AN: Hooray for long and random chapter! Yep, this doesn't follow any of the episodes. Welcome Home will start next chapter, because this one follows the last chapter. Anyways, thanks to 2theSky and Sunofaia for your reviews! They're always appreciated :)
Chapter Twenty Seven
Once again Mira was in her room fiddling around with the codes she'd gathered. The butterfly she created earlier had lasted longer, and she was beginning to understand how they worked out. Now she was working on a more difficult code, one that could actually last longer. She remembered what a cat looked like and tried to make the code appear more cat-like in shape and size. Her eyes widened in surprise when the code suddenly fixed itself after she moved it to the side.
In nanocycles the faint image of a kitten appeared. Mira laughed when she realized that the kitten had long whiskers, and the lithe shape that she remembered. It had a fine fur coat, but the same circuitry as a program would. When it fully appeared she saw that the kitten was black with white and red circuits. It's eyes were a piercing red when they finally opened.
"What a little cutie!" she whispered as she wriggled her finger in front of it's nose.
It's whiskers twitched before it swatted at her finger with it's paws. She laughed again when it pounced into her arms.
"Who's a cutie?" Mira jumped in surprise when she realized that Beck had been watching. She stood up with the kitten still in her arms. "What is that?" he asked when it let out a purr.
"It's a kitten," she replied sheepishly. "I've been working on the extra codes I find... turns out I can turn them into this little guy."
"And what exactly is a kitten?" Again Beck was confused, but Mira understood why.
Animals weren't exactly something that could be found on the Grid. Unless a User told them what they were, programs weren't going to know.
"It's an animal," she explained. The kitten climbed onto her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek. She tried not to giggle as it's fur brushed against her skin. "They make good companions when you feel alone."
Beck grinned when he brushed a finger across the kitten's head timidly. Mira couldn't help but laugh when it jumped onto his shoulder. She didn't even think of what Tron would say when he saw the kitten, and at the time she didn't care. She was thankful to have a furry companion.
"Have you thought of a name?" Beck asked after it jumped off and landed on the floor.
"I didn't think about that," Mira replied with a shrug. A sudden idea came to her mind. She hated the program, but she couldn't think of a better name. The kitten was licking it's paw when she leaned down to rub the back of it's head. "How about Rinzler?" she suggested with a grin.
"Are you sure about that?" Mira rolled her eyes when she realized that Beck was remembering her last encounter with Rinzler. True it brought back memories that she'd rather forget, but there were times when she needed to face that past. Maybe this was how she could cope with it.
"Yeah, I'm sure," she said calmly. Rinzler purred as if to agree with her. Both she and Beck laughed when it looked at them with bright red eyes. "So why are you here so early?" she asked after Rinzler curled up on her bed.
She was pretty sure that if Tron was watching, he would have said something by now.
"Able gave me two cycles off," Beck explained after looking over his shoulder. "I asked if I could have a vacation."
"He actually gave you time off?" Mira looked at Beck in surprise. Able knew what Beck was up to. She was surprised that Able trusted Beck at all.
"Yeah, so I'm free for a change." Mira suddenly remembered what they had said the previous cycle. Heat rose to her cheeks when she realized what that meant. "So..." Beck broke off when he realized how awkward the moment was getting. "Do you want to do something?"
Mira found it hard to believe that this was the same program that had fought Tesler and Paige several times. She would have laughed if it wasn't for the fact that she didn't know what to say either.
"If we're going out, I'd like to do things my way," she finally said.
"Sounds reasonable enough." Beck smirked when she turned to look at Rinzler.
"I'm not sure what I'm gonna do about him," she sighed as she rubbed Rinzler behind the ear. The kitten was asleep now, curled up on her bed. If Tron had come up at any time she knew that he would have either freaked out or told her to derezz him.
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Beck replied. "Besides, it's not like Tron hasn't dealt with surprises before." He added the last part with a grin, and Mira knew that he was referring to her.
She rolled her eyes and stood up. She looked down at Rinzler once more before following Beck down the stairs. Hopefully Tron wouldn't decide to come up, or Rinzler wouldn't wake while they were gone. Otherwise there were going to be questions that Mira wouldn't know how to answer.
Mira blinked in surprise when she saw Tron had just stepped out of the healing chamber. His eyes were narrowed when he saw Beck standing beside her.
"We're just going out for a few nanos." Beck explained how Able had given him time off for two cycles. This time Tron raised an eyebrow and looked at Mira in concern. She rolled her eyes once more when she realized where this was headed.
"Just make sure you're back before curfew," he snapped. "And keep her safe."
You're seriously trusting us? Mira thought when he walked away. She exchanged a startled look with Beck before shaking her head. Maybe Tron finally realized that they could take care of each other. Either way she was thankful that Tron was beginning to trust them.
She grabbed a light jet baton before they left the safehouse. There was only one way to reach the spot she had in mind. To her it gave the best view of the city, minus the constant flow of recognizers that often searched the streets for strays or programs that had broken curfew.
Once they were outside Mira felt her shoulders drop in relief. For once they weren't on any life risking missions. But she still had to keep her cool. Any program that saw anything out of the ordinary would know that she was different. She kept most of her User habits at bay, but some things were difficult to keep hidden.
"You ready?" she asked when Beck joined her.
"Ready for what?" Beck looked at her in confusion when she rezzed the light jet.
"Just get on and you'll see," she replied.
Thanks to her fight with Tesler, she was beginning to get the hang of driving a light jet. She had asked Tron for simulation training, much to his distaste, and had improved since that cycle. Hopefully there wouldn't be any crashes like her first attempt in the simulation.
"Hang on!" She pulled up as soon as Beck sat behind her. Beck leaned forward just as she managed to balance their weight in the air. They were hovering just as she moved towards the tallest building she could find. It was an abandoned building that programs didn't bother going near. Fortunately she could see that it was still empty, but the lights on top were as bright as any. "And this is the best view in the city," she announced when they landed.
"Wow." It was all Beck could say as he looked down. From this height they could see everything. Even Tesler's ship was easily visible, even if it was just a speck in the distance. The lights from the coliseum could be made out near Tesler's ship. Able's garage was close by, and Mira could see programs coming in or leaving.
"I used to spend a lot of time up here when I was on my own," she explained as she sat down. There was a small stump-like seat that she always sat on before Tron had found her. "I used to come up here to clear my mind... or remember bits and pieces of the User world."
"What was it like, being in the User world?" Beck sat down beside her and gazed out at the city.
Mira sighed as she thought back to her past. She remembered that her parents went to church every Sunday. She didn't remember why it was so important, and she never really complained. They made her dress up nicely when they went out.
"I remember music was always a big part of my life," she explained as she thought of what to say. Beck wouldn't know anything about church or dressing up. "My mom always loved listening to groups that weren't popular, like the Chieftains or a group called Journey. My dad hated their music, he preferred classical." Beck glanced at her in confusion, and she sighed once more. She remembered her dad's favorite composer - Alan Hovhaness. "Hovhaness was his favorite composer."
"We don't get music like that on the Grid," Beck muttered.
This time Mira laughed. "That's right, but it grows on you."
"So what exactly did you do while you were on the run?" Beck looked back at her once more, and again Mira blushed in embarrassment.
"After Quorra helped me escape from the games, I sort of jumped from city to city," she replied. It felt good being able to talk. She was reminded of how kind Quorra had been, despite what had happened to her as well. "I explored every city I could before they became Occupied by Clu's generals. Purgos was probably the most dangerous city I explored. I ran into several gangs that nearly caught me." She grimaced at the memory. "What about you? I'm sure you had a past before working at Able's garage." This time she focused her attention on Beck.
He frowned and looked off into the distance.
"Let's just say I wasn't always a mechanic," he explained. His voice had become bitter, and for a moment Mira wondered if she had gone too far. "Bodhi and I were close friends before we got a job at Able's garage. He was good at designing tools, and we worked together. Before we came to Argon we were already fighting our own battle against Clu."
Mira looked at Beck in disbelief. She would have never thought of him doing such a thing before they met. Then she remembered how he had fought back when Bodhi was derezzed. It was beginning to make sense how he had missed Bodhi so much. They were a team before his friend's life was taken by the occupation.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "It must have been hard watching that."
She was surprised when Beck looked at her calmly.
"It gave me strength to fight back though," he suddenly said. "You gave me that strength."
His choice in words had caught her off guard. Mira looked him in the eye and saw the truth in them.
"Come on, there's still lots to do." She stood up before anything else could happen. She knew what would have happened next if she'd allowed it. Her eyes closed for a brief moment before she led the way down the building.
The stairs made creaking noises when they walked down them. Mira felt chills run down her arms as she imagined falling through them. But the building was able to withstand the weight of a light jet landing. She knew that it wouldn't suddenly collapse on them unless something shook the city.
They went off to the club in silence after Beck handed her a spare light cycle baton. She had forgotten to bring her own when they left in such a hurry. Fortunately they weren't in any race, but it felt good speeding ahead just to see what he would do next. They swerved in and out of the traffic as the sound of horns blared around them. Mira laughed as she turned towards the club. Tron never said they couldn't race along the streets.
"I think I just won that," she said when Beck arrived just as she turned the light cycle back into a baton.
"No way, I was taking it easy on you," Beck retorted. He grinned when she punched him in the arm. "Okay, you win!" he said in an annoyed tone.
"Come on." Mira stuck her tongue out before wandering into the club. Music was blasting from inside when they entered the room. She noticed that there weren't as many guards this time. Most of the programs were dancing to the rhythm or sitting at tables.
They sat in a corner where no program bothered them. Mira was thankful that most of them were occupied. She could only imagine how Zed would feel justified if he saw Beck with her. At the same time she wondered what his friends would have thought if they knew what she really was.
It's probably better they don't know, she reminded herself.
"We should probably go." Mira stiffened when she saw that Beck was looking over his shoulder. Her eyes narrowed when she saw what he was so worried about.
Seven guards had suddenly entered the club. Leading them was Pavel, the commander she hated the most. He was smirking with glee as he wandered towards the bar. Programs scattered out of the way as the guards pushed past them.
She nodded in agreement and followed Beck out of the club, thankful that they hadn't been spotted. The last thing they needed was another fight against Pavel. She was surprised that Pavel was allowed away from Tesler's ship after what had happened with Keller. They moved as far away from the club as they could.
"I guess I should go back," Mira sighed when she realized that it must be getting late. Curfew would come into effect soon, and the last thing she needed was to get caught.
Beck looked like he was ready to argue when he thought better of it. "I'll go with you," he said after ruffling his hair in embarrassment.
Mira smirked before she rezzed her light cycle. They moved at a steady pace before reaching the Outlands. Recognizers were flying into the city as soon as they reached the Outlands. Mira rolled her eyes when she heard alarms sounding in the distance.
When they reached the safehouse she half expected to see Tron waiting for them impatiently. Mira blinked in surprise when she realized that he wasn't around. She heard something coming from above and exchanged a startled look with Beck.
"Rinzler," she whispered. Beck nodded and followed her as she ran up the stairs.
Mira's eyes widened in alarm when she saw Tron waiting for them upstairs. He didn't look angry or annoyed like she expected. Instead he was more confused and... afraid. Mira smothered a laugh when she saw that Rinzler was crouched in front of him on the bed.
"What is that?" Tron demanded when he glared at the kitten.
"Our new friend," Beck replied with a grin.
Mira rolled her eyes and walked over to the bed. Rinzler's eyes lit up before he jumped into her open arms.
"His name's Rinzler," she explained. "I kind of... created him with loose codes."
Tron tilted his head to one side when Rinzler purred. The noise reminded her of the sounds the real Rinzler would have made. Mira couldn't help but smile as she looked down at the small kitten. This Rinzler was friendlier at least.
"I always knew Users were capable of such things," Tron muttered when he reached out to touch Rinzler's head. Tron jumped back in surprise when Rinzler swatted at his hand with a paw.
By now Mira couldn't help but laugh when she saw his reaction. Beck was smothering his own laughter while Tron glared at Rinzler.
"Just think of him as the new guard kitty; no program is getting past those adorable eyes," Mira laughed when Rinzler looked at Tron hopefully.
Tron sighed in annoyance before looking away. "Fine, he can stay as long as he doesn't cause any problems," he muttered crossly.
Mira thanked him after Rinzler jumped onto her shoulders. She laughed again when he let out a tiny mewling sound. Even Beck had raised an eyebrow in surprise. Things would certainly be more interesting with a tiny companion like Rinzler around. Mira could only imagine what sort of mischief he would get into while they were away.
"Get some rest, tomorrow is going to be interesting for the both of you." Tron suddenly headed back for the stairs after looking away from Rinzler. Beck looked at Tron in confusion before glancing back at her.
"Guess I'll see you next cycle," she whispered as he left the room.
As Rinzler snuggled into her arms, Mira knew that next cycle couldn't come soon enough. For once in her life she wasn't sure where her path would lead. Beck had changed everything when they first met. And once again she wasn't sure if she would go back to the User world if she had the chance.
AN: I know, I know. I got the idea of kitty Rinzler from Cyberbutterfly, and the idea of having a pet on the Grid came from 2theSky. What did you think of him? And yes, she does know the difference between male and female. Obviously. XD Anyways, don't forget to review and let me know what you thought of this :)
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