Chapter Five

It had been a long time since they were in the old safehouse. Tucked away in the mountain it was kept hidden from any prying eyes. Only now it was full of curious programs that Tron had let in. After modifying the code he managed to give them extra space, making it seem like an underground city.

"Why did you shoot at that soldier?" Tron demanded as they headed for the old room that overlooked the Outlands.

"It wasn't a bullet," Natasha explained. "It was a tracer that's locked onto his location."

Even Beck was impressed with how quickly Natasha had adapted to her situation. So that would explain why the soldier had been knocked out. He just hoped that her plan didn't backfire on them. Tron pinched the bridge of his nose before pulling up files from the old system.

"Dyson was recruiting scientists a few cycles ago," Tron muttered, sounding more anxious than anything else. "This is exactly what Clu was up to before the Betrayal."

Memories of the Betrayal were still raw. Beck remembered hearing stories of how Tron had fought to keep this from happening. Clu was quick to rise in power. He used the ISOs to his advantage, making them seem like they were the enemy. Eventually he had enough of an army to take down both the Creator and Tron.

"So we take him down before this gets worse," Clint stated once the files were in full view.

"I'm afraid it isn't that easy," Tron told him. "Dyson knows we are looking for him. We need to send someone who can gather intel, and find out what he's up to."

Almost at once everyone looked at Natasha. She was one of SHIELD's top spies for a reason. Judging from the sheepish grin she already knew what everyone was thinking.

"I've already got the location of his base," she replied.

"You'll need to be careful. If Dyson catches you, he will not hesitate to kill you," Tron warned her. "I'm sending out extra patrols to warn the other cities," he added warily.

Natasha just shrugged as if the idea of getting caught and killed meant nothing to her. He hoped that the outcome was different. While everyone else seemed fine with the idea, Beck couldn't help but wonder how Natasha could be so calm. Even he had his doubts about this mission. Despite all of the training under Tron's watchful gaze, this was one of the most dangerous missions he could think of.

"Once I'm inside I'll look for any clues. Shouldn't be too hard to find what I'm looking for." Beck leaned against the wall as she turned to leave. One thing he had learned about Natasha was that she rarely gave up without a fight. So this mission was probably nothing compared to the ones she faced before. Maybe she would even find out what had happened to Mira. That thought alone sent a thrill of hope through him.

"Alright security monitor, what aren't you telling us?" Clint demanded once she was gone. Tron frowned at the question, but Clint didn't give him a chance to respond. "Clearly you're hiding something, and I want to know what that something is." Beck rolled his eyes when Clint raised an arrow at Tron, ignoring the fact that he had already been beaten more than once by the greatest warrior on the Grid.

"Dyson has... developed a modified code that works on Users," Tron sighed. "A repurposing code."

The hope Beck had felt earlier suddenly vanished. Why had Tron not told anyone about this sooner? If Sam had known about it, he could have deleted the file from the outside. They wouldn't be in the mess they were in right now.

"Are you saying that he already used this code?" Beck finally spoke up for the first time, feeling more aggravated than ever. Because of Tron everyone's lives were in danger. He had to hope that there was a reason behind his mentor's actions. The look Tron gave him was one of despair. That only confirmed Beck's earlier fears.

Suddenly Clint fired an arrow at Tron. The security program blocked it with ease, knocking it aside carelessly. "You knew about this?" His shouting rose up a pitch, and Beck raised an eyebrow as Tron eyed the archer warily. "You sent her out there knowing about the modified code?" Another arrow was fired, this time exploding as it was tossed aside once more.

"I know she's capable of handling this mission," Tron snapped after Clint uttered a few more curses under his breath. "I wanted you two to warn the other cities of what is happening. The team can't do this alone."

"Come on, I'm sure it won't be that bad," Beck stated once the tension had died down.

"I'm sending you the coordinates now. We need to work quickly." Tron sent Beck the files before handing Clint a tablet. "There are bunkers throughout all of the cities that programs know about, after Sam rewrote the Grid he felt it was necessary to take such measures."

Clint just eyed the device warily before memorizing what was on it. While he wasn't familiar with the Grid, Beck had a feeling that he could easily keep up and adapt like Natasha. Now he suddenly understood why they were SHIELD's top agents.

. . .

She was biting her fingertip nervously as the group gathered outside. With the recent destruction of Argon City, the old safehouse was busier than ever. And everyone had been sharing stories of the old days, before Clu's takeover and before the city was destroyed. Even though it had all occurred just a millicycle ago.

"Mara, you okay?" Zed joined her shortly after discussing the plans with Paige, Copper and Dash. The five of them worked so well together that Tron had made a team out of them. But right now Mara wasn't so sure about that. They couldn't do a thing about the surprise attack on Argon.

"No. I'm... worried," she admitted. "This all started when those Users showed up. I just can't help but wonder if they're behind these attacks."

Zed put a hand on her shoulder, hoping that it would comfort her somehow. "Hey, Tron trusts them to some extent. I'm sure he wouldn't just let any User waltz onto the Grid," he told her.

She couldn't help but smile at the thought. He was right. Tron would never let any random User find the Grid. Though they were different from the Son of Flynn, they were still Users.

"We should get started," she sighed. "At this rate we'll have seven cities to warn, and we won't have time if we stick around."

But still, the other User that the Renegade had cared so much for was so much like those other two. Mara wasn't entirely familiar with how Users worked. But she had a feeling that they were all somehow related. One thing she was certain of was that they needed help now more than ever.

"Come on, I bet we have about two cycles to get this done and over with," Dash grumbled after rezzing his light cycle.

"If we split up into groups of two this will go faster," Paige suggested.

"Except we'll be one member short," Copper pointed out. "You forget that there are five of us."

Mara thought that over for a few nanocycles. If they all split up things could get dangerous. While most of them knew how to defend themselves, Zed was still learning. Mara knew that no matter what she wasn't going to leave his side until he could put up a fight.

"Let's think it through on our way there," she said, trying to remain calm.

At least they didn't argue with that suggestion. Once they reached the cities they could come up with some sort of plan. Hopefully whoever was threatening the cities wouldn't take that chance to strike. Mara could only imagine how panicked all the programs would feel if that happened.

. . .

All was quiet in the base. A few remaining soldiers were still recovering from the attack on Argon City. One of their comrades had fallen, leaving them in a weaker state than usual. But their mission had been successful.

"Sir, they took the bait." In the throne room stood Dyson, proud of what he had accomplished in such a short amount of time. Clu would be impressed. This was what he had wanted after all.

"Excellent. Did they send someone here?" His hands were folded behind his back while the soldier informed him of what had happened. "Good, I want soldiers posted near the entrance of the base, and get ready for the next phase."

The soldier saluted in response before doing as he was told. A small smile crept along Dyson's face as he looked out the small window overlooking the Outlands.

Their plan was perfect. Soon the Grid would be his for the taking.

AN: Things are really picking up on the Grid. And I'm really enjoying this so far :) Made a few edits throughout the story just so that it makes more sense. And that's about it ^^ By the way, has anyone seen the new Captain America movie yet? I know I said I saw it already, but I'm just curious. Amazing movie, and I'll be seeing it again in 3D XD So big thanks 2theSky, Guest and Panda Bear Lover for reviewing. You guys are awesome :D