AN: It took me ages to get this chapter typed! Part of that was because I've been so busy watching other shows XD Yeah, not a very good excuse. But I managed to rewatch Reward, so hopefully there aren't too many mistakes. Let me know if there are any though! And thanks for your patience!

Chapter Eighteen

A cycle had passed since Beck destroyed the weapon's upgrade. Mira had returned to the safehouse with little hopes of ever recovering the disk. She was partially thankful that it had been destroyed, but mostly because of the way it had changed Beck. Tron was right to say that the upgrade was like a poison.

Now the three of them were standing over the edge of the coliseum. Apparently Tessler had gathered every program in Argon for a meeting of the century. Mira had a feeling that nothing good would come of the news he had to share with the programs.

"Citizens of Argon, I would like to see this city prosper as much as you would," Tessler began. "But we can't do that when there are renegades running about. Even though it is your duty as a citizen to turn in any information on these renegades is reward enough, I am a generous program."

Mira scoffed when Tessler claimed himself as a 'generous' program. The only time he had been helpful was when he released the two programs he hated the most from the games. And that was only because Paige had convinced him to let them go.

"As a reward for your cooperation, I am going to give the program who turns in the renegades this roadster, the only vehicle to outrun a lightjet." Mira's eyes widened when a vehicle was revealed - she had heard about these before. They were faster than a light jet, and very rare. "And on top of this reward I am abolishing the curfew until further notice. Congratulations programs, and happy hunting."

By now the crowd was cheering Tessler on. Mira clenched her fists as she realized that it would be more difficult than ever to get around in a disguise. Programs would be searching for any suspicious renegades just to get a shot at the roadster.

"Wow, and than that happened," Beck muttered.

"Nothing changed," Tron told him. "If anything we press harder."

"I'm sorry, but did you not just see what happened? Every program will be looking for me." Mira rolled her eyes as they began to argue.

She was usually the one who argued and tried to prove her point. Beck had beaten her to it by glaring at Tron.

"It was a desperate move on Tessler's part, we can use it against him."

"No, I say we lay low until this is forgotten." Beck stared Tron down until he gave in with a frustrated sigh.

"Alright. Part of leading a revolution is knowing when to proceed and wait. I'll let you take the lead this time."

"Finally." Beck grinned triumphantly before receiving a punch in the arm from Mira.

She gave him a cold look and folded her arms. "So since there's no curfew does that mean I can finally go out?" she demanded as the crowds began to disperse.

Tron was about to reply when Beck stepped up. "It would be good for her to get out every now and than," he said. "You know she's only going to go stir-crazy."

Mira couldn't help but smile. Finally someone was on her side for a change! It helped that Beck understood what it was like to be trapped for too long.

"Only if you wear a disguise," Tron finally told them.

"Y-you're serious?" Mira gave an excited jump when she realized that Tron was serious. "So where do we get to go first?"

"I suppose we can get back to the garage," Beck replied with a smirk.

Mira had already decided that the garage would be the first place to visit. She wanted to see Mara and Zed again, despite the events that had just taken place. With no curfew to keep her away, she could spend as much time out as she wanted.

As usual she followed Beck on her light cycle. This time though she was faster, thanks to the extra speed Zed had built into her cycle. Beck's eyes widened in surprise when she zoomed past, swerving between vehicles and trucks. It didn't take him long to reach her though as she had slowed down.

"Thanks," she said after they rode on in an awkward silence.

"What for?" He already knew the reason, and it was enough to make her roll her eyes. "No problem. You looked like you were getting stir crazy."

"Guess being stuck with captain buzz kill can do that to ya," she replied with a smile.

Beck laughed at her joke and sped forward. Mira was about to when the garage loomed ahead. As they headed further into the city she could see programs getting tossed out of their homes. Guards were searching the buildings and taking programs hostage, while accusing them of being the renegade.

"So what should I say to Able if he sees me?" she suddenly asked when they reached the garage.

She had almost forgotten that it was Able who had offered her a home first. Able had seen right through her defensive posture the moment she walked into the garage. He would know who she was even with a disguise. And she had a feeling that he wouldn't be happy when they met again.

"I didn't think about that," Beck sighed after realizing what she meant.

They didn't have time to think about it. Mira's eyes narrowed when they walked inside. Guards were posted near the entrance, holding their staffs, ready to strike.

Mira tried her best not to glare at the guards. She had wondered why Tessler would post guards at the garage, but than guessed that it was because the renegade had been spotted most of the time there. It didn't help that one of the guards had questioned why they were at the garage in the first place.

"Beck, it's about time you showed up!" Zed and Mara had appeared right on cue after Beck managed to explain why he had been out. "And I see you've brought a friend." Zed smirked when he spotted Mira standing beside Beck.

"Erm, right... just friends," Beck stuttered.

"Hey guys, long time no see," Mira said with a grin. Mara was the first to reach out for her, like she had a cycle before. This time Mira shook her hand in greeting, remembering the embarrassment she had felt when Mara pulled it away the last time.

"You know them?" Beck looked at Mira in surprise.

"Yeah, I asked them for help on my light cycle," Mira replied. "Thanks by the way, it works like a charm," she added to Mara and Zed.

Zed shuffled his hair in embarrassment before Mara nudged him with her elbow.

"So now that we're free why don't we hang out? We can get to know each other that way," she said after an awkward silence followed.

"Sounds like fun," Beck muttered with a roll of his eyes.

Mira gave his arm a punch in response before they all ran out of the garage. Finally she could have some free time, and maybe even make some new friends. Zed and Mara were interesting programs, especially when she had noticed how much Zed liked Mara.

It didn't take them long to reach the roof of the garage, where the sign Argon glowed bright orange. From this height Mira could see that more programs were being torn from their homes. Guards continued accusing them of playing the renegade, while the real renegade, or renegades, were lounging out at the top of the garage.

"Hard to believe the curfew was finally lifted." Mara broke the uneasy silence as Mira continued watching the programs down below. By now her fists had clenched and she longed to stop the guards from capturing more innocent programs.

"What's the point of the curfew?" Mira suddenly asked. "It's not going to do programs any good as long as the guards are still out to get them."

"Wouldn't be this way if it wasn't for the renegades," Zed scoffed. "Unless you're the renegade." Mira stiffened when he looked at Beck, but she knew that he was joking.

"All right, you got me," Beck laughed.

"Come on Zed, why can't we just have some fun tonight, instead of arguing about the renegade?" Mara demanded.

"You're joking, right?" Zed glanced at Mira nervously, but she just shrugged in response.

"Mara's right, we have the night off, why don't we enjoy it?" Beck suggested after pushing Zed away. He glanced at Mira as if daring her to say anything rude.

Don't look at me, she thought with a smirk. They're your friends.

"Let's just head to the club, we can chat there," Mara finally said after shaking her head in annoyance.

This time Mira didn't complain. She had only been to the club in Argon once or twice. The last club she had been to ended miserably, as that was when Beck had lost his disk. Fortunately they weren't looking for stolen identity disks.

. . .

It didn't take them long to reach the club. Mira had to remind herself of the landmarks in order to find it the next time she was allowed out. She had a feeling that after this it would be a while before she was allowed outside the safehouse.

Already she could hear music blasting outside before Mara opened the door. According to Zed this was where they spent most of their time off. It was a good place to find energy when it was available, and a good place to just relax.

Her eyes widened in disbelief however when she saw guards standing around all over the room. She followed Beck as he pushed his way through the crowd, while Mara and Zed were close behind.

"This isn't happening," Beck said when they managed to get out of the crowd. "This used to be our place."

"Watch it!" Mira glared when she bumped into one of the guards. He turned and glared back, staff in hands and raised.

"Mira don't." Beck grabbed her wrist before she could swing it.

"Keep an eye on your friend," the guard ordered when she managed to calm herself.

"So much for old times," Mara sighed. "I'm going home."

"Wait-" Beck was cut off by Zed's frustrated sigh.

"Mara's right, there's no point in staying," he said.

They were about to turn and leave when several guards and one of Tessler's commander stormed into the club. Mira moved to the side and narrowed her eyes when she recognized Pavel. The one program that she hated more than Clu just had to arrive at that moment.

The guards had surrounded Hopper, one of the programs that had run out of the garage when Beck was using the weapon upgrade. Pavel slammed the program's face into the table and grabbed his disk.

"By the name of Clu, you are under arrest for being the renegade!" Pavel shouted.

"I knew it, that roadster could've been mine!" Bartick cried just as programs gasped in disbelief.

One of the programs standing next to the guards looked at Pavel uncomfortably as he led a struggling Hopper out of the club. Mira's eyes widened when she realized that he was using false information. An awkward silence filled the club just as Pavel and the guards had left.

"Why would Link accuse Hopper of being the renegade?" Beck asked in a whisper.

"It's sick. All this reward has done is turn programs against each other," Mara added as the music began to play once more.

"Sure Hopper's a pain, but he's not the renegade," Zed put in.

"We need to find out the truth," Beck said when he looked at Mara and Zed. Mira stepped in beside him as she began to think of why Link would have done such a thing. She already had a feeling that he wanted the roadster more than anything else. Pavel must have had something to do with what had happened. "I'm going to talk with Link and find out what happened," Beck suddenly told them.

"Right, we'll go with you," Mara said.

"No, you need to talk with Bartick, find out what he thinks about all of this," Beck replied. "He can't really believe his best friend's the renegade."

Mira quickly turned and began to run just as Mara tried to say something in response. Beck wasted no time in following her as she rezzed her light cycle.

"Where do you suppose Link would go?" she asked as they surged through the streets.

"He would have collected the reward by now," Beck replied. By now he had replaced his suit with the Tron suit, easily adapting Tron's persona. Mira followed his lead and replaced her own suit, taking on the identity as her own renegade.

Beck was right as usual when they reached the coliseum. Sure enough the roadster loomed ahead.

"I'm going in," Beck shouted above the roar of the engine.

Mira was about to say something in response when he turned his light cycle back into a baton. Her eyes widened when he managed to slip into the roadster undetected. She forced back a grin when she realized that this Link program wasn't as intelligent as she originally thought.

She followed them closely as the roadster swerved near a corner. Programs were congratulating Link on his capture of the renegade as he road past. Mira tried not to meet their gazes as she crept forward. They would know something was up if she moved just a little faster.

All of a sudden when they reached a tunnel she heard a shout of surprise. Mira would have laughed if there weren't guards standing around. Beck certainly acted like Tron, scaring the circuits off of programs. But it was necessary for him to stop Link and ask what had really happened.

The roadster came to a halt near the middle of the tunnel. Mira was surprised to see that the street was empty. In the distance she could hear the roar of a crowd, and guessed that they were gathering for the execution. Her fists clenched once more as she thought of how much time they were wasting. Time that was needed to save an innocent program.

"Wait, there are two of you?" Link asked when he emerged from the roadster. Beck leaned against the roadster while Link watched Mira get off her light cycle.

"Na, this one's Tron," Mira replied while fighting the urge to laugh. She loved the look of confusion and fear Link gave her. Beck glanced at her before looking back at Link, who by now recovered from the shock and glared.

"Right, you need to explain to us what happened, and who accused Hopper of being the renegade," Beck ordered after clearing his throat.

Frightened of being attacked by two renegades, Link went on explaining how Pavel had found him admiring the roadster. Mira scoffed in annoyance when she realized that Pavel had just taken advantage of Link's weak mind. The commander wanted Tessler to look bad in front of Clu. She knew that from the moment Pavel took the weapon upgrade he was hungry for power. Eventually Link finished the story of how Pavel had promised the roadster if he was the one who accused Hopper and proved the program was the renegade.

"So what now?" Link sighed in relief as if the rush of guilt had rubbed off.

"You tell them the truth," Mira replied.

"You announce to Tessler that Hopper isn't the renegade, and I come in and clomp you over the head, revealing myself as the real renegade, erm, Tron," Beck explained.

"Can you... go over that again?" Beck sighed in frustration while Mira just kicked at the street with her foot. Link was beginning to annoy her more than Pavel and Clu.

"You heard what he said, why can't you just get it straight?" she demanded.

"I'm just having trouble with the clomping over the head part," Link laughed.

Mira was about to shout at him when Tessler's voice boomed in the distance.

"Programs of Argon, your nightmare is over! The renegade has been captured, along with the renegade conspirators!"

"Oh no, they've already started!" Beck sounded panicked as he looked over the rails. "Mara, Zed!" Mira gaped in shock when she saw Mara and Zed's image plastered across the screens that surrounded Argon Square.

"We need to get them free!" she shouted while getting into the roadster. Beck quickly followed after realizing that she was right.

"Wait, don't forget to use the blinkers!" She heard Link shouting as Beck drove the roadster forward.

"So now we're thieves," she stated when they were far enough away.

"Don't start," Beck muttered. "Should've known Link wasn't capable of pulling off a stunt like this," he added when they reached a traffic jam. "We don't have time for this!"

He pulled the roadster back and swerved towards another street. Mira's heart raced with excitement as he swerved through the traffic.

"We should do this more often," she gasped when the roadster began rolling down stairs.

"Right, that's going to happen," Beck scoffed. But she knew that he felt the same way. This was just the kind of excitement they both needed. It was enough to make Mira want to punch the teeth out of Pavel for starting this problem in the first place.

Soon Mira could hear the shouts of programs as they demanded for the renegade's deresolution. She leaned forward as lights flooded through the tunnel's entrance.

"Here we go," Beck warned her as he sped forward.

Mira didn't have time to respond as he jumped into the air with the roadster. She stared at Mara and Zed in horror when she realized that they were attached to a platform. Bound by strings that were being pulled by light cycles, it was a cruel way to go. And the crowd was enjoying the torture.

Beck suddenly threw his disk at one of the ropes, and Mira threw hers at another. The ropes snapped in half, freeing Zed and Hopper. Zed dove for Mara before the light cycles could pull her apart.

"It's the renegades!" Mara cheered when Zed cut the rope bound to her wrist.

"Mara, just before they came you were saying-" Zed was cut off by a blast coming from where Tessler and his commanders were watching.

Mira staggered at the explosive sound before jumping into the roadster as it began sliding down. Beck and Hopper jumped in after her, followed by Mara and Zed.

"Oh, this is incredible!" Mara gasped when Beck avoided another blast from Pavel's canon. Mira tried not to laugh as the seat in the back of the roadster got crowded. Zed and Hopper were sitting beside her while Mara sat beside Beck, unaware of who he really was.

"The renegade saved me!" Hopper shouted when they were out of the canon's range. "Wait, the renegade... pull over!" He swung his disk against Mira' neck just as Beck pulled to a stop.

"Zed?" Mara glanced over at Zed, who punched Hopper out of the roadster.

"Like I said, they just don't agree with me," he said when Hopper was tossed out.

"This is amazing!" Mara shouted with pure glee as they moved forward. "Thank you, for everything."

"Yeah, even though this was kind of your fault." Zed grinned at Mira while she just rolled her eyes and looked away.

"Zed-" Mara was cut off by Zed's sigh of frustration.

"I'm just saying, we wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for the renegades."

"We're riding in a stolen roadster with the renegade and Tron. When have we ever had this much fun?"

Mira was beginning to drone out their argument. She knew that Mara was trying to hide her feelings for Zed, while he made it a bit too obvious. Mara had feelings for the renegade, or Tron as she now called him too however.

"Yeah, I guess this is fun. I just wish Beck were here."

An awkward silence suddenly surrounded them as Beck sped forward. For once in her life Mira was thankful that she didn't have many friends. Now she understood how Beck had felt when he wanted to tell them the truth. It must have been hard lying to them all of the time.

"This is where we part ways," Beck suddenly told them. He pulled on the break, and the roadster suddenly split apart into a light cycle. Mara drove one cycle while Beck drove the other. "Remember, Tron lives."

Before Mara could thank him he sped forward. Mira knew that he was returning to the safehouse.

"You have good friends," she said after they had reached the Outlands.

"Thanks, you should've told me you already met them," Beck said accusingly.

"You were too busy taking on Tessler's ship." She laughed at her own joke, but she knew that it was time to get serious when they crossed the bridge. Mara and Zed would be asking where she was when Tron forced her to stay behind. Now Beck was going to have to come up with some crazy story about where she lived and what she was programmed for.

The safehouse soon loomed in view. Mira was thankful that Tron had trusted her enough to go out. Now that she knew where to go in the city, maybe he would let her out more often.

"What happened to taking time off?" Tron asked when they reached his room.

"Doesn't happen so easily when you're the renegade," Mira replied with a shrug.

"There will be other times," Tron told them as Beck looked out the window. "For now, we need to continue with your training."

End Of Line.