AN: This chapter is shorter than I expected, and I had to rewatch We Both Know How This Ends, but I think this is good enough. Thanks everyone for your reviews, they're greatly appreciated!

Chapter Twenty Two

Mira rubbed her arm where the cut had opened a wound a few cycles ago. She was pleased to find out that it had healed quickly. A fresh scab was beginning to take over where the wound had been, leaving Mira a painful reminder of her fight with Tesler.

Once Tron had observed the wound he seemed pleased to find out that it was healing quickly.

Now Mira was standing beside Beck as Tron handed him a device. It reminded Mira of the tool that Bodhi had given Beck cycles ago.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Beck asked after Tron turned around.

"It's a device that manipulates the codes of vehicles," Tron explained. Mira raised an eyebrow when he mentioned manipulating codes. "I want you to put that code into one of Tesler's tanks. Once one tank gets infected the rest will go with it."

Um, isn't Beck a mechanic? Mira wondered as she eyed the device. Wouldn't Tesler just send the tanks to the garage to get fixed?

"So am I allowed to go with Beck?" she asked out loud.

"As long as you stay with him, and don't get caught." Tron's response made Mira blink in surprise.

It was about time he let her leave more often. Now she had a better chance of making a name for herself in the city, and on the Grid itself.

Mira nodded in agreement before changing her disguise. Beck smirked before changing back to his renegade disguise as well. Once they were ready they ran out of the safehouse and towards the edge of the city.

Excitement coursed through Mira as she followed Beck on her light cycle. She was more surprised to see a storm brewing in the distance when they reached the edge of the city.

Weather was something that never crossed Mira's mind while she was on the Grid. She often forgot how quickly it could change. One nano it could be raining, and the next, perfectly normal. And there were times when lightning storms would gather near the Outlands, causing energy pools to build.

Beck was quick to get through the ship. Mira followed him quickly as he made his way to the room where the tanks were kept. Guards were wandering around the ship, but none of them seemed to notice the renegade programs.

"I sure hope this works," Beck muttered when he jumped into the tank.

Mira stood near the entrance as she waited for him. She knew the guards were going to know there were intruders on the ship. Any nano they would be spotted and caught.

As if her thoughts had driven them to that spot, guards began appearing near the edge of the tank. Mira grabbed her disk and was about to throw it when Beck jumped out of the tank.

"This isn't my tank, sorry for the mix up." Mira rolled her eyes when Beck tried to remain calm as the soldiers began moving closer. She stood behind Beck, their backs together as one of the soldiers reached for their disk. "Now come on, we don't have to fight, we were just leaving" Beck tried to convince them.

"You wouldn't leave without saying goodbye, now would you?" Mira froze when she heard Pavel's voice. Behind the crowd of guards was the commander. He was smirking with disgust when he glared at the renegade programs.

"So much for a quiet exit," Mira muttered.

"How about a quiet death instead?" Pavel asked with a smirk.

The soldiers suddenly got into the tanks and aimed their canons at the intruders. Mira rezzed her light cycle, and before Beck could argue she whirled around, away from Pavel and the tanks. She didn't need to look back to see Beck following. Each twist and turn nearly resulted in a crash, but Mira managed to keep up as she avoided the tanks that were closing in on them.

Beck suddenly pulled on the breaks of his light cycle when the tanks had them cornered.

"Fire," Pavel ordered.

Mira braced herself for the pain that would follow. An explosion from a tank would lead to immediate deresolution. Pavel would ensure the renegades' end, even if it meant blowing up Tesler's ship in the process.

But to her surprise the tank's canon suddenly became a jumbled mess of code. Pavel's grin faded when he realized that the device Tron had given Beck began to work.

"Huh, what do you know?" She could hear the smirk in Beck's voice as he whirled around towards the ship's entrance. Mira followed him, eager to get away before the soldiers and Pavel recovered. "I think we're finally getting the hang of this," he added when they were far enough away.

"So I wonder what we'll do for the rest of the cycle," Mira said when they reached the garage. Able would likely be looking for Beck after their last discussion.

Mira felt a shiver run down her back when she remembered what had happened. Beck had offered her a chance to fight Tesler alone. Apparently he had wandered away from the garage while Link was 'keeping' an eye on him. That was why Able had been so angry. He'd assumed that Beck was the one fighting Tesler. Of course she had been furious when she discovered that Beck was gone. After all he could have helped in the fight, but of course that didn't happen.

"I've gotta get back to work," Beck said after changing back to his normal suit. "You should go back too." Mira was about to argue when she realized that Beck was right.

I can tell Tron that our mission was successful, she decided after watching Beck leave.

She sighed in frustration as she followed the path that led to the safehouse. There were no programs out, much to her surprise. A few were headed to different cities or jobs when she passed Argon Square. But aside from that it was relatively quiet.

She preferred it that way. It gave her time to think of what could be done in the following cycle. Or maybe get some training. Or avoid Tron all together. One of those ideas she would eventually choose. But for now she needed to get back before the curfew ended.

Mira wasn't surprised to see Tron looking at the screen that overlooked the Outlands. Images sifted as he continued checking on the cities around the Grid.

"The mission was a success," she announced when Tron made no sign of noticing her arrival.

"Good, it should buy us some time with Able," he suddenly replied without turning around. Mira raised an eyebrow in surprise when she saw a light blinking on and off at the corner of the screen.

"Wait, you want me to go with you?" she asked warily. Now she knew that Tron and Able had some kind of past alliance. What that past was she didn't know yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time before she found out.

"Able knows that you are staying with me," Tron explained after the screen went blank. He finally turned to face her, but Mira avoided his gaze. "He wants to know that you're safe."

That would explain it, she thought with a roll of her eyes. She didn't expect programs to have any concerns or sympathy over her. It just didn't seem possible that they would care. But now there were three programs that had changed her outlook on the Grid.

"When are we leaving?" she asked after an uncomfortable silence fell between them.

"Right now." Tron changed his suit to an all black suit with white patches. "Able's chosen a... rather dangerous spot for us to meet. So you'll need to be prepared for anything."

Mira was about to ask where when Tron began heading towards the garage. She sighed in before following him. Obviously questions weren't going to be answered until they reached their destination.

Snow swirled around when the garage's door opened. Mira's eyes widened when she realized that the storm was headed straight for the Outlands. Dark clouds had gathered around the upper regions of the Grid. Tron seemed oblivious to the cold though as he rezzed an older light cycle, one that was more suited for off road cycling. Mira reached for the baton he had given her and rezzed it as well.

The two of them sped across the Outlands, avoiding the highway the marked half of the Grid. Mira had learned that it was what kept the cities connected. There were a few cities that were only accessible through a ship or boat. She had never seen those cities before though, and she doubted she ever would.

"Careful, there could be gridbugs out here," Tron suddenly warned her.

Mira nodded to show that she had heard. She'd seen gridbugs before. They were nasty little creatures that could cause damage to the code of a light cycle or a program in general. If they got out of hand they could destroy in entire city, and were known for causing chaos where they went. Fortunately they hid in garbage heaps or at the darkest edge of a city, where they could cause little harm.

Relief washed over Mira when she noticed that they had arrived at the spot without getting ambushed. Tron turned his light cycle back into a baton and looked across the barren landscape. Snow was whipping past them as a fierce wind picked up. Mira's eyes widened in surprise when she noticed a beacon shining in the distance.

She turned her own light cycle back into a baton and followed Tron as he led the way. He was careful not to make any noise, but the howling wind managed to snuff out the noise anyways. Mira stepped onto the snow as lightly as she could. She was amazed at how stealthy Tron could be.

What lay before them was a strange looking tent that flapped in the wind. Mira had to blink several times as the cover of snow surrounded her. Able was leaning against a strange device as he observed the beacon carefully. Tron remained silent as ever as he waited for Able to finish his work.

Able suddenly looked up when Mira leaned against the snow. She held her breath while Tron gave her a look that said 'just keep quiet'. Able reached for his disk and whirled around to face an invisible opponent. Mira forced back a giggle when she saw his expression change to relief. Tron had wandered around until he was behind Able, and Mira smirked when Able turned, only to gasp in shock when he realized he wasn't alone.

"Hello Able," Tron said in a casual voice. Tron unveiled his mask and stared at Able calmly as the old program glanced over his shoulder.

"You brought a friend," Able managed to say after recovering from the shock. "I'm glad to see you're safe," he added when they entered the tent. It wasn't much, but it kept out of the buffeting wind and snow. Mira unveiled her mask and looked at the ground when Able raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Here, for your healing chamber. It should buy you some time." Able tossed Tron a strange object that contained energy.

"Tell me why you really called me here," Tron suddenly snapped. Mira leaned against the tent as she listened to them talk like they were old friends.

"I want you to stop," Able replied. "I know what he's up to, and I want it to stop. What's your grand scheme, if there is any?"

"Beck needs to know what he's fighting for."

"If you don't stop than I can't help you any longer." Able's threat made Mira shift uncomfortably. "We both know how this ends."

"The future of the Grid is my concern." Tron sounded more annoyed than angry as he avoided Able's gaze, just like Mira had avoided his. She smirked a little when she realized that was one thing she had in common. Tron didn't want to admit that he was putting Beck's life in danger, or hers.

"Beck's safety is my concern, and believe it or not, a User is also my concern," Able pointed out. Mira eyed him curiously when he glared at Tron. "I can't keep helping you like this, not if you continue training Beck."

"You can't, or you won't?"

"I won't watch Beck become another one of your mistakes." This time Tron flinched, and Mira raised an eyebrow as one of the tent's edges came out. What did Able mean by mistakes?

"I don't have another choice." Mira was about to cut in when she saw something at the edge of her sight.

Able saw it too and reached for his disk, and by instinct Tron reached for his.

"Not you dummy, them!" Able pointed to the gridbugs that were pouring into the tent. Mira's eyes widened in panic when Tron knocked a few aside, but there were too many coming it at once.

"There's too many of them!" she exclaimed.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Tron asked when he stood back-to-back with Able. Mira glanced at them warily when Tron grabbed his baton. She reached for hers when Able held up a bomb.

"Let's just get this over with," Able grumbled after activating it.

Mira rezzed her light cycle just as Tron rezzed his. Before the bomb went off they sped out of the tent, leaving behind the gridbugs. Relief washed over Mira when they were far enough away.

"Next time we meet, I choose the location," Tron snapped.

Able rolled his eyes when they managed to out speed the storm. By now the winds had died down when they reached the edge of the city. Tron turned his light cycle back into a baton as Able got off and glared.

"Look, I know it's difficult to accept, but Beck makes a good renegade when you think about it," Mira managed to say after an icy silence fell between them.

The older program eyed her thoughtfully for a few nanocycles. Mira shifted in her light cycle uncomfortably as she held his gaze.

"You know, I think you've changed since the day we first met," he suddenly said. "Alright, I can see that arguing isn't going to get us anywhere, and I know Beck is just going to go behind my back. If you promise to keep them both safe, than I will continue supporting your cause."

Tron stared at Able in surprise before accepting his proposal. Mira let out a sigh of relief that she didn't realize she was holding. Any tension between the two seemed to fade once she intervened, and that made things easier on everyone.

And what Able said made sense. He was like a guardian to Beck and his friends. All he wanted was to keep them safe from the Occupation and from getting derezzed. Even if that meant putting his own life at risk.

AN: So what did you think? I know a lot was left out, but more will be explained later on. Oh, and I came up with an idea for the sequel. I've already got the title picked out, and it will be called Rogue for numerous reasons. Anyways don't forget to leave a review, and tell me what you thought of this chapter :)