-
Alan wasn’t sure how long they had been running. He knew that it been a while since they emerged from that tunnel and into an underground walk way. They ran as soon as everyone had exited from Pollux’s basement and towards the direction where Sam had said was close to the Firewall. One thing that Alan knew, was that if they were back in the real world he would be out of breath by now, but here he was different. He wasn’t sure it was because he was a User in the computer world, or if it was because of that recent glass of energy. He did want to stop, not to rest but to speak with everyone.
“Stop,” he cried out. “We can’t just keep running.”
“We have to make it to the Sailer,” Quorra said and pointed at the direction they were running at. “There is one that will take us beyond the fire wall.”
“We need to get to the nearest I/O tower,” Tron told her. “We have to get a message to the User known as Adrian.”
“Adrian hasn’t put the disk in?” Sam asked.
“Think about it,” Alan said. “If he saw me and Janelle—if he saw me being pulled in here through the laser then he is not going to want to continue out of fear.” He had to pause. “We have to tell him what is going on and that we need his help.”
“Probably afraid of Foamy,” Janelle added
“The squirrel?” Sam blinked.
“Osiris,” Janelle explained. “That was what he called him.”
“We make sure Osiris is away from the tower,” Tron said. “Once Adrian is assured that it is safe then he will provide us with the help that we need.”
“And we can help poor Legion,” Janelle added.
“A friend that was captured,” Alan said before Sam or Quorra could ask.
“We will need more help,” Sam said. “Quorra and I were told there were a group of warriors in the protected park. We need to find Arc in the Codebreakers club and he will take us to them.
“There are many from Flynn’s grid that survived the explosion caused by the reintegration,” Quorra added. “Strong fighters and those that are not security Programs also wish to fight.” She turned to Sam and smiled. “They will do anything to help the son of Flynn.”
“That does sound like a great idea .” Alan had to agree with the kids. He turned to his program. “What do you think, Tron?”
Tron nodded. “I calculate that is a good plan. We have only had minimum exposure to Osiris. We do not know what he is fully capable of.”
“Quorra and I have come across Clu,” Sam said. “I remember dad’s stories of the MCP. I know he’s also told some of them to Quorra, not sure if you remember them, Janelle.”
“I do,” Janelle said. “If Osiris is anything like that then we need all the help we can get.”
Alan nodded. “Then what are we waiting for?”
-
Osiris flexed his hands and curled his fingers back into fists as he stepped inside the building. The idea of a theater itself was quaint and unusual. Regor had briefed him of what went on in there. He can understand programs watching visuals from the Web, but to act out in the same performances that Users have done? Preposterous. What use was that to anyone?
“There are no signs of any User here,” Regor briefed him as they both stepped into the private office of the owner.
“Are you certain they have been spotted here?” Osiris asked as he looked around the office. He had to admire the decorum.
“The reports have been confirmed,” Regor assured. “Tron and the two Users have been seen here.”
“Then where are they?” Osiris’s gaze fell on the owner. The odd program was framed by both of his bodyguards. “Where are they, Pollux?”
“I’m afraid you are mistaken,” Pollux said as he held out two glasses of mixed and refined energy towards them.
“I have been told that two Users have entered your theater,” Osiris said as he accepted his glass. “My sources are positive.” He cast a glance at his number one minion as he took a sip from his glass.
“They are accurate,” Regor said as he walked around the office.
“Where have they gone?” Osiris asked. “I am not going to ask you again.”
“I keep telling you that you are mistaken. Someone must have seen some of my actors and thought they were the real thing.” The theater owner smiled. “They are that talented you know.”
“I will have you derezzed if you don’t comply,” Osiris growled and took another drink.
The two bodyguards stepped in front of their boss while several members of the black guard aimed their staffs at them
“No,” Pollux said as he held up his hands. “No one fights in my office, even if it means to protect me.” He turned to Osiris. “You can silence me, but that will not help you find what you are looking for.” His eyes became narrow slits.
“What’s this?” Regor asked as he picked up a pad from the desk. “Cast of characters?”
“Don’t,” Pollux marched up to him. “That is a work in progress. I’m still working on the details.”
“The heroine is a User,” Regor continued to read. “She had her heart broken in the Real World and wanted to end her existence there. She came into our world, not knowing what to expect.”
“Give me that.” Pollux reached for his pad but was pushed away by Regor.
“The hero is a security Program. He was taken by a rogue Program and repurposed into an enforcer. He was later rebooted back to his original form, but feels guilty about what he has done in the past.”
“Those are just the schematics.” Pollux reached again and once again missed swiping his pad back.
“I see that derezzing you would be futile to my goals,” Osiris said. “We will just de-rezz the theater instead.”
“No,” Pollux gasped.
“There is nothing to worry about if you tell us what we need to know,” Osiris said and knocked back the last of his drink and set the glass down on the table near the edge.
“I’ll tell you nothing,” Pollux’s voice was in a low growl. “You can destroy as many buildings and theaters as you wish but the show will still go on.”
“Keep on hoping and dreaming,” Osiris said as he snatched the pad away from Regor. He nodded towards his soldiers. “Take these two security programs. They will be rectified into my army.”
“Not them,” Pollux screeched as the guards grabbed his bodyguards. “Don’t take them.”
Both the bodyguards stuck at the soldiers and blocked off many of their advances.
“Tell them to relax,” Regor said. “Or we will have you derezzed.”
“Wraith, Sylph, you heard him,” Osiris said and sighed.
“Sir?” Wraith asked as she was lead away. “They will change us.”
“Do not worry, sister,” Sylph said as she followed close behind. “Our wills and minds are too strong. They will not succeed.”
“Yes,” Pollux said with a smile. “Strong willed those two are. You will never wear them down. They won’t be yours.”
“You do not know how wrong you are,” Osiris said as he walked back to the table. “Everyone can be repurposed.” He placed a finger on his empty glass. “Everyone can be broken.” He gave the glass a slight push and watched it as it fell to the floor where it shattered into several pieces. “Regor, we are leaving.”
“Yes master,” Regor said.
“Keep writing your play,” Osiris said as he slammed the pad against Pollux’s chest. “Except you will change the characters and plot. The hero will become a true warrior for the real hero, the leader of the new world order and the User shall fall for the leader.” He turned and walked out of the office.
“Master,” Regor said when he caught up with him. “You have showed a great deal of mercy to that program. “May I ask why?”
“We were getting no where with him,” Osiris answered as the two of them made their way through the theater house. “I gave him a fitting punishment, one that would crush his dreams.”
“You have him write what you want him to write?”
“Precisely.”
“How will this accomplish our goals?”
“It is a little added benefit,” Osiris said. The corner of his mouth turned up into a smirk. “There will be many benefits when we run everything.”
“You mean this system?” Regor asked.
“Of course.” Osiris tried not to roll his eyes at his commander. He did mean this system for now.”
“Running it for our Users. I mean your User.”
“You can stop talking about that subject. How are we with that SBM?”
“We still haven’t gotten anywhere with him,” Regor answered.
“I want to see him myself.”
Osiris returned to his ship and marched to the torture chamber. There were several Programs reaching out to him and begging for mercy. He ignored them all and went straight to the 64 SBM.
The figure was shaking, or at least the parts that he could shake. His limbs were held fast to the wall. He sadly stared up at Osiris with solid blue eyes.
“Does it still hurt?” Osiris asked.
“Legion hurts,” the 64 SBM said with a wavering voice.
Osiris pressed the activation button on the panel and watched as the figure called Legion screamed and shook.
“No more,” Legion cried out.
“There won’t be more if you tell me what I want to hear,” Osiris said. “Where did Tron and the Users go? Where are they going? What are there plans?”
“Legion doesn’t know where Janelle and Tron are.”
Osiris turned on the power again. “Tell me.”
“Legion doesn’t know,” the figure managed to get out in between screams. “Legion won’t tell you.”
“You will tell me everything.” Osiris turned up the power. “Now, if you want the pain to stop.”
Legion thrashed his head back and forth while small glowing fissures appeared on his body.
Osiris snarled and turned up the power to the next level.
“Master,” Regor said. “He’s in too much pain to talk.”
“You are right,” Osiris said in a low tone. He turned off the power. “Where are they?”
“Legion wont tell you anything.”
Osiris glared at him. “Then so be it.” He turned the power up to the max.
Legion screamed and thrashed around while the fissures reappeared on his body. The cracks grew in both size and number.
“Master,” Regor gasped and pulled Osiris to the ground as the flash appeared. “He’s been derezzed.”
“Don’t tell me the obvious,” Osiris said as he stood back up.
“I think I saw several bits fly away, but after that experience I doubt they would want to reformat.”
“That does not concern me.” He stared his servant in the eyes. “There is new order. Every wandering program will be captured and interrogated. Send out every soldier immediately.”
“By your order,” Regor said as he bowed.
-
Janelle had several questions she wanted to ask of Sam and his friend. One of the first was that she wanted to know what he had been doing when he was away from ENCOM. She saw him more recently the past week when he started to work for the company and she saw him at least once a year before that when he pranked the board meeting.
“We are almost there,” Sam said and pointed to a platform manned by several programs and an odd looking ship that appeared to have strange sails at the bow end. It made the craft look like a flower and a little like a dragonfly.
“What is that?” Janelle asked.
“A solar sailer,” Quorra answered. “It’s the only way to get across the sea and into the Firewall.”
“The sea?” Janelle repeated. She her stomach lurch, which is an impossible feeling, but she had felt it. Her knees were pressed together. “The sea?”
“Easy,” Alan said as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He seemed to have read her fears. “We’ll get you through it.”
“Will they let us on?” Tron asked. “I doubt they will let just anyone on.”
“They let us come across,” Sam said. His expression softened when he looked at Janelle. “Hey J, are you feeling well?”
“I don’t feel,” Janelle said as she steadied herself. “I can’t feel.” There was nothing to fear. She puffed out her chest and walked straight up to the platform.
“Halt,” one of the programs working the Sailer said and held up his hand. “Do you have the clearance code to access this?”
“She’s with us,” Sam said as he walked up next to her. “The five of us are together.”
“Sorry about that,” the platform worker said. “Many have been trying to escape in the last 120 nanoseconds we have trouble keeping up with how many we can sen-“ A disk sliced through his middle, causing his whole body to de-rezz.
Janelle turned around to see that dozens of the sentries were advancing on them. “Shit.”
Several more disks flew at them. Janelle hit the ground as a few flew over her and looked up in time to see that Quorra had used a sword to slice throw another disk and her own disk to block another attack while Sam threw his at one of the soldiers and killed him.
Another disk flew straight towards Alan.
Tron appeared in front of him and used one of his two disks to block and destroy the disk. His face was turned up into a ferocious snarl as he glared at the advancing enemy.
“Stay away from my User!” He threw one disk at the enemy and jumped in the air and threw another as he somersaulted, upon landing he caught the first disk that derezzed one of the soldiers and ducked the disk from one of the enemies.
Janelle gritted her teeth and removed her disk. She sidestepped and ducked another attack and threw hers. The edge of her disk sliced through the leg of a soldier and she caught her disk on return.
Two more guards came and her and were about to strike her with their staffs.
Janelle hit the ground and rolled away. As their staffs struck the floor she brought her disk up and slammed it in the throat of one of the guards. She rolled away and rose to her feet and stood up ready to face the other soldier.
The Program derezzed before her eyes.
“Not bad for an old guy,” Alan said in a proud tone as he held up his disk.
“Stay down,” Janelle instructed and turned to face another guard. There was not much for her to attack. Sam was doing a great job fighting against the enemy and Quorra was fierce with how she had leaped onto one of them and slashed at their chest with her sword.
The most powerful fighter was Tron. He leaped and dodged with the prowess of jungle cat. She wasn’t sure if programs had muscles like Users did but she was certain she saw something that caused the armor to ripple like that. He was able to do most of the work for them.
“Amazing,” Janelle gasped.
Once the last of the guards was taken care of Tron stood with their back towards him. His lights had changed color to red-orange again.
“We’re in trouble,” Sam said.
Tron turned around and ran up to Quorra. “ISO.” Was followed by a growl.
“No,” Janelle ran up to him. “Tron, stop it.” She brought up her disk as Tron brought his down. “It’s me.”
“Tron look at me,” Alan said. He had used his own disk to block the second one in the program’s hands.
“Alan-one,” Tron said as his helmet retracted. “Janelle.” The lights turned back to blue-white as he fell to his knees.
“You see?” Sam asked as Tron placed his disks on his back. “He’s dangerous.”
“He just needs to be worked on,” Alan said as he placed a hand on Tron’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, kid.” His voice grew soothing. “What have they done to you?”
“I’m dangerous,” Tron said.
“To the enemy,” Janelle said. She reached out and brushed her hand through his bangs. He did not flinch. “You would never hurt us.”
“We are going to shut down in the next sixty nanoseconds,” one of the remaining platform workers said. “We have to get you off to the Firewall now. Who’s coming?”
“We are all coming,” Alan said. “No one is getting left behind.” He helped Tron to his feet.
Janelle followed behind them. She noticed that both Sam and Quorra did not look pleased with the fact they were allowing Tron onboard, but they knew better than to question Alan or her.
As she approached the edge of the platform and was about to step onto the Sailer, she could hear the waves of the ocean at least in her mind. Janelle felt her legs grow numb. She could not feel her legs. She tried to force them to move but they wouldn’t budge. She could of swore she heard people calling out to her. No they were screaming her name and she fell over the railing and into the sea.
Her fall stopped when she felt strong arms pick her up. Janelle opened her eyes and looked into Tron’s eyes.
“I have you,” the security program said to her.
“My legs don’t want to work.”
“I’ll carry you aboard.”
All she could murmur was simple thank you as she was carried onto the sailer.
-