Chapter 2: The King of Hearts
Being alone with Rinzler is frustrating. Not because she's being held captive, not even because of the lost opportunities to try to escape, to help, anymore. It's the silence. The all-encompassing hooded figure looking up at her thoughts with its void, dead eyes, reminding her continuously that she is alone in the belly of the beast. No matter where she tries to run, its shadow is always in front of her, impossible to outrun, staring into her soul like the predator stalking its prey – the sick, the young, the old and the abandoned. The corrupted piece of the code. She hasn't been abandoned, she quickly assures herself; she's left. They will set things right and come back for her. She has by no means lost hope, but this is only the first step, and she knows that there's worse to come.
"What made you serve him?" she asks the armored guard gripping her tied wrists behind her back.
There is no answer, not even the slightest movement or a sign of comprehension. Only silence.
She gulps. She has always suspected that this might come, yet, as she now realizes, she was never fully ready. No one can be ready for such circumstances. She is afraid. But that is only natural.
Fear (n) - A feeling of agitation and dread caused by the presence or imminence of danger.
She wonders why Flynn included such an unpleasant thing in the system, and why she can feel it. The ISOs are different. Why can't they have certain advantages? Then again, users feel fear too. Fear and pain, the two most horrifying qualities of existence. Flynn once told her that users believe in something above them, the users' users, called gods. What the Portal is to programs, the sky is to users. She's read about gods in his books, but there was no mention of their ability to perceive. Can they feel fear and pain, too? Is there no end to it all? Why is it so damn quiet in here?
Silence stands still in the darkness and listens, then pulls out his deadly blade. The assassin locks onto his target. His companions remain unseen, but when you spot one, you know they are all there. They are a brotherhood, observing, calculating, creating the perfect plan.
Finally, the elevator moves, and soon her captor enters the ship like a blessing, lifting the unbearable suspense. For the time being.
"Leave us," he commands Rinzler, who tilts his head in question. "She poses no threat to me in here." The elite guard nods slightly and heads towards the platform outside, his steps predetermined to be absolutely even by the system. The symmetry is rather frightening, really.
The ISO doesn't believe her own thoughts as she realizes that a small part of her is grateful for Clu's presence. He reminds her of Flynn. He reminds her of what is like to not be alone.
He finally speaks, examining the seemingly fragile, similar and yet foreign individual in front of him. "What made you serve him?"
She chuckles at the irony. "I am no servant. I'm with him because I'm grateful for what he's done for me, because I appreciate what he can teach me and because I want to learn. I am an apprentice, no less," she answers decidedly. "You can't possibly understand. You were never able to see the value of his ideas. You only ever think of yourself and the mission that could have been accomplished hundreds of cycles ago, had you had a bit of humility before your creator. We were not the corrupted ones. It's always been you," she mutters with disgust.
The program walks around her slowly, stroking his chin, apparently deep in thought. "I'm trying to understand, I truly am, but I don't. What has he given you? A life in hiding, spending eternity waiting for another ‚miracle'. Someday, he will have nothing more to teach you. What then? Has this ever occured to you?" She glances at the ground. "On the other hand, imagine the things I could give you. Luxury. Fame. A city, maybe. That is certainly more interesting than a bunch of old books and some pillows."
"The last time you offered to give me something, it was a quick and indefensible deresolution. Why the sudden spark of interest?" Her eyes meet his in genuine confusion.
He stops in his tracks. "Because, my dear, except for that one fatal flaw, you are still an intriguing specimen."
"What flaw? Free will is a flaw?" She eyes him suspiciously.
"It is the source of all the problems in the system. Revolution. Inefficiency. Every road leads only to the programs' own deresolution, which is completely unnecessary. I only demand obedience from the ones who follow me. If your will is my will, it all clicks together. It works perfectly. Think about the options. You could be my first… Black knight. You must admit it does have a nice ring to it." He stops in front of her with a playful grin, expecting an honest consideration of the matter. The woman can tell he is not used to being rejected. She doesn't care.
"You have no right to demand anything from me! A true leader is chosen by his followers! There is no value to the position if you earned it by reshaping them to your liking!"
"How dare you raise your voice at me! I built this place. I've polished it. You speak of humility, but have none for me at all," he shouts out angrily, slamming her against the wall. That's when she realizes she's crossed the line. A small candlelight suddenly reaches high into the air, engulfing unsuspecting sparks of desire and fondness, even.
She winces and her breathing quickens, trying to catch up to the rapidly increasing pace of her heartbeat. She convinces it to remain quiet, at least. "You never created me." Her voice softens into a whisper. "As long as I'm free, I will not be subject to anyone the likes of you," she hisses through gritted teeth.
He is back - Silence, Trouble's herald – more frightening than ever. He seeks to destroy the one who fights the night; with honor and grace, no doubt, but lacking hope nonetheless.
He watches and analyzes. Would you like a cup of tea, sir? Of course you would. Black, green? Black it is! Everyone's favorite these days. Sugar? No? Please, have a seat. We're honored that you've decided to stop by…
After a couple of excrutiatingly slow seconds, he gets up, takes a bow politely, and leaves, his face never to be seen underneath the cape everyone recognizes.
"Enjoy your freedom while you can."
He grabs her by the throat. Panic overcomes every fiber of her being as she feels her feet are no longer touching the ground. She tries to gasp instinctively, but can barely breathe. She tries to stop the burning tears threatening to escape, because she knows that this happening to her is her fault and her own fault only. She shouldn't have said those things to him; she shouldn't have, but her heart didn't allow her to keep her damn mouth shut. Was she hoping to change him, to open his eyes? Maybe. She had never understood the definition of naivety and thought it peculiar that Flynn had used it as one of the ISOs primary qualities in his description. It is now that she learns that is the truest thing to be said about her kind. She manages to cough and pull a humorless smile, waving a white flag at the world.
"Rinzler!" Clu shouts, never taking his eyes off the defenseless program.
The guard storms in, disc ready in his hands. He tilts his head toward Quorra, then his master, without saying a word, as always.
"Hold her," Clu commands and watches as his loyalest companion seizes the rebel, gripping her arms, turning her around to face him. There is no compassion or the slightest hint of resistance in the deep, dark, motionless blackness.
She looks up at Rinzler with pleading eyes. "I don't believe you chose this. You can crush the leash! Help me! Remember who you were!" Her lips quiver as she anxiously awaits some sort of answer. A sign.
The only sign she gets is the orange glow emitted from her circuits. Her code is being rewritten. Orders changed; no, given. She desperately tries to break free from Rinzler's grasp, to kick, to punch, to bite, like a startled animal in a hunter's trap – trying every last resort, out of which none help. She cries. "Please, don't— SAM!"
An ear-piercing scream cuts through the air.
He said I hadn't wanted to be stuck in this place forever. I knew he was right, but I was gullible in believing he would let me join him. Either way, he helped me – I'm not imprisoned here anymore.
I have been thrown into an entirely different prison cell.
Author's Note: Many thanks to the internet for being awesome and providing me with a definition of "fear" so that I didn't have to make up a ridiculously inaccurate one. I love putting random word definitions in fanfics, though you can't see most of that.
I also have to say I'm quite proud of the dialogue in this chapter. Vocab practice, vocab practice...