Tron Legacy - It's Your Call - Initiate Sequence (10 page)
Read Tron Legacy - It's Your Call - Initiate Sequence Online
Authors: Carla Jablonski
Tags: #Fiction - Young Adult
N
ow you understand. That man isn't your father. He's Clu, your father's avatar! He's a program!
No wonder he hasn't changed. He looks exactly the way he did when your father created him. Your dad designed Clu to look just like him.
He runs this alternate world. And these life-and-death games.
How do you reason with a computer program?
No time to wonder about that nowâthe Sentries have returned and drag you out.
“Hey, you don't have to play so rough,” you tell them. “I'm going.”
The ship lowers so that it hovers just above the sprawling game grid. The gaunt man, Jarvis, descends the ramp onto the Grid, carrying an ornate box. The Sentries drag you down to the Grid and you gaze up at the thousands of programs. You wonder where Clu is.
Jarvis clears his throat, then addresses the throngs. “Greetings, programs. Oh, what an occasion we have here before us. His Beneficence has given us the pleasure and the privilege of the games for many a cycle!”
You guess that Clu is the “beneficence” Jarvis means. And that Clu invented the gladiator games.
“On this occasion, we will witness something altogether different! The rumors are true. We do, indeed, have a user in our midst!”
The crowd cheers. User? You glance around. Oh! They mean you!
Y
ou've got to work togetherâotherwise there's no chance of survival. If you eliminate Clu's wingmen, you might actually have a shot at surviving.
You zoom toward the kid in aqua. “Follow me!” you shout.
You increase speed to catch up with a Sentry. You and Aqua take positions on either side of him. You move closer, boxing him in. The Sentry bumps Aqua, sending him sprawling off his bike. He slides along the floor.
The Sentries bear down on the helpless kid, unsheathing his disc. You've got to stop him. You go even faster on your Light Cycle. You zip in front of the Sentry, and he slams into your trailing light wall. He derezzes!
Aqua is stunned to be alive. He raises his arms in triumph. The crowd screams with delight at this amazing sight. Then Clu races over and flattens the kid under his Light Cycle, derezzing him into tiny cubes.
N
o!” you shout. “No, No, NO, NO, NO!!!”
You stomp around the streetlamp. You can't believe this!
You run out into the intersection hoping you'll catch a glimpse
of your bike's taillights. You come to a standstill and blink a few
times. “This doesn't look familiar,” you murmur.
You know you haven't been to this part of town in a while, but somehow the street seems different from when you arrived just a few minutes ago. Maybe it's because of the fog.
Suddenly a blinding spotlight pierces the gloom, bathing you in bright white light.
You shade your eyes with your hand and squint up into the night sky. Your eyes widen. “Impossible!” you gasp. “Th-that looks like aâ¦like a ⦔
Hovering silently above you is a Recognizerâthe same upside-down U-shaped vehicle that sits in plastic mini form on your shelf at home. Your old night lightâonly a gazillion times bigger!
It can't be. But there it is. And there's only one possible explanation.
Iâ¦I'm inside the computer! you realize. In the system!
Panic rushes through you and you start to run. A loud rumbling sound makes you look down. No! The ground around your feet is shrinking! You're left trying to balance on a tiny concrete island, surrounded by a trench. You're not going anywhere.
“Identify yourself, program!” a booming voice orders from the Recognizer.
M
oments later, you rev your father's old Light Cycle as you ride toward the city rising in the distance.
At the center of the city is a monolithic skyscraper, sending out a pulsing light show from the very top of its spire. You remember seeing it from the Recognizer.
You cross a long narrow bridge and ride into the tangle of city streets. The energy crackles. This must be the energy Quorra meantâprograms and their vehicles can't travel anywhere without it.
You're surrounded by massive buildings with severe angular designs. They tower over you, making you feel tiny and insignificant.
Above you, a Recognizer cruises lazily, but you don't seem to have attracted attention. There are other vehicles and programs that also ignore you. So far, so good.
Soon the scene changes around you. Now the buildings are smaller, more rundown. More Sentries are out on patrol. You hear a booming voice announcing, “This is a restricted area. Authorized programs only. Violators without functionality or residence confirmation will be swiftly deleted.”
You see Sentries manning each corner, checking disc IDs of passing programs. You decide you'll attract less attention on foot so you ride into an alley and reluctantly leave your dad's bike there.
Y
ou turn around. “What makes you think I'm looking for someone?” you ask.
She steps up to you and smirks. She plucks the card Quorra gave you from your hand. “Intuition,” she says drily.
Your eyes narrow as you study her. How much should you reveal?
“I can help you, Sam,” she says. “I know who you're looking for. And you'll have better luck with me than on your own.”
She has a point. You nod slowly.
“My name is Gem. Come with me.” She links her arm though yours. “Whisper into my ear,” she tells you.
“Huh?”
“Just do it.”
Whatever. You lean into her and whisper, “I suppose you have a reasonâ¦.”
She laughs as if you're saying something brilliantly funny and waves at the nearby Sentries. They let you pass without a question.
The doors at the entrance slide open, revealing a glass elevator. You step inside and whoosh! The elevator rockets up the side of the building to the top.
The elevator stops and the door opens into a teeming nightclub. It overlooks the city. Gem takes your hand and walks you into the crowd.
“What is this place?” you ask.
“It's called the End of Line Club,” she tells you.
S
low down, kiddo,” you tell him. “First answer my questions.”
The kid rolls his eyes and sighs, as if this is the most boring conversation ever. “My name is Alex, and I've been sneaking in here for years.” He gives you a smug smile. “It's not as locked up as you think.”
You cock your head. “Years? You've been coming here since you were in diapers? You're not exactly old.” Alex scowls, then his forehead furrows. “Wait a sec! Who are you? And what are you doing in here?”
“You ask too many questions,” you tell him, suppressing a grin. You turn back to the computer screen. “Now let's see what I can do with this baby.”
Alex crosses his arms and pouts as you shove his chair out of the way. You stand, gazing down at the console. “Hmmmm.”
Suddenly Alex dashes in front of you. “I know!” he cries. “I bet the screen is interactive. No buttons to push!” His fingers hover over the screen, and then he circles the area called the Outlands. He presses down.
There is a blinding light and thenâwhoosh! You feel as if all the air is being sucked out of you. Crazy lights swirl around your eyes, and your feet fly out from under you. But you don't fallâwell, not exactly. It feels more like weightless free fall.
What is going on?