Tron: Adagio

By: Shadow Chaser

Author's Notes:

This story covers the entire comic, Tron: Betrayal, and flashbacks from Tron: Legacy itself. The scenarios of the game Evolution are not mentioned in here as I did not play the game. All characters are not mine, they belong to Disney.

Story:

C.L.U.

1989

Tron met Flynn as the sailer halted to a gentle stop at the platform, noting that the User looked a lot better than the last time he had seen him. "Got some new things I want to try out with The Grid," Flynn hopped off of the sailer, completely excited, "will probably bring Sam around next time too. The boy's gotten big, seven-years-old, can you believe that man?"

"Flynn," Tron hated being a downer to Flynn's infectious mood, but the Creator needed to know that things were terribly wrong in The Grid.

"I managed to find something in the code a couple of days ago that I think will revolutionize The Grid and my world itself and just need to test it-"

"Flynn," Tron's tone became even more insistent as the two of them headed away from the sailer platform and back towards the elevators to take them to the main ground levels. "Clu's been orchestrating everything. I have the proof."

"Come on Tron," Flynn shook his head as they walked through the central area, "you worry too much. Clu's just-"

"Kevin Flynn!" Clu's booming voice made the two of them stop where they were and Tron narrowed his eyes as he saw Clu standing near one of the alternate entrances, dressed in his yellow-black armor. "Am I still to create the perfect system?"

Flynn looked bemused for a second before nodding, "...Yeah?"

There was a moments' pause before Clu stepped back, activating his disc with a buzzing hiss as his helmet clicked into place. At the same time four elite Black Guards, all lit up with blood red-orange coloring, stepped out of the corners of the room; having hidden by a masking subroutine with Clu's signature all over it. He had planned this, planned to ambush Flynn, possibly even derezz him, Tron realized as he grabbed his disc and activated it, looking warily around at the advancing Guards.

"Go," he flicked a look at Flynn who stood frozen in shock, as if he could not believe that all of this was happening. He would fight for Flynn; there was no question about that. He would make sure Flynn escaped this ambush by his own creation and the Black Guards. Clu had gone too far now...

"Go, Flynn!" he shouted, "Run!"

He struck out at the first Guard, stabbing him in the chest with his disc, derezzing him before punching another one in the face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Flynn running towards the exit before focusing back on the Guard he had stunned. He parried the desperate blow by the Guard with his disc before taking his outstretched arm and threw him over his shoulder and down onto the ground.

At the same time he ripped the Guard's disc from his fingers and slammed it into its owner's chest, instantly derezzing him. Tron glanced at the red-orange disc he held in his right hand, a grim determination filling him. Pressing his lips into a thin line, he stood and held the two discs aloft, his stance set and sure. The other two Guards circled him carefully, seeing how fast their comrades had fallen to him.

The first one struck with his staff, in an upward sweep, but Tron blocked with both of his discs, shifting his feet in a lunging move that took the guard out with two quick hits. He spun around and smashed his disc into the face of a second one before digging his left one into the chest and twisted him to the ground. Pushing his discs in further, he saw the program choke and twitch for a second before derezzing underneath his fatal blows.

A sudden muffled cry made Tron look up to see Clu advancing menacingly on Flynn who had fallen in his haste to escape. He wasted no time and launched himself at the rogue program, knocking him away from Flynn. As the two of them tumbled to the ground, Tron managed to kick Clu away from him and roll to his feet.

"GO!" he shouted as Clu charged at him, his disc arcing downward in an overhead blow. Tron barely managed to block the blow, shocked at how powerful it was and how much more strength Clu had.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Flynn scrambling to his feet and disappeared around a corner, hopefully escaping the battle. The idea that Clu could even think of attacking his own User, the Creator was unforgivable. Tron gritted his teeth against the sheer amount of strength that Clu was pressing against him, seeing none of the malicious expression that had to be on the program's face, hidden behind his black helmet.

There were no words exchanged and none needed to be as the two of them stared at each other through the hiss and buzz of their discs making contact with each other. This battle, however long or short, was long in coming since all of the small resentments, problems, and annoyances between the two had appeared. Everything Tron hated about Clu and everything Clu hated about Tron would be decided here and now.

Tron finally broke the stalemate by lashing out with one of his discs towards Clu, feeling the skim of Clu's disc derezzing part of his armor, but ignored the pain and struck with his second disc. However, Clu kept up, blocking and parrying as he tried every fast strike he could think of. The program was good, but Tron knew that he was even better, so why could he not strike the finishing blow?

It only took him half of a thought to figure out that he was still trying to see Clu as Flynn's protégé, not as he was, a corrupted threat. His belief in Flynn and Flynn's belief in Clu was keeping him from striking that blow.

That had to be changed.

Tron reached deep into his own core and unlocked everything Alan-One had given to him, everything that Ophelia had given to him, every single restriction within him. He fought for the Users and Clu's actions went against his mandate.

This time, Tron lashed out, free of the restrictions that had bound him and struck with everything he had against Clu. He allowed himself a grim smile as his disc found the center of Clu's armor, but his smile faded as Clu did not even stumble back or derezz.

He only had a fleeting warning before his arm was trapped under Clu's and suddenly Tron found his world flipped head over heels as he was slammed into the ground. His vision crackled in static and error messages and he felt one of his discs clatter to the ground. He struggled against the sluggish response time, trying to hasten his command lines to get up and continue the fight, but they were slow to respond.

The sinister buzz of Clu's disc made him look up to see the program holding it above him. "No," he whispered, realizing what Clu meant to do to him.

"NOOOO!" he screamed as the disc flew down towards him, shattering through his armor, rewriting his codes, his memories, everything that he was; it burned through him, scorching every fiber of his code-

Tron's last coherent thought was that Flynn had escaped. The User had escaped...Flynn lived.

Then, there was nothing but darkness.

Author's Notes:

For a flashback scene from Legacy, this is a pretty short chapter. I added a little bit on this battle on the advice of both sharinganavenger and my beta, Algae09. So I guess, I technically broke canon here, but not that much, maybe more like bent canon by adding the little extra part in the battle between Clu and Tron.

For anyone following along with the actual soundtrack to the chapters, you'll notice that C.L.U. is a very sinister sounding track. I wanted to convey the urgency that was in both the original musical cue for this scene (Adagio for Tron) and in this track itself. This is why the Legacy scene is played out here instead of anywhere else.

Fear not, I am far from done with this story (even though this is the 2nd of the "penultimate" chapters). Four more tracks mean four more perspectives for Tron to regain his lost self!