AN: So I might borrow 2theSky's idea of an animal living on the Grid. Hey, Users can live on the Grid, so why can't animals? Well, it won't be an animal, but it will be a set of codes that have the appearance of an animal :D I'll get into this when Rogue comes out. Anyways thanks to everyone for your awesome reviews, they mean the world to me!

Chapter Twenty Three

Tron was sifting through the images on the panel when Mira walked down the stairs. She was surprised that Beck had yet to arrive.

Then she frowned as she remembered their meeting with Able the other cycle. He didn't want anything to do with Beck's training or what ever plans Tron had. If anything Able had the power to keep Beck locked up at his garage. Beck was smarter than that though. Mira knew that he could easily get away from the garage if he was careful enough.

"So what's that for?" she asked as she saw an alarming amount of images on the screen. A few of them were images of a large structure that was clouded by pixels.

"Someone is hiding something," he explained without looking at her.

Mira's eyes widened when she saw a few programs gathered around the strange structure. Many of them were mechanics or medics. A few were scientists that looked like they had seen better days. Mira wondered what sort of job could lead to such a depressive state.

"I'm guessing that we're going to take a look at it," she said after folding her arms.

"Beck's late," Tron muttered.

She rolled her eyes and was once again reminded of how frustrated Tron could become. As a security program he needed to know exactly what was going on in the Grid. The fact that someone had been able to override his protocols meant the program causing the problem was very smart.

"We're going out." His sudden words caught Mira off guard. She simply shrugged in response and followed him as the panel went dark.

Someone's in a hurry, she thought as Tron led the way to Argon City. She already knew where he was headed and didn't bother asking. Tron was already on edge. If she played the cards right, she would find out soon enough what was really going on.

Able's garage loomed into view after a few nanocycles passed. Mira was surprised by the lack of guards or soldiers posted around the city's edge. She guessed that they were further in the city making sure programs weren't breaking curfew.

She wasn't surprised that Tron kept his disguise on when they reached the garage. Guards and other programs were intimidated by his appearance. She had noticed that they kept a wide distance when he wandered into the garage.

Mira spotted Able talking with Link, the program that had turned in Hopper as a false renegade. She grinned a little when he flinched after Able asked him something. Tron had already gone ahead into Able's office. She rolled her eyes and remembered just how well he could sneak up on an opponent. Beck had learned a bit of that stealth, but Tron was the best.

She followed him before Able had a chance to notice her arrival. The door swung open just as she stood nearby.

Able barely took two steps when he realized that he wasn't alone. He let out a gasp of shock when Tron's mask receded.

"Tron, shouldn't you be in that healing chamber of yours?" Able demanded. He glanced at Mira, who simply shrugged in response.

"I'm looking for Beck."

"He's not here right now." Mira sighed as she leaned against the desk. It sounded like this was going to be a fun conversation. "But I'll tell him you're looking for him."

"There's something going on in Purgos that's encrypted, and I want Beck to investigate with Mira," Tron explained as he reached for his disk. Mira raised an eyebrow in surprise when he included her.

"You just won't leave this alone, can you?" Able demanded. "Who's that?" Able's eyes widened when an image of Dyson showed up on Tron's disk.

"Dyson? He's a soldier you better hope you never have to meet," Tron replied. "Just make sure the message gets passed on."

Mira sighed in frustration as she thought of how much trouble Dyson had caused during the previous cycles. Because of Dyson Tron was heavily scarred, and couldn't fight back. And because of Dyson, Clu had been successful in taking over the Grid.

"Wait, you're not setting them up against this Dyson character are you?" Able sounded more concerned than anything else.

"This doesn't concern you," Tron muttered.

"Beck's safety is my concern, and so is Mira's." Able folded his arms and glared at Tron. "So I'll go instead."

"You can't be serious?" Mira asked warily. She wondered just how skilled Able was at defending himself. But as Able turned to look at her, she saw determination in his eyes. The same determination she often saw in Beck's eyes.

"You're running out of time," Able said.

"I'm running out of patience," Tron grumbled.

Mira restrained the urge to laugh when Tron said that. His mask returned as he walked out of the garage, with Able following him. Mira followed them soon after thinking of what Able could possibly do on a mission. True he was a mechanic, and a good enough one to run a garage. But she didn't know much else about him.

"So what am I supposed to do?" she asked when they made their way back to the safehouse.

She half expected Tron to just say keep out of the way. After all she was likely to get hurt or captured during such a mission. At least that was how Able saw thing. She couldn't blame him for worrying, but she had survived this long for a reason.

"You'll be staying with me until the timing is right," Tron snapped. "Able's right, you can't do this without Beck. Dyson is too dangerous for one User to take on."

Mira rolled her eyes when he held an edge to the word User. She didn't bother arguing that she could handle a low-life like Dyson. But it was better not to argue, not when there was so much at stake.

It didn't take Able long to reach the Outlands. Tron refused to let him near the safehouse, and Mira couldn't blame him for his wariness. Even if he could trust Able, a program might catch him and see his Identity Disk. Able folded his arms when he saw that Tron was waiting for him on the track he used for light cycle training.

"So I'm going in disguise to find out what's going on," Able said as they went over the plans. "Once I find out what Dyson's up to, than what?"

"If my hunch is right, we'll be seeing you within a few nanocycles," Tron replied.

Able nodded and looked down at the map Tron had given him. Mira raised an eyebrow as she studied the blinking light. She hoped that Dyson wasn't leading them into a trap of some kind. She wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

Dyson would know that we're watching his every move, she thought.

Once Able was gone she was left alone to fiddle around with what ever was available. Tron would leave soon for Purgos, and she wasn't going to let him leave alone. Besides, three was better than one, and Tron couldn't argue against that.

She closed her eyes and thought back to a time when she was once in the User world. Again memories of her parents were vague, but she did remember one thing that had slipped her mind. Images of a furry creature could be made out as she tried to remember why it was so important.

Mira was shaken from her thoughts when Tron tapped her shoulder. The mask covered his face once more as he rezzed his light cycle. Mira sighed in annoyance as she followed suit. Just when she was beginning to remember something from her past as a User, it was forgotten.

Tron wasted no time in reaching Purgos, avoiding shops and streets that were likely guarded by gangs. A shudder ran down Mira's spine as she remembered the last gang she had encountered. That fight had ended very badly, and she didn't think she or Beck would have made it if Lux hadn't stopped them. Ironically enough Lux had been part of that gang, but she had changed at the last nano.

It didn't take them long to reach the spot where Able was working. Mira wasn't surprised to see soldiers and guards wandering around the streets. They were keeping an eye on the entrance, and trucks sped past to get in. Mira's eyes narrowed when she saw programs hiding in the trucks.

"Looks like you were right," she whispered. "So how do we get in there?"

"Easy enough." She could hear the grin in Tron's voice as he reached for a grenade.

Let them all know we're here, she thought with a roll of her eyes. But Tron knew what he was getting himself into.

They managed to slip past the guards and soldiers before they were spotted. Mira wondered just how big the structure they were looking for was. For all she knew it could have been a tiny device like the decoder Tron had given Beck.

Tron placed the grenade on the wall of the building the trucks had stopped in front of. Mira hung back and held her breath as an explosion shook the ground.

She was surprised to see that soldiers had surrounded Able as Dyson stood in front of him, mouth agape with shock. Mira followed Tron as he managed to pass the guards by flipping over them. Mira smirked when her boot kicked one of the guards in the mask.

"What took you so long?" Able demanded as he threw off a soldier.

"Able, behind you!" Mira's eyes widened when a soldier ran towards Able.

The soldiers were closing in on them, and Dyson threw a panicked glance towards Mira and Tron.

"Protect the device!" he shouted before running off.

Mira threw a fist into the chest of one soldier while swinging her leg into another. She grabbed her light sword and slammed it against a soldier that tried grabbing her from behind.

"Do you have any idea what we're even looking for?" Able asked when he stood beside Tron.

"I'll know it when I see it," Tron snapped. By now most of the soldiers were either running or unconscious. "This is usually why I bring Beck."

Before he could say anything else the floor beneath them began to tremble. Mira's eyes widened when a ship suddenly flew into the air.

Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she saw that it was a large recognizer. One of the biggest ships she had ever seen, a new toy for Clu.

"Found it," she said after catching her breath.

"You know what this means?" Able asked. Tron's mask had receded after he gazed at the recognizer that flew away from the building. "I was wrong, as much as I hate to say it, you're gonna need Beck."

"No, I need all of your help," Tron muttered with a shake of his head.

Mira sighed in relief when she realized that it was over. What ever Clu had constructed, she knew it couldn't be any good. Just about everything else he designed wound up leading to someone's doom. What bothered her was that none of the programs in Purgos seemed alarmed by the massive ship that flew past their city.

It didn't take them long to return to Argon after that. Mira was just glad to get away from Purgos. It brought nothing but bad memories for her - memories she'd rather leave behind.

"We'll keep in touch," Tron promised after Able got off his light cycle.

"I'm sure you will," he muttered with a roll of her eyes. "You stay out of trouble," he added to Mira, who laughed in return.

"Like that's gonna happen," she said playfully.

Able smirked before wandering back into the garage. She heard him mutter something like, 'smart alack'.

She couldn't help but smile as she watched him leave. Able was a program who knew how to have a good time. Unlike Tron, he was willing to listen and give her some freedom. No wonder Beck and his friends liked Able so much.

They returned to the safehouse with little to say about their adventure. Mira guessed that Tron was trying to figure out what the new weapon Clu just designed was for. Knowing Tron he would spend the next few cycles trying to figure it out.

So for the next few nanocycles she was left to recollect her memories of the strange furry creature. She leaned against the wall that overlooked the Outlands.

What in the Users name is that thing? she wondered as she remembered pointed ears and long whiskers. She remembered that it had claws at the end of it's feet. And unusually long legs. A cat! That's what it's called, she realized.

She remembered begging her mom and dad to get her a kitten for her birthday. That was the day she had disappeared on the Grid. She wondered if they ever did get one. Or if they had given up searching for her.

Mira blinked in surprise when she saw the door swing open. Beck had returned, but his expression was difficult to read as he walked in.

"Where have you been?" Tron asked as he looked at the screen. The images of the large recognizer had disappeared as soon as the door opened.

"It was my fault, I tried to outrun a storm," Beck replied. "I got a little lost... almost for good." Mira raised an eyebrow when he added the last part.

Beck was hiding something, she could see it now as she stood up straight.

"I'm glad you're back." Mira tilted her head to one side when Beck walked past the screen.

"I always find my way back, I guess that's why you chose me as your successor."

"One of many reasons, yes." Tron sounded more confused than ever as Beck glanced at Mira, who simply shrugged.

What are you getting at? she wondered.

"Right." Her eyes widened when he rubbed his wrist. A code could be made out, one that sent chills down her back.

She had seen that code a few times during her travels. Programs that gained those codes were usually found dead cycles later, or half crazy. Either way the end results would end up getting Beck derezzed if he didn't get the code checked out by a medic.

"Where did that come from?" she demanded in a whisper.

Beck stiffened as if he had forgotten that she was there.

"Later," he muttered in a 'Tron shouldn't hear this' tone.

Mira rolled her eyes and realized that Beck was probably right. What ever had happened to him was something that Tron shouldn't know about. She would find out soon enough what had happened.

AN: Yeah, not much happening here unless you count the MRU Clu designed as important. But yeah, I'm definitely excited about where this is headed... only a few more chapters left before it's finished.