-
“Dean,” Tron’s voice cut through the mental fog Dean was swimming through.
Dean felt like he waking up, not from a sleep but after receiving a concussion. What had hit him? The last thing he remembered was playing that stupid game. He was fighting the offspring of Saruman and Hydro and it exploded and glowing blue waves splashed out at him and then dark.
Dean felt his face pressed against something cool. He also could feel his head braced against one wall and his feet against his other and his knees were bent to where his heels were almost in contact with his thighs. Wherever he was it was cramped.
He opened an eye and saw he a silvery blue wall framed at the top and bottom with glowing red neon. He sat up and saw that there was a gap in the wall in front of him and gaps in the walls on each side but none in the back.
“Your awake,” Tron said. He was in the room next to Dean. There was no one in the room on the other side.
“Yeah,” Dean muttered as he rubbed his head. His fingers brushed through his hair and came across something that was soft and fleshy and pointed. As he ran his finger down it he realized it was an ear. “What the hell?” He grabbed at both of his pointed ears and pushed them down against the sides of his head. He could feel through his ears. “What just happened to me?” He stared down at himself and saw that he was wearing a green and black tunic with an embroidered collar. Black leather like sleeves were under the material and ended at the wrists. He also wore a green loincloth and black leggings ending in green boots. “Please tell me I don’t look like Orlando Bloom.” He grabbed at his face.
“Your face looks the same,” Tron told him. His clothes had also been replaced with a tight fitting black suit made up of leather, mesh and plastic like armor. There were a few glowing lights on his clothing. There were curve like dashes on his upper chest. Several small round ones on his abdomen, but the ones that stood out the most was the four square shaped lights that formed a letter “T”.
“Good.” He pointed to the opening in front of his cell. “Let me guess there is some force field there?” He doubted Tron would remain where he was if he could help it.
“A painful one,” Tron told him.
“Where am I?” Dean asked as he tried to look at everything through the clear roof above him. He could see the outlines of tall buildings also framed by neon. “It looks like a giant rave.”
“You’re in the digital world, my world.”
“Ah,” Dean figured as much. “I’ve now been in all four primary dimensions: Heaven, Earth , Hell and here. I wonder if there is a special prize.” He turned to face his friend. “I take it your were also knocked out when they brought you in?”
The program nodded. “I came around a few nanos ago. I have no idea how long I’ve been out.”
“How come I look like I should be searching for the Triforces and you look like that?”
“This is how I looked since Flynn upgraded me and brought me to his Grid,” Tron said and studied Dean. “You look like that character you were playing.”
“I guess that would make sense. We have to figure a way out of here. You think that icy girl told my brother and Cas?”
“Icy girl?” Tron blinked.
“You called Quorra that.”
“No not icy.” Tron looked like he was trying not to laugh. “Ice-oh. I Es Oh. It’s what she is or was an Isometric Algorithm.”
“Can you repeat that in computers for dummies speak?”
“She was a program, but not like me. She was created from the sea of simulation.”
“She’s also a program?” Dean could not tell, but maybe that was why she was willing to help them. She was probably told who the FBI were.
Tron nodded. “I don’t know if Sam or Castiel are on their way. She could just be reaching them as of now. Time is different here.”
“Of course.” Dean rubbed his head. He looked up when he heard the sound of someone walking on the roof. He looked up to see someone dressed in black and trimmed in glowing red standing above him. “That is not a view I want to see.”
“Move out,” the guy above him said as he struck a staff down on the roof.
“Better go for now,” Tron told him.
Dean stepped out and was met with two more of these guards. They all wore black and had glowing red lines on their clothes. They wore helmets that covered most of their faces, leaving only the mouth’s, chins and the bottom halves of their noses exposed.
“So where is Darth?” Dean asked.
“This way, program,” one of the guard’s said and threatened to strike at Dean with the glowing end of their staff.
“Not in the mood I see,” Dean said as he jumped away. He held up his hands. “Don’t need to tell me twice.” He allowed him to lead them down a long hallway.
-
Dean was led to a large gray room along with three others. Two of them looked human, but one looked like a small purple goblin. They were all dressed in medieval style clothing. On a closer look one of the humans had more of a pale gray parlor and his eyes were completely silver.
The door opened in front of them and a woman stepped out. She was lithe with slightly small yet ample breasts. She was dressed in a tight silver suit. She had a flap hanging down beneath her belt in the front and back. There were no sleeves and instead of real gloves she had leather arm covers that ran from her elbows to her wrists. Her neon glowed blue. There were what appeared to be two letter “L” s back to back on her collar and on her belt.
“Armor has been formed,” she said. Her dark brown hair that was pulled back in a ponytail and her warm brown eyes reminded Dean of Lisa. His heart ached at just the thought of her and how he could never be in her life again.
Dean tore his gaze away from the female when he felt something pressed against his chest and stomach. He looked down to see other women as they snapped on plastic additions to his costume, as soon as they had snapped into place they became illuminated with soft glowing blue.
“Attention programs,” the female spoke again. “You will all receive an identity disk.” She reached behind her and pulled out a black ring that was trimmed in glowing blue from her back. “Anything you do and learn will be recorded on this disk. Loss of your disk or failure to follow command will subject you to deresolution.”
Dean felt something pressed against his back and heard a click. There were several beeps and he his vision was filled with a flash of light that lasted for a second.
The woman approached each of the others. She asked them a few questions and when she asked enough she would move on to the next. She reached Dean last.
“Hello,” she greeted. “What is your name?”
“Dean Winchester. What is yours?”
“I’m Lia.”
“Let me guess, when you get off work you won’t be able to go out for a cup of coffee?”
“No, sorry.” She did smile. “I’m the one who asks questions. How long have you been playing?”
“I don’t play,” Dean answered. “Where is Luduserus?”
“Who?” She seemed confused and thrown back from Dean’s questions.
“Lia, I’m here to hunt down and kill this demon. I’m a User. All of us new uh programs are. I came in with Tron-“
“Tron?” Lia repeated. “You need to go. Good luck, Dean.” She headed through the door.
“Lia, wait,” Dean tried to walk after but was blocked by two of the guards. “Let me guess. She’s off limits?”
“That whole sector is off limits to you,” one of the guards said. “Now get in line.”
Dean followed after the other new players; his eyes lingered on the door where Lia had left. She was different from his captors. He could tell in his gut and he had a feeling he would see her again.
-
Dean and the other three were lead into a different room. Tron was there waiting for him.
“You have an Identity Disk now?” Tron asked as he examined Dean’s new armor.
“Yeah,” Dean said as he reached behind and pulled his off. He looked at it. It was black and glossy and he could see his reflection in it. “You got one?”
“I had one when I left the Grid,” Tron explained as he stared at the other players. “When I came here it reappeared.”
“That’s good I guess.”
“Are they also Users?” Tron asked as pointed to the others.
“I have no idea.” Dean turned to the rest of the group. “Where are you guys from?”
“Evanston,” the zombie said. “It’s north of Chicago.”
“Pigeon Forge, Tennesse,” the goblin answered. “My cousin is from Orlando.”
Dean nodded. “They are Users.”
“These are some of the missing people,” Tron said with a sigh.
“What about you, elf?” The human asked.
“Originally?” Dean asked. “Lawrence, Kansas.”
“And you?” The goblin pointed at Tron.
“I’m from here.”
“Los Angeles,” Dean knew he had to cover for him. “My friend here was watching me play. I was showing him how it worked. We got pulled in together.”
“Oh that’s why he looks like that,” the zombie said.
“Attention blue team,” a program greeted them. It looked and sounded like that dweeb, Reece, except he was taller and looked like he worked out and he was dressed in the same black armor type outfit with glowing red lines. Except he had curved and slightly pointed shoulder pads and what appeared to have been a military style coat. “You are about to enter the light cycle arena.”
“Light cycles?” The goblin asked. “What does that have to do with Epic Frontier?”
“Do not interrupt,” Reece said and wagged his finger at the goblin’s direction. “It’s rude.” He was followed by another soldier carrying a flat tray that had five flashlights on them.
“How did you get in here, Reece?” Dean asked him.
“My name is Captain Kruz,” the Reece like program said and glared at him. “You will all select a baton. The winning team will be the one with the last man standing, or last man with a cycle.”
The program with a tray stood in front of Dean and held out the tray towards him.
“Thanks,” Dean said as he accepted the flashlight. “I think.”
“Programs here look like the Users who wrote them,” Tron explained after he selected his flashlight. “If you recognize someone from up there down here then it is a good chance they are the program that was created by them.”
“That means there won’t be a doppleganger of me,” Dean said as he studied his new toy. It looked a little more high tech than a usual flashlight, almost like a handle of a light saber or a knockoff. “But if I see Sam or Cas.”
“Then it would be them. Dean, you helped me function in your world. I’ll show you how to live in mine, at least until we derezz the demon and get you out.”
“Don’t need to mention it,” Dean said as the floor they were standing on started to rise. He looked up at the opening in the floor above them. “We’ll be riding around on these light cycles and trying to get people to crash into our jet walls?”
“Jet streams,” Tron corrected. “If it has upgraded just like the one in Flynn’s grid then it would be jet streams, but the game play is the same.”
“I played this game a lot as a kid. I’m pretty good at it.”
“In your world, but I’ve been told on the other side of the screen it is different.”
The floor stopped and they were in a large arena with clear floors that had different levels, ramps and platforms.
Another group had rose up on the other side of the arena. Kruz was one of the other players.
“The game has begun,” Kruz said as he ran and jumped. Several glowing beams shot out of his flash light stick and formed the shape of a cycle before the rest of the vehicle formed. He landed in the seat.
“Move,” Tron shouted as he activated his cycle in the same matter.
Dean jumped and held out his stick. His bike formed and he landed in the seat, but he landed a little too hard on his goods. He grunted in pain as he rode forward after one of the players.
Another member of the rival team rode up alongside him. Through his glass visor he glared at Dean.
“Keep that up and your face will stick like that,” Dean said as the two of them went up a ramp. He tried to steer and shift to knock the other guy off, but his opponent was good. He had to think of something else.
There was a wall up ahead. He just had to lead his opponent to it. He gunned his motor as if he was getting ready to outrace the vehicle and get in front and change direction at the last second so he can make the other guy crash into his jet wall, correction, jet stream, but that was just a ploy.
The other rider also increased his speed. He followed after Dean and rode right beside him.
“That’s just right,” Dean said. He saw the clear wall of the nearest upper level. He inhaled deeply and veered his bike to the side and nearly grazed the glass like structure.
His opponent was not so lucky. He slammed into the wall, bike and all. The force was enough to knock him off and send him sprawling across the tracks.
“Score one,” Dean said.
“Dean!” Tron shouted.
Dean turned to see another member of the rival team was about to crash right into him and Dean would not be able to move in time.
A blue light cycle flew off from the raised level above them and landed right on the opponent that was riding up to Dean. The cycle not on dissolved into nothing but the other rider broke apart into tiny cubes and ended up in a pile of dust.
“Whoa,” Dean led out a whistle.
“Keep your eyes open,” Tron said from atop of the bike that just crushed the enemy.
“We got two of them,” Dean said. There were still three others.
“They got one of ours.”
“They killed him?”
The program shook his head. “He and the one you defeated have been escorted off.”
Dean turned when he heard the sound of another cycle coming toward him. “Got another contestant.”
“We’ll take him out together.”
The two of them drove up to the red rider and tried to block him off with their jet streams in front of him. Their opponent was able to turn at the last second. This one was going to be tricky.
Tron rode up a little bit ahead of the red team rider and wove around him.
Dean followed, making sure to dodge the streams. “Don’t cross the streams.” His eyes widened. Cross the streams. Could they do that? If Tron could jump his bike like that before then maybe, just maybe they will be able to get this one off.
He gunned the cycles until he was up close to his friend. “Tron.” He held up a hand and crossed his fingers. “Streams. Can you fly?”
Tron nodded. Hopefully that meant that he knew what Dean was planning.
Dean rode ahead first with Tron close behind. He turned his bike to the left and kept going. He heard the sound of a bike breaking down followed by a crash. When he turned around he had seen Tron land on his reformed bike and the red team member flat on his back.
“Nice,” Dean said once he stopped. He saw the pen where there one he taken out earlier was standing and was filled by two others. “Only one of theirs is left.”
“And he is about take another of ours,” Tron said and pointed at the last remaining member of the red team as he forced their zombie into the wall. “Now there is just the two of us.”
“Two verses one. We can take care of this guy.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised the last one is Kruz,” Tron said. “Follow me. I’m going to have this one follow me. I will take him close to one of the ramps.”
“I’ll get the jump on him,” Dean said. He drove off and headed up a few levels until he was on the one with long descending spiral ramp. He drove down it and it ended up on the level just above the main floor. He was hoping it would be some form of distraction and hoped that it would make Kruz not want to go after him.
Kruz had taken up Tron’s bait and was riding close behind him.
Dean followed from above, just waiting for the right second. He knew he didn’t have much second level left and would have to jump. It was now or never. He gunned the engine and sped off the upper level. Through his decent he aimed for Kruz and braced himself for impact.
He struck the back of Kruz’s bike, but not enough to knock him off. Dean felt himself topple and fall sideways. As soon as he struck the floor he slid for a few inches. He didn’t wait to stop sliding to see what happened to the last member of the red team.
Kruz was spinning out of control. He didn’t see that he was about to crash into Tron’s stream.
“He did it,” Dean gasped as he rose to his feet. He smiled at Tron and gave him a thumb’s up.
“No,” Kruz said once he returned to his feet and made his helmet melt away. “You have not won.” He pointed at Tron. “You crashed your bike earlier.”
“But he didn’t wipe out,” Dean said. “He’s still standing, or riding or whatever it is.”
“I was the last to crash,” Kruz said.
“But you aint got a cycle to stand on,” Dean said. If Tron had truly disqualified they would have told him earlier, wouldn’t they?”
“Blue team,” the sound of an audience shouted. “Blue team, blue team, blue team.”
“We were being watched?” Dean asked and stared at Tron. Did he know they had an audience?
“The winner,” a detached female voice shouted. “Blue Team.”
“No,” Kruz screamed and shook his fists.
“Sorry Kruz,” Dean said. “I don’t make the rules and apparently neither do you.”
“The games have been around longer than you,” Tron said as he stepped off his bike.
Kruz continued to glare at them for a few seconds. “Take them back to their cells.”
“Heh,” Dean said as some more of the guards said as they were being lead away. “I guess we are not the only ones who get sore when we lose.” He looked over his shoulder at the head program. “Maybe you should stick to chess, or Jeopardy.”
“Dean, I have something to tell you,” Tron whispered as they approached the floor panel where they started. “After we took out that one enemy I noticed he was bleeding from his nose.”
“So?” Dean asked as they were rejoined by the other members of their team.
“Programs don’t bleed. They have Users on their side.”
-
A/N: Thank you to Anon for the review, and thanks to everyone who has faved and or put the story on their alerts, and special thanks to XSpriteyX.
The Chapter title is an obvious nod to Alice in Wonderland.