CHAPTER 4
Sam sat in the corner of the room watching the shaman-like Programs tending to Quorra. Quorra's interface almost filled the entire room, neon blue holograms floating above Sam's head and Quorra's motionless body, her system corrupted with ropes and nets of red showing Sam and the Shaman Programs the true extent of the suffering Quorra had been subjected to. Sam wanted to look away but couldn't he wanted to leave the room but couldn't; his mind forcing him to stay, to watch as the shaman Programs slowly vaccinated Quorra's interface, Sam also had nowhere else to go. Be alone in the room he had woken up in, explore the place that had once been the digital representation of his father's arcade or ask Gate more questions, primarily how much time had passed and then most importantly how it had all changed. The thought of spending more time with Gate made Sam want to retch; Sam saw Gate as an annoying sidekick or pushy guide like you would find in a bad video game; he would ask for advice on any subject and would be given the same answer every time no matter what the initial question had been. Defeat the evil, save the world, bring peace. Sam would have rolled his eyes at the thoughts running through his mind were it not for the mental images of the past three years he had shared with Quorra outside of The Grid.
It had been perfect; for a year and a half once Sam had taken control of Encom, he and Quorra had travelled the world. He had wanted to show Quorra the beauty of the world outside of the digital domain of The Grid. Sam remembered the tears that had fallen from Quorra's eyes when she had witnessed her first amber sunset over the golden beaches of Florida, her smile while spending the night looking out over the flickering neon lights of Tokyo at night and much more. Returning to Encom tower where Sam had commissioned penthouses and living spaces on the top three floors where he and Quorra could now stay, atop his father's proud empire; it was soon time for Sam and Quorra to change the world. With the power to contact those in the know Sam and Quorra met with biological and technological minds from around the world, each more excited than the last to see the perfect union of technology and biology in Quorrra. The world would be changed and these were the blessed minds that would be known to have started the most important revolution of the 21st century, if not of all time. Most nights however Sam would catch himself thinking that it was all too good to be true, he hadn't thought about it at first but the dangers of this world were now forming in his mind and ideas of how things could spiral out of control scared him and worst of all, soon came true.
It had been a night like any other, Sam lay awake thinking and dreaming about all of the possible ways that the world would be changed, while darker thoughts stayed hidden in the shadows of his mind.
Glass broke, lights glared in from the world outside, men dressed in black with guns surrounded Quorra and Sam, shouting and screaming form all sides filled the room and were soon followed by warning gunshots; powerless, Sam and Quorra were taken against their will shackled and blindfolded, to a secret location. The next thing Sam knew he was being interrogated by a group of suit wearing strangers, hell bent on knowledge and power. It hadn't taken long for Sam to put two and two together; somehow word of what Quorra was had been spread and the word had reached the wrong people. Sam remained tight lipped on the information he had about Quorra, about The Grid, about everything. Too important to be released Sam was held underground, he had disappeared from the world, no doubt the media would know of his tragic passing, an accident on holiday with his girlfriend, that would be the story; another Flynn disappearing into the darkness of the world.
Sam couldn't be sure how much time had passed while he was in holding, months perhaps. With the reasons why unknown to him, Sam was removed from his underground prison, he was being transported. Sam had gotten used to the constant drugging's during his incarceration and this time was no different, the world went black and Sam waited to wake up in a cell reminiscent of the one he had just left.
Sam woke to unfamiliar but friendly surroundings, a bedroom; Sam explored the house and found Adam, his father's friend. Adam had pulled some strings, done deals and worked in secret to rescue Sam. Days passed and Sam td Adam everything, what The Grid had become, what had happened to his father and what Quorra meant to him and the fate of the world. With Adam working in the shadows Sam searched for Quorra; not sleeping, not eating and not stopping for months on end until he had found her. The media spun coverage on Sam's actions as terrorist attacks; no doubt Adam was working as Sam's protector, keeping his name and face out of the public eye. One by one Sam laid waste to numerous government facilities across the world in search of Quorra and on July thirteenth almost a year since Quorra was taken from him, he found her.
Tears filled Sam's eye as he walked slowly into the medical research lab, fire and bodies behind him courtesy of Adam's hired help who had been by his side in his search roared and moaned in the distance as he approached Quorra. Sam's heart pounded against his bruised chest threatening to break what was left of his ribs, his eyes stung with the tears that fell from them as he walked through the holograms of Quorra's glitched interface. He placed a hand on Quorra's chest; she was completely still, her eyes closed and her body… Sam started pulling at wires releasing Quorra from her hell taking the metallic restraints from her wrists, ankles and mouth, Sam picked Quorra up and held her in his arms. Adam's black ops team ushered Sam out of the building and transported them to safety. Sam took a deep breath, drinking in the calm that the eye of the storm allowed him as the recent visions of Quorra bound and unconscious in that lab permanently imprinted themselves onto his mind. It was then with Quorra still in his arms that Sam knew that The Grid was the only safe place for them to be.
Sam's mind snapped back into the present, the shaman Programs making what seemed to be little progress with Quorra's corruption but progress nonetheless.