Marie and her keyblade:

www.swirl3y.deviantart.com/art/Marie-and-her-Shooting-Star-Keyblade-38350 2787

Ryan:

www.swirl3y.deviantart.com/art/That-s-his-name-286861562

A\N:
Now we're at the tron world, and since Marie didn't go along, we'll see her interact with someone from her past!

Chapter Forty-Two

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Tron-a-fide

Sora got up from his little nap, and looked around. He noticed everything was in neon colors, and wondered were he even was. Before he could think any farther, he heard Donald and Goofy call out his name. He turned around, and saw them walking with their hands up being surrounded by heartless. Sora told them to fight back, but then another figure appeared, and it was a human looking guy in a red and white outfit.

"Who're you?" Sora asked. The man introduced himself as Commander Sark, and Sora mocked the idea of a heartless commander. The man was peeved, and told him to watch. A light lit in his hand, and it electrocuted both Donald and Goofy. Sora gasped, and looked back at the man. "Okay, you're the boss! I get it."

The man smirked, and brought Sora, Donald and Goofy to a jail cell. Sora wondered what kind of world they were in, and a voice explained it to them. "You're inside a mainframe computer system—for processing data. This system is a copy of one created by a corporation called ENCOM. The original program was destroyed. But this copy was acquired by another user."

"The new User updated and customized the programs, renaming the system 'Hollow Bastion OS'. He used the system for town maintenance, and to advance his private research," the man said. He placed his hand on his chest. "My name is Tron, I'm a security program. But now I'm under arrest, same as you."

…

…

"Did you guys get any of that?" Sora asked Donald and Goofy, who seemed just at dumbstruck at the teen. Goofy told them they should just introduce themselves, and Sora agreed. "I'm Sora."

"And I'm Donald."

"Nice to meet'cha, Tron. I'm Goofy."

"With that configuration, you must be Users," he replied. Sora and the other two were still a bit slow on understanding, but Tron told them that they should get out of the place, not wanting to know what the MCP would do to them. Sora asked what that was, and Tron explained, "The Master Control Program. It controls the whole system. If you idle here, you will be de-rezzed."

"De-rezzed!?" Donald shouted. They didn't like the sound of that, and Sora asked him how they could get out. He told them that the terminal in the room could've gotten them out, but the MCP killed the power '50 microcycles ago'.

"If we could bring the energy core in the canyon online, we could power it back up," Tron explained. "The problem is—we're stuck in this cell. We're not going anywhere unless we unlock the energy fields."

They were still trying to understand, but Sora took out his keyblade. He figured maybe it had something to do with the heartless, and hoped his keyblade would help. He looked around, and upon inspection he noticed Marie wasn't with them.

"Hey, you guys, where's Marie?" he asked. They looked around and noticed she wasn't with them either, and they shrugged.

"Gawrsh, maybe she didn't get dragged in here like we did," said Goofy. Sora sighed, and knew they really could've used her help with understanding some of the language Tron used. She wasn't as advanced on the computer, but she knew a thing or two. Even so, he was still worried about her not being with him.

"I hope she's okay…"

ଓ

Marie

I looked at the computer screen and tried typing in some words, but all I got was a beep. I puffed my cheeks, and Leon told me that I probably shouldn't mess around on the computer anymore. I was worried about the guys though, so I needed to know what they were doing and if they were alright. I sighed. "I hope they're okay…"

"Knowing them, they probably are," Leon assured me. I sighed again, and Ryan came walking up beside me and looked at the computer. He pressed one button and a beep was heard. He raised his hands in the air and decided to stop. I looked around, and didn't even know what to do.

"What should we do?" I asked Leon. He placed a finger on his chin and thought for a moment. He said it would be nice to have someone check out the area since the amount of heartless and nobodies started rising, and that he needed someone in the computer room to help him out with the computer. I nodded. "Alright, I'll check out the area and Ryan will stay here."

Leon nodded and both he and Ryan told me to be careful. I smiled and went off towards the streets, making sure everything seemed in order.

ଓ

Sora

Sora, Donald, Goofy and Tron managed to escape the prison cell, and Tron was even impressed with the power that Sora had. He agreed to go with them to the canyon since he was able to interfere with the energy core, and Sora didn't understand much of what he said, but he was glad. They walked on top of a disc, and it helped them across to the next location. They noticed the computer in the middle of the room and walked towards it, with Tron explaining that it was the energy core.

They needed to find some parts missing from the core, and they did a bit of scouting but they found the parts. Sora used his keyblade to lift them up and place them in their correct positions. The energy core, which was just a giant statue with a light appearing in the middle, started falling through the ground. Once it fell, a clicking noise was heard, and the floor lit up.

"Mission accomplished?" Sora asked. Tron nodded, but asked if they could do something for him. They were quick to agree, and Tron was amazed at how quick they were. He spat out some tech language that they didn't understand, but then told them they needed to head back to the pit cell.

Once there, Tron started hacking away at the computer, and Sora asked what he wanted them to do. Tron got up and turned around. "Find my User. He'll give you the password to access the DTD."

"So, um…" Sora said, not sure how to ask his question. Tron just looked at him, and told him that DTD was the name his User gave to the data space. Copies of all the original system programs were stored there, along with anything that was sensitive or restricted.

"Is there stuff about the Heartless, or Organization XIII?" Goofy asked. Tron told them that there could be, but he wasn't sure. A lot of his abilities where taken away when he last faced the MCP, so he needed that password. If he accessed it, he would be able to get his original backup program and restore his functions. He wanted to change the system to the way it was supposed to be—a free system for the Users.

"Okay, we'll just have to find your user and ask him," Sora said as he looked at Tron. "What's his name?"

"You mean you don't know?" Tron said as he looked back at them. "My user is the user of this system: Ansem the wise."

"Ansem!?" they all called out. The terminal started acting up, and Tron told them that the MCP was on to them, and told them to hurry. Sora scratched his head and stared at him. "Sure… but Tron, Ansem is…"

"We'll get ya the password!" Donald shouted. Tron fixed up the terminal again, and told them to hurry. They all stood in front of the thing, and it zapped them back to the room.

ଓ

Ryan and Leon tried pressing a couple of buttons and wrote a bunch of words to uncover the files from the computer, but nothing seemed to work. They heard a noise, and when they turned around they saw Sora, Donald and Goofy appear from the device behind them. They all cheered when they realized they were back at Hollow Bastion, and both Ryan and Leon were beyond shocked to see them.

"Where did you go?" Leon asked.

"Well, uh…" Sora began. "There's a… word inside this computer, where these, um… programs live and…"

ଓ

"So in other words…" Leon started. "Ansem's research data is off-limits unless we know the password."

Sora nodded, but Leon mentioned that they had already defeated Ansem. Goofy wondered if they would ever find the password, and Leon pretty much called everything a wild goose chase. Ryan sighed, and then they heard a voice by the door.

"You're chasing what, now?" The boys knew that voice, since it belonged to the scary woman who kicked the wall in Ansem's office. "Well, well, a hidden room! Guess I'd better take another look around."

She walked back outside, and Sora, Donald, Goofy and Ryan followed her. She tore down books, cabinets, and almost anything there was to tear down. Sora just placed his hands behind his back as he watched how relentless she was in her search. They made a promise to Tron though, so they needed to look around as well. They all stopped when she looked at the painting, and they stood behind her and she looked at it.

"Excuse me," she said as she lifted down the painting. It was a huge painting, and they were even surprised at how strong she was to take it down. Behind it was a wall of words, but she didn't care about that. She punched the wall, and waited for something to happen. When nothing did, she sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

The rest of the guys walked up to the wall, and Sora asked about the doodle. Donald read the words. "Hollow… main…security… Tron…door to…"

"Looks like a diagram or something," Goofy said.

"Door… to… darkness?" Donald read out loud. It was then that they realized what DTD meant for: Door to Darkness. Leon walked in and asked them what was going on, and Sora pointed at the diagram. He was sure it was the data space, and Leon walked up to it. They still needed the password, and then a voice was heard.

"Say, fellas, did somebody mention the Door to Darkness?" they all turned around and were met with the king himself! Sora, Donald and Goofy all called out his name, but he quickly brought a finger to his mouth, indicating them to be quiet. He quickly looked around, and closed the door behind him. When he turned back, he was greeted with a hug from both Donald and Goofy. Sora called his name, but he told them to keep quiet. "The organization might be listening. You mentioned the door to darkness?"

"Uh, yes, sir!" Goofy said as he and Donald stood in their soldier positions. He told them that they needed a password, and Mickey told them that the door to darkness could only be opened by the seven princesses.

"There's Snow White, Jasmine, and Belle," Mickey said. Leon recalled the names, and went back to the computer with Ryan. Mickey turned to the rest of them. "What're you tryin' to do?"

"With that password, we can get access to Ansem's research data," Sora explained. Mickey gasped, and told them they would be able to find out where Ansem was. Sora laughed, "Stop joking around, your majesty. We already defeated Ansem. You know that."

"Looks like I've got a lot of explaining to do," Mickey said. They were all ears, but Sora wanted to ask a question. Leon came back, and told them they still had to help Tron. They looked back at Leon to Mickey, but the king told them he was staying for a while. He looked around though, and noticed something. "Where's Marie?"

"Uh, that's a good question," Goofy asked. Sora looked around, and was feeling a bit panicked that she wasn't even in the castle, but Ryan came in and explained that she was just checking out the area and making sure everything seemed normal. Sora didn't like how that sounded.

"All by herself?" he asked. He started to worry, but the king laughed.

"Don't worry, Sora," he assured him. "She's a strong girl, but I think she's just lost. If she's not here by the time you get back we'll look for her, since she needs to hear what I'll explain to you guys."

Sora nodded, but still felt worried about her. They hadn't been talking a lot, but it was because he was getting worried about Riku, and now that Kairi was getting mixed up in all of this, he was getting worried that his friends were getting deeper into this mess. He sighed, and ultimately agreed. He, Donald and Goofy all ran back to the computer and zapped back into the mainframe.

ଓ

Marie

I walked along the streets of Hollow Bastion, and made sure nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I was actually enjoying this little walk, since I had time to just think things over. I even started humming a random tune, and was about to start skipping when I heard a noise behind me. I gasped lightly and took out my keyblade. "Who's there?"

I waited for a while, and I eventually saw someone walking out of the shadows. I kept my composure, and the person I saw coming out just made me felt a little weak in the knees. This guy was one of the Organization members, and I tightened my grip on the keyblade. He walked out with his hands in the air, and his hair was a fiery red that was spiked, and his eyes were a bright shade of emerald. The amount of feelings and familiarity I got from this guy was huge, and somehow I didn't feel like pointing my keyblade at him.

"S-Stop," I said, failing at sounding intimidating. "I know you work for Organization XIII, so don't pull any stunts."

"Did you forget who I am?" he asked. He still had his hands in the air, and I wanted to put my keyblade away but I knew these guys were dangerous. He looked at me, and I was sure I knew him but… I found myself saying that a lot with these guys. He smiled, and just stared. "The names Axel, got it memorized?"

"Axel…? You're the guy the other Organization XIII members are looking for!" I shouted. "If you're not working in their interest, then I shouldn't be your target!"

"You're right, I'm not trying to kidnap you," he said. I still held onto my keyblade, and he lowered his hands. "I just wanted to talk to a friend."

"Friend…? We're friends?" I asked. He nodded and asked me if I knew him at all. I shook my head, but it was killing how familiar he felt. "I don't know you, but I get the feeling I did know you. But not like this…"

"Yea, you didn't know me like this," he replied. "You knew me as someone else. Do you remember someone named Lea?"

"Lea?"

ଓ

Sora

When Sora and the other two got back into the data world, Goofy walked up to the terminal and wondered where Tron was. The terminal screen fizzled, and Sora told them they shouldn't be touching it. Almost immediately, they were zapped out of the pit room, and into a different place. They looked around and noticed they were in a giant opened space, and then they heard the voice of Sark.

"Welcome to the game grid," he said. Sora repeated the word, and Sark explained, "That's right, you've been chosen to play a few games. Lose, and you will be subject to immediate de-resolution. Win? Well... no one wins."

He chuckled at the last bit, and Donald didn't want to play any games. They had no choice, and Sora just agreed to it, as annoyed as he was. They entered a game called 'light cycle' and it was basically defeating heartless while riding a motorcycle. He wasn't allowed to hit any walls, and had to defeat all of the heartless. He got them down no problem, and a giant heartless fired a laser before Sora got rid of it. It created a hole through the open space, giving them something to escape through. Sora mounted on the bike again, and got rid of the heartless before driving around and looking for the exit.

It took him a great while to find the exit, mainly because it kept being blocked off, but after fighting some heartless, and trying not to crash into the walls he found it. He, Donald and Goofy were immediately zapped back to the pit cell, and they sighed in relief—that was a close one. They saw Tron lying on the floor, and quickly ran up to him.

"I don't understand, why are you all here?" he asked. Sora told him it was to give the password, and Tron shook his head. "Why didn't you just transmit the data?"

"Transmit?" Donald asked. Tron was about to fall, but Sora was able to catch him in time. He asked if he was alright, and Tron told him he would once they accessed the DTD. Once he was well on his own, they started making their way out of the pit cell. They made their way into the actual data space, and saw a giant computer with a giant screen in the middle of it. Tron walked up to it and turned it on.

"Alright, what's the password?" he asked. They started saying the names of the princesses, and when he wrote the last one the screen started glowing. The password seemed to work, and Tron was excited.

"Now switching DTD over hibernation to active mode. This process will take some time. Please enjoy a game while the process is running."

"Oh, no!" Tron shouted. Sora didn't want to go through another game, but Tron told them that it was the DTD's final security routine. "This isn't a game. Stay focused!"

A couple of heartless and monitors appeared, and they needed to get rid of them all. Sora worked on one monitor while Tron worked on the second. Donald and Goofy worked on the third one, and they hoped to get it done quickly this way.

ଓ

Marie

It was weird. Who knew a single name could bring back so much about someone, and I was really surprised at how much I knew about Lea—or Axel, as he preferred to be called. I had willed my keyblade away, and I just stood there as I stared at this man who I was friends with a long time ago.

"Wow, I-I didn't even know I could remember that much," I said as I brought a hand to my forehead. It was hurting a bit, but it was bearable. I looked over to Axel, who had a slight smile on his face, and I brought my hand down to my side. "Lea, what are you doing? This isn't you."

"Yeah, it isn't—it's Axel," he replied. I looked away, getting to where he was taking all of this. He laughed though, and told me to cheer up. I really couldn't, not with what was happening to my friend. I really felt bad for Axel.

"We can bring you back the way you were," I said as I brought my hand close to my chest. "You don't have to be our enemy! I don't want you to be your enemy."

"Yeah, well, things don't always end up the way they are," he said. "But this right here, I'm glad it happened. You know, I wondered what happened to you after this place got eaten up."

"Well, if you guys are out looking for me, you'd know," I said. He chuckled and nodded, of course he knew. They all knew. "Axel… why did you join Organization XIII?"

"I guess it was a pretty cool place, since, you know, a lot of other nobodies were there," he said. "A lot of them you know, since they pretty much came from this place."

"I can't remember much," I admitted. "I think it's something I fight everyday, but my memory has always been something to worry about. I just want it to stop, so I wouldn't have to forget about you or anyone else important to me."

"Heh, I'm important to you? I'm flattered." I crossed my arms and puffed my cheeks, and he waved his hands about. I smiled at him, and I was glad for this meeting. I knew it wouldn't last forever, and I had to think logically about all this. Axel was still my enemy, even if I didn't want him to. I was curious about one thing.

"Axel, why do you want to turn Sora into a Heartless?" I asked. He scratched the back of his head, and told me about it having to do with his nobody. I was surprised Sora even had one, and that was really all Axel could let out. I got even more curious. "Axel, do I… have a Nobody?"

"…Yeah," he replied. My eyes widened, so I really do have one! I asked him what her name was, but he got a bit hesitant. "I think its best you don't know for now; I think she'd kill me."

I raised my eyebrow, but I guess I could understand. I wonder how she was like, and I had to at least ask him that. "Can you tell me how she's like, at least?"

"She's…"

ଓ

Sora

After getting all the monitors back to normal, and defeating the remaining heartless, Tron got back to the computer screen. He placed his hand on the identifier, and it gave him all of his abilities back. "I'm as good as new! Al my functions have been restored!"

They were all glad, and right when they were about to celebrate, a light zapped the floor they were on, and they all managed to dodge it. Tron looked around, and turned to the computer when he heard a voice.

"Finally! I have full access to the DTD," the voice said. "My takeover of the system is now complete. I might have anticipated such a simple password. What's this? An emergency destruct program for the town. Let's see how it performs."

"No!" Tron shouted. He turned back to the program and inputted some codes. He changed the password, and turned to Sora, Donald and Goofy. "There, that should buy us some time."

"Tron! Tell us what's going on!" Sora asked. Tron explained that the MCP was going to upload a hostile program into the I/O tower. Donald asked what they should do, and Tron told them they needed to protect the User town. They understood that much—'protect'—and made their way to the I/O tower.

They took a disc to get there, and when they reached the tower they made their way towards the communications room. They saw darkness surrounding a light at the bottom of the room, and Tron imagined it must be total chaos outside of their world. They ran back outside the hallway, and saw a heartless floating down towards them.

"I'm disappointed in you, program," the MCP called out. "Why do you insist on allying with these selfish Users?"

"Because I want to help them," he explained. "Something written into my code commands me to do what is right."

The MCP chuckled, and mocked him by asking him what command would do that. Tron didn't know, but Sora told him that is was the power of friendship. They helped each other when they needed it, and both Donald and Goofy nodded. They looked back towards the heartless floating in the air, and it lowered as it brought forth a barrier around them so they would escape. Sora, Donald and Goofy brought out their weapons, and Tron took out his disc. They prepared as they fought the heartless before them.

ଓ

Marie

"She's a lot like you, but at the same time, completely different," he explained. "She can be nice and caring, but when she gets angry it's a really scary sight. She changed a lot after she left Organization XIII, and she definitely developed a no-nonsense attitude, and she rarely smiles. I know deep down though she's still the same person she was from the start."

I listened as Axel explained this girl to me, and I laughed a bit as he did. She seemed like a handful, and I was surprised to know that she came from me. The way Axel described her made me think he really, genuinely cares for her, and I couldn't imagine a better friend for her than him. I smiled as he finished. "She seems like a lot to handle, and a really difficult person."

"Yeah, but sometimes ya just gotta be patient with these things," he told me. I chuckled as I looked away. He was right—you gotta be patient, like how I had to be patient with Sora and Kairi. Maybe I was jumping to conclusions? But if I wasn't, I'd still have to be patient. If Sora and I were meant to be together then it'd happen either way. You just… gotta be patient. My face started heating up, why was I thinking like this? I shook my head, and looked at Axel.

"I hope, that when this is all over, we can start from where we left off," I told him. I meant every word of that, since Lea was a friend I had besides Ansem and aqua, though I couldn't remember how those two looked at the moment. There was another friend of Lea, who wasn't always friendly or nice, but passed a few good words to me. I just couldn't remember, and I didn't want to ask Axel. I wanted to figure it on my own.

"I think I should go," he said. I looked at him and I nodded, staying with Axel for too long could attract unwanted attention, and it was something I wasn't willing to risk. I couldn't leave without doing one thing though, and I ran up to Axel as I gave him a hug. He flinched in return, but I just dug my face in his coat.

"Don't do anything reckless, please?" I asked as I looked up. He smiled and patted my head. I let go of the hug, and he waved goodbye as he disappeared through his portal. I brought my hand close to my chest, and just watched as he disappeared. I sighed, and started heading my way back to the castle. I felt a slight shake, almost like an earthquake, and wondered what was going on.

ଓ

Sora

After defeating the heartless program, it broke apart. Tron, Sora and the other two made their way back to the communications room, and Tron worked his magic on the terminal there. As he typed, he told Sora that he really owed him.

"With all my functions up and running, I think I've got a chance of getting system control away from the MCP," he explained. "Now I'd better get to work. It's what my User would want."

"What Ansem would want…," Sora repeated. He looked back at Donald and Goofy, who nodded as a sign that he should tell Tron about the guy. He looked back at him, and explained. "Listen, Tron. We didn't get the password from Ansem; we just sort of found it, back in the User world—by accident. And one more thing…Ansem—he was our enemy. I mean… he still is… I guess."

"Well, actually… He's my enemy, too," Tron started. Sora asked him what he meant, and he turned to the three and explained his situation. "Ansem took ENCOM's original system and customized it for his own use. I was part of the original system, and Ansem modified me, too. So that makes him my User. But Ansem is also the one who brought back the MCP. The Ansem I first knew wouldn't do that, I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

It was fine by Sora, but he just grew even more confused about the whole Ansem situiation. Tron didn't get it either, but he told Sora that Users like him would figure it out, since they were able to think illogically and still head towards the answers they look for. "Now go—before the MCP starts acting up again!" he told them.

Sora, Donald and Goofy all stood by the terminal and Tron explained that any data they needed could be accessed from the DTD through the computer back at the lab, and Tron zapped them back to the computer lab. As he did, he told them the new password. When they came back to the lab, Leon greeted them back.

"Look," Leon told them. They stared at the screen and saw pixelated versions of themselves waving back at them with a 'thank you' sign underneath them. "So, where do we start?"

Sora told them they should access the DTD, and Leon walked up to the computer. Ryan stood next to him as he typed in some codes, and Leon explained that Ryan and Mickey were checking the situation in town, and that they'd be back so they wouldn't worry. He stopped pressing buttons, and told them the computer was asking for a password. They told him it was their names—Sora, Donald and Goofy.

"That's… to the point," Leon said. Sora asked how it was going, and they were in. "I have to go into town. Need to see what that last shakeup did."

"You're not gonna check out the data? It wasn't exactly easy to get!"

"I'm coming right back," Leon told Sora. "Hey, Sora—why don't you get started on loading the data and copying it down?"

When Sora gave him a look, Leon raised his eyebrow, and just patted his back, saying it would be easy—all he needed to do was press some keystrokes. He left the room, and the gang looked at the computer. Sora pushed a couple of buttons, and it started doing something. Goofy told him that it wanted to know what they wanted to know, and Sora typed in Riku and Kairi's name. The data error sigh appeared, and Sora sighed.

"No way… even Ansem's computer doesn't know…," Sora sighed and walked away. Goofy felt bad, and tried pressing some buttons on the screen. Donald asked what he was doing, and Goofy explained he would ask the computer about the Nobodies. He pressed a couple more buttons, and surprisingly something appeared on the screen.

"The data is corrupt."

"How about the Organization?" Goofy asked as he typed in a couple of buttons. It started looking through its files, but it said the same thing—that the data was corrupt.

"Stupid computer!" Sora shouted. He started smacking the keyboard with his fists, and Goofy tried telling him to stop. When he stopped, a picture of a blonde man with red eyes appeared. He was wearing a red scarf and the usual lab coat. "Who's this guy?"

"Welp, I see you got things workin'!"They gang turned around and greeted the king, but he told them to quiet down. He walked further in and explained how he left Ryan with Yuffie and Aerith, and looked at the screen. "The computer should tell us the things we need to know."

Goofy explained that the computer kept saying the information was all corrupted, and Sora told him that all they got was a picture of some guy they didn't know. Before anyone could say anything, they heard a gasp. They looked towards the door, and it was Marie rushing inside the room to look at the picture.

"Ansem!?"

Yay finished with the Tron world! Now we get to the good stuff. It was a little sweet seeing Marie talk with Axel, but she knows that he is the enemy. She got to know a little about Aura, and she knows that if she and Sora were meant to be, she just had to be patient. She's starting to like him, and it seems her memory is coming back somewhat.