that up to you four," she commented plainly. A nano later, Perl shrugged her shoulders and turned back to Tron.
"It's settled," Tron concluded. "Now, let's talk about our next move,"
AN: Hello everyone. I hope you enjoyed the latest update. I originally thought I was going to have this done sometime during fall, but seeing as that I'm not even half way done, it looks like it'll take even longer for me to finish. Just more to look forward. And looking back, this happens to be the same date I started posting this fan fiction last year! So happy birthday pain in the ass story! You make me feel guilty and lazy for not working more often on you!
Sorry it took so long to get this out. Hopefully there aren't too many mistakes, I know I used minutes, second, and hours at one point, oh well.
Originally I was planning on just dumping Cyrus off in Purgos and leaving him at that, but I thought better of it. I pushed Mara's ethics in this one because of Cyrus. I wouldn't say she's normally like this, but under pressure and stress, she's pushed into this kind of thinking, trying to justify if killing, and subsequently the Defiance is doing the right thing. Basically she was hysterical this chapter.
The Specialists thing was also just a go with the flow kind of thing. While i'm not to keen on the name, their little group does need some kind of distinction from the others. I was never good at labeling groups or things so, that's all I could come up with that seemed like a Tron kind of thing while not sounding completely ridiculous.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!
-Rose's Requiem