[Fanfiction] Tron: Vengeance

BE WARNED FOR SPOILERS IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T SEEN TRON LEGACY YET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


An idea I came up with for a sequel to Tron Legacy. I wanted to make a plot that seemed like a legitimate plot they would use for a movie sequel. The story takes place a year after Tron Legacy, where Sam Flynn has taken over the video game company ENCOM and has given The Grid, a virtual world inside of a computer, out to the people so that humans are able to freely enter The Grid at any time. While all this is going on, a man named Ed Dillinger Jr, who was on his way to becoming ENCOM's CEO until Sam Flynn stepped in, is planning a sinister plot to take out Flynn and take over the company.

For Tron Noobs:

What is The Grid?



The Grid is a vast part of the TRON system, programmed by Kevin Flynn. Often referred to by Flynn as his "digital frontier", the Grid was made to provide an experimental platform where all forms of research could be carried out at unparalleled speeds. Perceived time on the Grid is measured in cycles and run at a pace far greater than time perceived in the real world, thus allowing anyone immersed in the computer environment to perform the same functions in a fraction of the time it would take them otherwise.

Much of the Grid consists of a flat, dark platform with glowing blue, cyan, or white, ribbons of light covering it in a vast latticework. Within the Grid itself lies TRON City, a metropolis modeled on a real world city, which plays host to a diverse range of programs. The programs in turn carry out all the day-to-day running of the system. On the periphery of the Grid lies the Outlands, an inhospitable region where most programs never venture.



Who the heck is Kevin Flynn?



Kevin Flynn was a gifted computer programmer who, in 1982, created some best-selling video games for ENCOM which included Space Paranoids, Matrix Blaster, Vice Squad, and Lightcycles. As he developed his games, the code he wrote was stolen by fellow ENCOM programmer Ed Dillinger and Flynn was fired shortly after Dillinger became Executive VP. Later, as the VP of Creative Development, Flynn created TRON - an arcade game based on his experience inside the Computer World alongside the Tron program - and paved the way for ENCOM to become the largest video game company in the world. Meanwhile, Flynn married Jordan Canas and had a son named Sam. Following his wife's death in 1985, Flynn began to focus all of his efforts on creating "a digital frontier that will reshape the human condition."

In 1989, Flynn was on the verge of new discovery when he disappeared mysteriously and left behind Sam and his fortune. It wasn't until 2010 that Sam got a tip that led him to his father.



Who is Sam Flynn?



Sam Flynn is the 27 year-old son of famous video game creator, former ENCOM CEO and digital pioneer Kevin Flynn. He was born in 1983. His mother passed away in a car wreck in September 1985, leaving Sam and Kevin. In July 1989, Sam's father was on the verge of a major discovery when he disappeared with no trace, leaving Sam's grandparents to take care of him. Sam was seven when his father disappeared. Legally, Sam is the largest shareholder of ENCOM (a fortune which he inherited from his father when he disappeared). Sam is reclusive and lives modestly with his pet dog, Marv in a shipping container reconstituted into a home on the river with a beautiful view of the city and the ENCOM Tower itself.

He performs extreme stunts such as base jumping, motocross and parachuting. On April 2, 2010, Sam Flynn crashed the ENCOM Press Conference by jumping out of a helicopter and releasing a parachute with the numbers "89" printed on it. He flew over the crowd and landed right behind the ENCOM stage and took off in an SUV waiting near by.

Every year to mark the anniversary of his father's disappearance, he performs a daredevil stunt. According to Kevin and Sam's friend , Alan Bradley, Sam does this as a reaction to the pressure of following in his father's footsteps as well as getting people to pay attention and look deeper into the disappearance of his father.

In 2010, Alan Bradley told Sam that he had received a message from the telephone number of Flynn's Arcade; the number had been disconnected over 20 years earlier. Reluctantly, Sam headed over to his father's abandoned arcade to find a hidden office, complete with a digitizing laser. He then inadvertently triggered the digitzing laser and found himself transported into the TRON system.



Quorra Who?



Quorra is the confidante and apprentice of Kevin Flynn. Flynn has shared his knowledge of the real world with her, and as such, she longs to experience what lies outside the realm of possibility. She is the last known ISO alive and is referred to by Kevin Flynn as The Miracle.



CLU 2 too



CLU 2 (shortened to Clu or CLU), which stands for Codified Likeness Utility 2.0, was an artificial intelligence program that was written in 1983 by Kevin Flynn. He is based on an earlier hacker program Flynn wrote, which was derezzed by the MCP during the events of TRON. Clu 2 serves as the main antagonist of TRON: Legacy and is the secondary antagonist in TRON: Evolution. As with most programs, Clu 2 appears visually identical - albeit at a younger age - to his creator. He represents an evil digital doppelganger of Kevin Flynn and a twisted embodiment of Flynn's youth. He is addressed as "Your Excellency" by various characters.



The Identity Disc's



Identity Discs are the most fundamental piece of equipment to programs in both the Game Grid and in the TRON system. They contain all that a program is, in the form of a detachable glowing disc normally worn on the upper back. Everything seen, heard, or otherwise experienced is recorded on the disc.

Digitized users have often been issued with an identity disc shortly after arrival inside the system. Although a human being is a far more complex entity than a basic program, they still appear to need the device during prolonged stays when digitized. The discs of users can perform all of the same operations as for basics.

Aside from its primary function as a receptacle of a digital entity's entire being, the identity disc is also a weapon. When energized they have a lethal cutting edge that can derezz an opponent instantly with a direct hit. this damaging capability can be applied in very close quarters brawling fights where the disc can be used as a short bladed weapon, and also a buckler shield. The primary combat application however is as a thrown weapon. In this capacity the disc is hurled at a target, and may ricochet off unyielding surfaces, before returning directly to its owner. Skilled users can even curve a disc in a shallow arc to avoid striking things blocking the line of sight to a target beyond. The leading edge of an identity disc does nothing to harm its owner and can be readily caught, even when travelling at very high speeds.

Some images depict outer rings of a matching color to the inner ring, although these can be attributed to various art concepts as they were under development.



The appearance of an identity disc is of a solid ring with a glowing inner edge. The color of the inner edge matches the circuitry color of it's owner. The outer edge, when energized, becomes a brilliantly glowing nimbus of white light with a slight tint of the owner's circuitry color. Older identity discs in the Game Grid appeared as a solid disc of their owner's color, with several glowing concentric rings on the surface.



The awesomeness of Lightcycle's (5th Generation)



The 5th generation Lightcycle is the TRON: Legacy-era upgrade of the original lightcycle and its design more closely resembles a real-world motorcycle. As such, it lacks the canopy sported by the 1st and 2nd-generation cycles, and features headlights so that programs can easily navigate dark environments. It is also powered by pure liquid energy, and the Light Ribbons it produces can be toggled on or off at any time, unlike the earlier generation Jetwalls which were constant on the Game Grid. Speed can also be increased by pushing the front and rear ends of the vehicle further apart, partially exposing its engine in the process.

Furthermore, in keeping with the cycle's more realistic redesign, programs won't automatically derezz upon crashing. While direct collisions with a light ribbon still prove fatal, the lightcycle will often dissolve underneath its rider, leaving them to sustain injuries in a manner akin to a real-world accident.

5th generation lightcycles are not persistent. They are generated from a baton, with the baton splitting in half and forming the lightcycle between the two halves and below the rider. The remaining halves of the baton also form the handlebars of the lightcycle. When creating a lightcycle from a baton, the rider typically does so with a running leap to assume the necessary posture, and clearance from the ground, to allow the lightcycle to form.

The Plot of Tron (BIG SPOILER):

Kevin Flynn is a young and gifted programmer who once worked for the software mega-corporation ENCOM. Flynn created several video games on the ENCOM mainframe while working after hours with the aim of eventually creating his own games company. Before he is ready to present his projects to senior management, his work is stolen by another programmer, Ed Dillinger. Dillinger locks Flynn out of the system and goes on to present the games as his own work, thus earning himself a series of promotions.

Three years later, Dillinger is now a senior executive of ENCOM, and the company is run mainly by the Master Control Program (MCP), an artificial intelligence that started as Dillinger's chess program. Flynn, after being fired by Dillinger, has been reduced to running his own video game arcade, which ironically features several of the games he created. As a result, he attempts to break into the ENCOM mainframe and find the evidence he needs to prove Dillinger's wrongdoing. The MCP catches one of Flynn's computer programs, Clu, poking around in sensitive memory and "de-resolutes" (erases) the program. The MCP then summons Dillinger to discuss the matter, and Dillinger authorizes it to shut down access to all personnel in Flynn's former security group (Group-7 access). In the process, it inadvertently locks out a current ENCOM employee, Alan Bradley.

Alan goes to speak with Dillinger, and in the process reveals that he is working on a security program named Tron, which would be used to monitor communications between ENCOM and outside systems. When asked, he states that it would not be a part of the MCP, but rather that it would serve as a watchdog for the MCP as well. Dillinger dismisses him quickly, only to be confronted by the MCP about Alan's project. The MCP informs Dillinger that it plans to take over the Pentagon's computer systems, having calculated that it can run things "900 to 1200 times better than any human." When Dillinger attempts to reassert his control over the MCP, it essentially blackmails him into keeping quiet and complying with its wishes.

Meanwhile, Alan goes to speak with his girlfriend, Lora, an ENCOM laser lab technician and Flynn's ex-girlfriend. In the lab, Lora and her coworker Walter (who started ENCOM in his garage) have just successfully digitized an orange using a powerful laser (causing it to disappear and reappear intact). Alan and Lora later set off to Flynn's arcade/apartment to warn him that Dillinger knows about his hacking. After being convinced that Flynn is looking for evidence that he was cheated by Dillinger, Alan and Lora sneak him into the laser lab, where he works on forging an access code for a different security group. This would allow him to find the information he is looking for, and would also allow Alan to finish his work and get Tron online.

Flynn settles down at Lora's lab terminal, where her laser points directly at the terminal. As Flynn tries to gain access to the system, he confronts the MCP. While he "chats" with the MCP, it takes control of the laser and suddenly digitizes Flynn into the world inside the computer, where programs are physical characters that resemble their creators.

Flynn materializes in the digital world and is taken to a holding pit. There, a financial program, Ram, tells Flynn that he is a "guest" of the Master Control Program, and that he is going to be made to play games. Flynn, who is convinced that he is dreaming, seems excited about this at first, saying "I play games better than anybody."

Flynn and a number of other Programs are soon taken to meet Sark (Dillinger's counterpart in the digital world). Sark tells each of the Programs that either they can join the MCP willingly, or they will be forced to compete in gladiator-style games that will result in their eventual elimination. Each Program receives an identity disc that stores their actions and experiences, and also doubles as a powerful weapon. On their way back to the holding pen, Flynn sees Tron fighting a number of other Programs, and Ram tells him that Tron fights for the Users.

Before he can return to the holding pit, Flynn is taken to his first game. The game is essentially a vertical version of Jai Alai, except that the players stand on platforms made up of concentric rings that disappear when the ball hits them, forcing them to jump over the gaps. Flynn is forced to face Crom, "one of his own kind" according to Sark. After several volleys, Crom falls off his platform and struggles to climb back up. When Flynn refuses to finish off his opponent, Sark terminates the game and sends Crom plummeting to his death. However, he spares Flynn, recalling the MCP's admonition: "I want him in the games until he dies playing."

Flynn returns to a holding area where Ram and Tron are waiting for him. Flynn immediately mistakes Tron for Alan, and Tron reveals that Alan is his User. Feigning disorientation, Flynn says that he's starting to remember "all kinds of stuff", including that his "User" wants him to take out the MCP. Tron states that that is his goal as well, but before they can talk much more, the three are taken to the Light cycle arena. In here, the three must attempt to guide their opponents into their trails. They team up and manage to force one of their enemies into the side of the arena, opening a large crack in the wall through which they escape. Sark quickly launches his security forces (which consist of Flynn's Tank and Recognizer programs) to seek them out.

Flynn and Ram are hit. The three locate an I/O tower that Tron needs to access in order to communicate with Alan, but on the way, Flynn's and Ram's Light Cycles are destroyed by a Tank and Tron is separated from the group. Flynn takes the injured Ram to a pile of junk, which turns out to be a damaged Recognizer. He "accidentally" activates it and starts for the I/O tower, but on the way, Ram begins to die. Ram asks Flynn if he is a User, and then he asks Flynn to help Tron just before he dies and de-rezzes.

Meanwhile, Tron breaks into a simulation chamber where a Solar Sailer is being constructed. There, he finds Yori, a program written by Lora. After Tron breaks Yori out of her reporting routine, the two programs make their way to the I/O tower and confront Dumont (Walter's computer counterpart), the keeper of the tower. He grants Tron access to the port, and Tron receives the critical instructions he needs from Alan in order to destroy the Master Control Program. They then make their way back to the Solar Sailer, narrowly escaping Sark's forces, and set off for the MCP. Along the way, Flynn rejoins them, having accidentally disguised himself as one of Sark's troops. He explains to Tron and Yori at this point that he is actually a User.

Sark eventually captures Flynn and Yori, ramming the Solar Sailer with his ship. Sark then disembarks and begins de-rezzing the ship. Although Yori and the ship begin to fade away around him, Flynn manages to keep her alive and the ship intact. Yori believes Tron to be dead, but in reality, Tron has escaped on Sark's shuttle, which lands nearby the MCP's core. Here, a number of captured programs, including Dumont, are locked against a wall to face the MCP, which appears as a giant red face on a huge spinning cylinder. The MCP senses Tron's presence and sends Sark out to battle him, and then the MCP begins to tell the Programs of their impending fate: "You will each become a part of me, and together, we will be complete."

Sark and Tron battle on the mesa, until Tron gains the upper hand, severely damaging Sark and destroying his disc. The MCP then transfers his functions to Sark, causing him to grow many times Tron's size. Tron begins to attack the MCP directly, attempting to break through the shield protecting its core. As the battle continues, Yori guides the remains of Sark's ship toward the core, where Flynn jumps inside. This distracts the MCP long enough for Tron to throw his disc through a gap in the shield, destroying the MCP.

The digital world comes alive after the MCP's defeat. I/O towers light up all over the landscape, and the Programs rejoice in the fact that their world has become a free system. They ponder Flynn's fate, but Flynn is sent back to the real world, the laser re-materializing him at the terminal. A nearby printer then begins printing the evidence that Flynn's programs were "annexed" by Dillinger.

Dillinger arrives at the office the next morning to discover a message on his computer's screen showing the evidence of his wrongdoing, and it can be implied that the evidence has been sent to every computer at ENCOM, and sometime that day Dillinger will be either fired or arrested. The movie closes with a brief scene where Alan and Lora greet Flynn at the helicopter pad on top of the ENCOM building. Flynn is now the chief executive of the company.


The Plot of Tron Legacy (BIGGEST SPOILER!!!!!!!!):

In 1989, Kevin Flynn - now CEO of ENCOM - tells his son Sam the story of his adventures in the Grid and about how he, Tron and Clu discovered something amazing and miraculous. Sam asks about it, but is told to wait for next time as Kevin leaves for work. It then cuts to a montage of events and news reports reporting Kevin's disappearance, which has not only jeopardized ENCOM's future, but has also left Sam as an orphan.

The year is now 2010, where the now-adult Sam breaks into the ENCOM Tower and steals ENCOM's newest operating system OS 12, releasing it online as part of his annual prank on the company. After being chased to the top of the tower by a security guard, Sam reveals himself as the major shareholder of ENCOM, who then attempts to freefall off the tower only for his parachute to snag onto a traffic light. As he tries to reach his motorbike on foot, he is arrested and is eventually released a few hours later.

Sam eventually returns to his apartment where he meets Alan Bradley, he tells him about a page he received from his father's office in the arcade, which has been disconnected for over 20 years. Reluctantly following the tip, Sam locates a hidden doorway behind the arcade's TRON game which leads him to a secret workshop. He begins searching through his father's computer and unknowingly activates a digitizing ray which transports into the digital world. As the confused young man steps out onto the Grid, he is captured by a Recognizer, and the programs within assign him to the games.

He is then taken down to the armory Sirens, to be clad in armour and given an Identity Disc. He arrives in the Disc Wars Arena which he narrowly survives, only to face Rinzler in the final round, who recognizes Sam as a user after seeing him bleed. The Grid's leader, who has been watching the events from a Command Ship, has Sam brought to him. As the two talk, Sam believes at first that he is speaking to his father, before realizing it to be Clu, who Kevin had described to Sam as being "...made in my own image."

Clu has Sam sent to the Lightcycle arena, while a masked woman watches them unnoticed. Sam is teamed with several other programs in the ensuing duel against Clu and his followers, but ends up as the sole survivor of his group. He is saved from deresolution by the stranger who, while driving away in a Light Runner, introduces herself as Quorra. She takes him to Kevin, who explains that he was working with Tron and Clu to make the Grid into a "perfect" system. However, a brand new type of program manifested itself within the Grid. These "Isomorphic Algorithms" - or ISOs - were the miracle Kevin spoke of before his disappearance, and he felt they represented revolutionary potential to "change the human condition". Clu, however, saw the ISOs as an imperfection within the system and felt betrayed when Flynn chose to embrace the ISOs. Clu betrayed his friends in order to take control of the system and purge it of all ISOs. Tron fought for Flynn and was never seen again. Flynn remained trapped in the Grid when the portal back home closed on him.

Later, Sam argues with his father as he believes they can still make their way to the portal - which will remain open for eight Grid-world hours - and return home, but Kevin objects, citing that this is exactly what Clu would want: a prime opportunity to steal Kevin's Identity Disc, the "Master Key" that could give Clu complete, unrestricted access to the TRON system.

Sam decides that if he could at least make it to the portal, he and Alan could shut down Clu from the outside. Quorra sympathizes and sends Sam to find a program named Zuse, who may be able to help Sam. With his mind made up, Sam takes off in Kevin's Lightcycle. Later in the night, Kevin finds Sam missing and resolves to come out of hiding to go after his son. Sam abandons Kevin's Lightcycle in the city, where Clu's operatives are able to trace its point of origin to Flynn's Safehouse in the Outlands. However, Clu finds the refuge abandoned, having just missed Flynn.

As Sam explores the city he crosses paths with the Siren Gem, who offers to take him where he needs to go. At the End of Line Club, Gem calls on club-owner Castor who reveals himself to be Zuse. Zuse, a self-interested program, betrays Sam to Clu, whose Black Guard arrive to apprehend him. Quorra and Kevin arrive in time to intervene: Quorra's arm is derezzed in the ensuing brawl and Kevin's disc is stolen as the trio escape. Clu, later double-crosses Castor, destroying the End of Line club, and derezzing Castor and Gem in the process.

Kevin and Sam argue over their next course-of-action, deciding to take a Solar Sailer to the portal. As he repairs her arm, Kevin reveals Quorra as the last surviving ISO. Afterwards, Sam and Kevin bond with each other while Quorra's system reboots. Upon awakening, Quorra and Sam begin to show more interest in each another. She speaks about how she met Kevin, as well as her desire to see the real world. When she asks Sam to describe a sunrise, he compares it to her: "warm, radiant and beautiful".

Unbeknownst to them, the Solar Sailer's course is diverted, taking them instead to a massive carrier-ship, The Rectifier, where they discover that Clu is forcibly repurposing programs in order to form his own army. As they try to find an escape, Kevin recognizes Rinzler as his old friend, Tron, who was also repurposed by Clu. Quorra runs off from the Flynns to distract the approaching Rinzler, getting herself captured and then presented to Clu. Upon recognizing her as an ISO, Clu threatens to having something special in mind for her, before dismissing Quorra and Rinzler.

As Kevin and Sam debate their next move, Clu addresses his army of repurposed programs, revealing his grand plan. Having secured Kevin's disc, Clu is now able to take his carrier and army to invade the real world in order to "perfect" it. While Kevin seeks transport for their escape, Sam makes his way to Clu's Command Ship for Quorra and Kevin's disc. After a failed attempt to quiz Clu's henchman Jarvis on Quorra's whereabouts, Rinzler returns to the Command Ship with Quorra and engages Sam once again. Sam emerges victorious, disarming Rinzler and leaving him hanging over a ledge. Sam and Quorra use a parachute-like device to make their escape, meeting up with Kevin on the flight deck. Clu returns to his Command Ship to find the disc gone and derezzes Jarvis for letting them escape. Clu, Rinzler and his Black Guard then give chase in their Light Jets.

Sam and Quorra manage to blast all the Black Guards out of the sky, leaving Rinzler and Clu in pursuit. When Kevin makes eye contact with him, Rinzler begins to regain his memories as Tron and abandons the chase, leaving the frustrated Clu to pursue them instead. Tron intervenes, knocking Clu out of the sky. In free-fall, Tron readies a second Light Jet, but Clu wrestles it from him and goes after the Flynns. Tron is left unconscious and sinking into the Sea of Simulation.

As the trio head towards the portal, Kevin asks Quorra to do something for him. Clu awaits them as they reach their destination and confronts Kevin, insisting he was simply following the directive programmed into him, that it was Kevin who betrayed his promise to make a perfect world together. Kevin accepts the accusation, apologizing for setting Clu on such an impossible task. Clu attacks Kevin and Sam retaliates, but Kevin sends Quorra to get Sam to the portal. The bridge to the portal breaks off, separating the group whilst Clu goes for Kevin's disc. But he is shocked to find that it is Quorra's disc instead - the two had switched discs en route. Outraged, Clu jumps the gap after Sam and Quorra, just as they activate the portal. But just before Clu can reach the portal, Kevin telekinetically seizes and then reintegrates him, destroying them both, along with Clu's approaching carrier and his entire army, in a brilliant and massive explosion.

Back in the real world, Sam copies the Grid from Kevin's old servers onto a small microchip he wears around his neck (bearing a small circle that looks exactly like the original identity disc). Alan Bradley arrives after receiving another page, and Sam tells him he will take over ENCOM, and that Alan was right about everything. Quorra waits for him outside the arcade and asks what's next. Sam's reply, "I guess we're supposed to change the world." Sam then takes her to see her first sunrise.


Those are the basics. This info was obtained at the Tron Wikia page at Tron Wiki - Tron, Tron Legacy, Tron Evolution and more



If you still need to learn more, head on over there...



Tron Vengeance


The Grid.
A digital frontier.
I tried to picture clusters of information as they moved through the computer.
What do they look like? Ships, motorcycles.
With the circuits like freeways.
I kept dreaming of a world I thought I'd never see.
And then, one day... I got in.

CHAPTER ONE:

LEGACY


Quorra held tightly onto Sam's back as they sped down the highway on his Ducati. She loved the excitement of going at high speed, the wind whipping through her hair. To her, the world outside of the Grid was so bright and beautiful, and she was so grateful to Sam for getting her out of the Grid. Quorra looked up at the tall skyscrapers, reaching up at the blue sky. The magnificent sky, unlike anything on the Grid.

"We're almost there." Sam said, looking straight ahead, the ENCOM tower in sight. Quorra looked over his shoulder and smiled.

"We're almost home." Quorra sighed.

Sam parked the Ducati inside of ENCOM's private garage. He took of his helmet, placed it over the handle, and walked toward the elevator, Quorra keeping pace right next to him.

"How's maintenance on the Grid?" Quorra asked when they reached the elevator.

"It's going fine." Sam pushed the button to reach the top floor. "We haven't had a server crash at all and Alan has been handling everything perfectly."

Quorra looked at the number glowing over the elevator door, there were still thirty flights to the top. She looked over at Sam, who was absorbed in his iPad, probably handling matters involving ENCOM stock. She was surprised at how much he matured in the past year, yet she found herself missing the old Sam. She missed his crazy ENCOM stunts, his insane methods that always made him the center of the press's attention.

"Hey, Sam," Quorra leaned over his shoulder. "Remember that time you were late to the press meeting outside of the tower?"

Which time?" Sam asked, his eyes fixed on his iPad.

"You know, the time when you skydived into the middle of the crowd." Quorra laughed. "Everyone forgot that you were almost fifteen minutes late."

Sam looked up at Quorra, who was still laughing, and smiled. "If I remember correctly, you were a little upset about that."

Quorra stopped laughing. "Well, I wanted you to be more mature. You had just become the CEO of ENCOM, and I didn't want the press to call you childish."

"Well, it's been a while since I've done anything crazy like that." Sam sighed. "Being CEO has been a very enduring task."

Quorra put her hand on Sam's shoulder and gave him a small pat. "Well, I'm happy for you. Not many people are able to pull off what you have done."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Gentlemen," Sam Flynn announced to the small group of men sitting around the black table in the center of the ENCOM meeting room. "ENCOM is at an all time high. We have sold more video gaming products than Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft combined and tripled. I'd say that we are doing pretty well."

The room filled with cheers and applause. Quorra, who was standing in the back, gave a loud "Whoop!"

"Now, on to the Grid." Sam walked over to a computer in the room and grabbed a little device lying next to the monitor. He pushed the button on the device and a massive screen in the front of the room turned on, all sorts of complicated charts and numbers popped up. "The Grid has been immensely popular, with over three hundred million users. ENCOM Digitizing Rays, the necessary equipment for entering the Grid, is in homes, libraries, stores, etc. Excellent job, gentlemen. To finish off my speech, please welcome your one and only chairman of the board, Mr. Alan Bradley."

Quorra turned and smiled at the man standing next to her, giving him a little shove as he walked up to the front. Alan stood in front of the small crowd and ran his hand through his graying hair.

"Well," He started. "Mr. Flynn pretty much summed it up, we've had a pretty good fiscal year in ENCOM. The Grid has stayed steady and we haven't had any crashes, and the Steadhold Glitch was handled excellently by our Grid Management team, so congratulations to them and the countless nights they stayed late slaving away." There was applause, and four men stood up, giving a small bow. "We are beginning a new division of Grid Programmers, which we have called System Expansion. The System gets bigger every day; these programmers will help maintain the chaos of the increases in the size of the System. Speak to Ed Dillinger if you wish to apply, you can find out more from him or on our employee website..."

Sam walked past Quorra and tapped her shoulder, ushering her to leave the room with him. Sam and Quorra walked out into the hallway, and Quorra gave him a puzzled look.

"I'm going into the Grid. I want you to watch the System from the outside." Sam said while walking down to a door four doors down from the meeting room, Quorra right behind him.

"There's no need to explain that," Quorra rolled her eyes. "It's the same process every time."

Sam and Quorra entered the small room. Quorra looked around at the various machinery that all turned on when Sam flipped on the lights. In the center of the room was a chair facing away from a small laser machine: The Digitizing Ray. Sam sat in the chair and Quorra walked over to the console controlling the ray and then looked over at Sam. He nodded, and Quorra pushed a big, blue button.

The Digitizing Ray came to life and Sam gave one last look at Quorra before he felt something slam into his back and saw everything go black.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
INFINITE BLACKNESS.

A VOICE. SEVERAL VOICES. MEMORIES...

FATHER: "The Grid. A digital frontier. I tried to picture clusters of information as they Moved through the computer. What do they look like? Ships, motorcycles. With the circuits like freeways. I kept dreaming of a world I thought I'd never see. And then, one day..."

SON:"You went in?"

FATHER: "That's right. I got in."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

YOUNG MAN: "Alan, you're acting like I'm going to find him sittin' at work, just, 'Hey, kiddo, lost track of time.'"

SURROGATE FATHER: "Wouldn't that be something."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SURROGATE FATHER:"I promised you that if I ever got any information about your dad, I'd tell you first, right? I was paged last night; came from your dad's office at the arcade."

YOUNG MAN: "So?"

SURROGATE FATHER: "So? That number has been disconnected for twenty years! Two nights before he disappeared, he came to my house. He said he was about to change everything - science, medicine, religion. He wouldn't have left that, Sam. He wouldn't have left you."


.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Sam opened his eyes and looked around himself. The walls were made of a reflective black material that had glowing white lines running along it, like circuit boards. There were various lockers all along the sides of the room, each of them glowing bright blue. At the end of the room was a dark blue door. Sam moved towards the door and pressed his hand against the pad to the right of the door. The door moved slightly, splitting into three pieces, the two bottom pieces, forming two right triangles, sunk into the ground and the piece in the middle, forming an upside down isosceles, disappeared into the top. Sam walked through.

The next room he entered was larger than the previous room and had a large glowing pad in the middle. In each of the four corners of the room there were pods holding four beautiful women: The Sirens. When Sam stood on the pad the four pods opened and the Sirens awoke, walking slowly toward him. Sam stood patiently as they stripped him of his clothes and his skin was slowly covered with the black material of the Grid suits, all the way up to his neck. The Sirens walked to a table in the back and grabbed the armor pieces, then they walked back over to him and placed them on his arms, legs, chest and back. One of the Sirens came over with his Identity Disc and attached it to his back. Sam felt himself getting programmed into the disc. Three of the Sirens returned to their pods and returned to their sleep. The fourth Siren, a long-haired brunette, came over to Sam with his Grid Helmet/Mask. She pulled him in for a kiss and put the mask over his head.

"You need to come back more often, Mr. Flynn" The Siren ran her finger over his helmet.

"I'm here twice a day." Sam laughed, the mask causing his voice to deepen.

"You should be here always." The Siren turned slowly, smiled, and walked back into her pod. "We don't service anyone other than you, Sam, and it can get a little lonely sometime."

"How about we get a drink after all this is done?"

"I'll be counting the minutes until your return." The Siren fell to sleep.

"Rest, Yullie." The wall in the back of the room rose into the ceiling and revealed a wide hallway leading to a flood of bright lights. Sam walked toward the light and entered the massive stadium of the Battle Grid. The instant he stepped out he was no longer Sam Flynn, he was Annex. The greatest fighter in all the System...



END OF CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO:

LOGICAL FALLACY

The Identity Disc flew through the air, narrowly passing by the head of a blue fighter lucky enough to duck just in time. The identity disc bounced off of the transparent walls of the battle box and back into the hands of its red owner. The two programs stared each other down, waiting for the next move. The two were locked in a furious deadlock, deaf to the loud cheering of the crowd. The blue fighter tightened his grip on his disc, twisted on his feet, spun, and threw the disc as hard as he could at the opposing enemy. The red program crouched down low, pushed off of the ground, backflipped onto the wall behind him, and kicked off the wall, flipping over the disc and lunging toward the blue fighter. He landed in front of the blue fighter, ducked to avoid the returning disc that the blue fighter caught, and the two swung their discs at each other and met in mid air. The two tried their hardest to push the other back.

"Program," The red one spoke. "Give it up, you are no match to me."

"I'm not a program." The blue armored fighter whispered inaudibly, then he kicked the red program in the stomach, who rolled back onto his feet and leaped back at him. The blue fighter twisted out of the way, and watched the red program roll past him. The blue fighter ran at the red program, who turned to face him, but it was too late. The blue fighter slammed the disc into the red programs helmet. The battle was over. It was time to hear his name announced as the winner.

"Loxan eliminated. The winner is Annex."

Loxan stood up and shook his head. "Annex, you are too strong, program. Despite my hours of training, you have bested me." The program dropped to his knees.

"Umm. It's alright, man." Annex, Sam, scratched the back of his helmet. "You can stand up, I've fought a lot of battles here so I'm pretty experienced."

"You are too humble." The box opened up and a platform appeared that led back to the waiting rooms. Sam walked out of the arena slowly, taking in the noise of the crowd shouting his name. Well, Annex's name. Sam returned to the locker room to rest.

"Win another match, Annex?" Sam turned around right as he reached the door to the locker room. Standing behind him was Quorra. "Why is it that up in the real world, you're so serious, but down here you're messing around on the Battle Grid with your own secret identity?"

"Sometimes it's nice to take a break from the ENCOM drama." Sam sighed. "Dillinger confronted me about my methods again, you know."

"Well, you wanna head out somewhere then? Maybe stop by Flynn's Cafe?"

Sam once again scratched the back of his helmet. "Umm... I've already got plans with a program... Maybe later?"

"Oh." Sam though he saw a faint sign of sadness appear in her solid facial expression. "Well, I'll see you up top then."


Sam watched Quorra walk away as he opened the massive door that lead to his locker room. He walked into the room and took of his helmet. He sighed and massaged his neck. He knew that Quorra would be moody when he returns to the surface.

"I'll take that helmet." Sam turned around and saw Yullie walking toward him. Sam handed her the helmet and she went and placed it on a hook on the wall. "Still on for our date?"

"Of course." Sam said. "I wouldn't forget something that important."

"Where are we going?"

"Flynn's Cafe." Sam said, knowing that anyone who heard his previous conversation with Quorra would think he was a douche for saying this. Truth was, he didn't know anywhere else to go eat where he would enjoy the food.

"Mmm. Sounds good."

"Alright. I'm gonna go get an energy shower, then I'll meet you outside the Stadium." Yullie nodded and walked away as Sam walked towards the end of the locker room, where lay a corner that led to the shower. Sam stepped into the shower. The energy shower didn't make anyone wet, so Sam didn't have to take off his Grid Suit. He turned on the water and felt his body surge with energy, and his body becoming cleaner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yullie sipped wine from her translucent wine glass while staring at Sam who was looking off into space. He seemed to be only half there. She sighed and took another sip.

"What are you thinking about, Sam?" She asked.

"Hmm?" Sam turned to face her. "I'm sorry, there's just a lot to take care of in the System."

"That's all?" Yullie asked skeptically. "I saw you talking to Quorra before I came over by you."

"Quorra and I talk all the time, she's my assistant." Yullie was giving Sam a hard look.

"She seemed upset about something."

"What does it matter?" Sam shouted. "I'm here with you now, aren't I?"

Yullie flinched. She sighed and stood up. "Listen, I think I'm going to go back to my pod."

"Wait!" Sam stood up and grabbed her arm as she was turning to leave. "I'm sorry, please don't go."

Yullie sighed and sat back down. "You don't have a handle on what you want yet, do you?"

Sam slouched back into his chair and looked around himself, various programs and users were sitting at tables and drinking and eating. Sam looked at his plate of food at the table and realized that he hadn't even touched it yet.

"What do I want?" Sam muttered. "What more do I want? I am known by millions of people across the world. I am the head of ENCOM, the most successful company in the world. What more could I want?"

"How about what you need?" Yullie stared into Sam's eyes. "Someone to share it all with. That person isn't me, Sam."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sam Flynn has absolutely no idea what he is doing!" Edward Dillinger Junior slammed his fist onto the black table. "He's going to run ENCOM into the ground if he keeps giving The System out for free!"

Alan Bradley sat calmly at the desk Dillinger just dented. "He's not giving it out for free. People have to buy the lasers."

"Oooh..." Dillinger rolled his eyes. "$400 a machine. What about when everyone has those things? Then they won't have to pay for anything! How much money will we be making then, Alan? I'll answer that! NONE!"

"Calm yourself, Mr. Dillinger." Alan said. "The people are still buying ENCOM video games for consoles. We are still making a ton of money."

"But we could be making SO much more." Dillinger moaned. "Now I'm supposed to participate in some adhocracy to help maintain order in the System? We wouldn't have to maintain so much order if the System wasn't free!"

"These decisions are not yours to make, Edward. Sam will handle them, even if there are repurcussions." Alan said. "If you want to keep your job, I suggest that you get back to work."

Dillinger sighed and looked at his feet. "I'm just thinking of what's best for this company."

"So is Sam."

Dillinger ran his hand through his hair and turned to walk out the door. "Sam Flynn can shove his ideas up his rectal database." He whispered as he left the room.

Dillinger marched slowly walked through the hall towards the elevator at the end. He was angry at Sam Flynn for taking away his future. He was supposed to become CEO of ENCOM. He was supposed to sail this company into the future. Then Flynn arrived. Sam Flynn, who held no interest in ENCOM a year ago, then suddenly appeared with a world changing program. He was praised, he was put to the top, Dillinger was cast aside.

As Dillinger pressed the button in the elevator to reach the fifth floor, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. Dillinger dialed in his father's number. The phone rang, and rang, and rang.

"Hello?" A voice cracked through the receiver.

"Dad," Dillinger said. "I need your help."

"What is it?" There was a loud gulp. Dillinger figured that he was drinking coffee.

"It's Flynn."

"Let me guess, you're actually going to do what I suggested you do from the beginning."

"Yes... Bring me the files..."

END OF CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE:

THE GAME HAS CHANGED

Ed Dillinger Jr. handed his father a small cup of coffee and sat at his desk across from him. His father reached into his pocket and pulled out a flash drive, placing it on his desk. Dillinger looked at the flash drive for a while before reaching out to grab the little device.

"Is this it?" Dillinger asked.

"Yes." His father responded, taking a sip from the coffee. "I've had that file since nineteen eighty-three. It was very difficult to rebuild after Kevin Flynn destroyed it all those years ago."

"What is it, exactly?" Dillinger put the flash drive in his pocket.

"The program inside is known as Sark. It is a seeker/creator program, so it can help you find specific programs and it can gather data and create from it. This Sark is an update from my original program. This Sark is capable of duplicating his own data, so if you put it into the computer, it'll spread. Very fast."

"Does it destroy?" Dillinger licked his lips.

"Only if you command it to..." Dillinger's father adjusted his position in the chair. "Listen, take out Flynn. Eliminate him from the inside, use Sark to do such. ENCOM was always meant to be placed into your hands, my boy."

"I..." Dillinger stared at the ceiling. "I'm not sure about this... I don't want to kill Sam."

"Fine then." Dillinger's father finished his coffee. "Trap him in the system; use Sark to trap him in there. Stick him in a private server, and keep him monitored. There are many solutions to your issue."

Dillinger got out of his chair and grabbed his father's empty coffee cup. He walked over to his coffee brewer and grabbed a coffee kettle. He filled the cup and walked back over, placing it back in front of his father. Dillinger then walked behind his chair and stared out through the blinds of his large window.

"I'll do it." Dillinger lowered a blind and saw Quorra walking through the parking lot. "I've got to bait him in though."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The stadium was flooded with lights and a big crowd of users and programs circled around the Battle Grid. Sam, currently Annex, walked out into the middle of the massive grid. A hexagonal hole appeared on the floor in front of Sam and out rose a masked program. Along his body ran yellow glowing lines going down from his neck to his feet. The programs mask had an oval-like shape and was pitch black. Staring into it was like staring into a void. Another program arrived from the distance. This one was holding a small rectangular case.

"Welcome all!" The program with the case, the announcer, spoke into a tiny microphone attached to his ear. "We have our champion, Annex, facing off against a rising warrior known only as Devi. This new warrior is ready to face his greatest challenge in his life! He is ready to take on the mountain that is Annex, a program so skilled even Users think twice before facing him!"

Sam looked over at Devi to see if there were any signs of nervousness from the warrior. Devi stared back, no sound escaping his mask, no sign of flinching. He was as solid as a wall.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen... it is time... FOR LIGHT CYCLES!" The announcer opened the case and Sam and Devi reached for two tiny rectangular objects. "Now... Begin!"

Sam held on tight to both ends of the object. He looked over at Devi, nodded, and ran into a full sprint. Sam leaped into the air, pulled on both ends of the object to separate them, and watched these yellow lines forming into tires and engines and, in a split-second, Sam was on a Light Cycle, the rectangular object now the handles of the bike.

The Light Cycle accelerated and Sam took a right, looking for Devi. He noticed the second Light Cycle. Devi was headed right at him.

"Let's play." Sam whispered. He sped toward Devi and flipped a switch on the handlebar. A liquid blue ribbon of light appeared from the back of the Light Cycle. He watched as Devi's Light Cycle ignited its yellow ribbon. Sam hooked right forming a wall in front of Devi but, just as Sam figured, Devi was not an idiot and he hooked left. Sam watched as Devi began to catch up to him. Sam waited until Devi was close to him on his left side before hooking another right. Devi immediately followed, and Sam immediately hooked left giving Devil little time to react. "It's over."

Sam looked back and saw, to his dismay that Devi had leaped into the air above the wall of light his Light Cycle back into its handles. Devi separated the handles in mid air and fell to the floor in his light cycle, immediately picking up speed. Sam was dumbfounded.

Devi circled around heading towards Sam once again. Sam quickly surveyed his environment, any moment now the field was going to change. But he didn't have a moment; Devi was too quick for his maneuvers. Sam sped forward and Devi began closing in on his right side. Sam hooked right, and then left, rode fast for a while and hooked left again before once again hooking right and speeding off in the direction he started in. He hoped to delay Devi until the stage changed but, to his horror, he watched Devi leap into the air above the two walls of light he created before landing and chasing him, now on his left side.

The floor of the Grid began shaking and Sam smiled. Walls rose from the floor, paths opened up leading to a lower level of the arena, and Sam watched as a couple of massive flying red vehicles in the shape of an upside down "u" appeared. Recognizers. Sam knew that Devi was inexperienced with these obstacles as they only appeared in the champion stage. Sam knew that Devi stood no chance because the game had changed.

The Recognizers chased after Sam and Devi, dropping bombs onto the Grid. Sam weaved through the explosions while Devi jerked right, narrowly avoiding a pillar that was rising. Sam looked over at him and noticed that his driving had become more nervous. Sam hooked and raced off to intercept Devi. He passed in front of him and created a wall which Devi would have no chance of avoiding. Sam looked back to see the mess, but Devi was gone. Sam looked below him and saw Devi driving on the lower level of the Grid. Right before he would have hit the ribbon of light, a ramp opened in front of Devi and saved him. Pure luck.

Sam veered off; heading towards a nearby ramp, Devi's will to survive was starting to tick him off. Sam sped down the ramp and saw Devi ahead of him. He pushed the pedal to the floor and blazed toward the enduring program, heading straight at his cycle, his only intent to smash him at his side. Devi looked over at him and saw him flying towards him as fast as he could, so he hit the brakes. Sam blazed past him and Devi performed a U-Turn, heading back towards the ramp he came down. Sam slammed the brakes and twisted his handle, drifting his bike and narrowly avoiding the wall of the arena. He pulled back on the handle and jumped his bike over the wall of light Devi had created. Sam headed back to the ramp he dropped down, being careful to avoid the trail he created that had not yet disappeared.

He was beginning to sweat. How long had this match been going? Usually he busted his opponents long before the champion stage. Sam looked around for Devi, but he was nowhere to be found. He looked left, right, and down. Nothing. Sam's eyes followed the yellow trail Devi's Light Cycle left behind. The trail led to a ramp and up in the air, straight to the top of a Recognizer. There he was waiting. Devi watched Sam from the top of the Recognizer and Sam knew that if he wasn't wearing his mask, he would be smiling down at him. The crowd was in silence.

Devi rode off of the Recognizer and both he and Sam rode head on towards each other. He wondered if Devi was going to do what he was thinking of doing. Sam knew that the crowd would love it. Devi crouched forward on his Cycle and Sam knew what was going to happen next. Devi jumped off of his Light Cycle, Sam followed suit, and both reached for their Identity Discs. The two Light Cycles slammed into each other head on and both shattered and derezzed. The crowd gasped in disbelief.

Sam and Devi's Identity Discs met in mid-air and the two grabbed each other, both falling to the ground. Sam and Devi rolled away from each other and the two slammed their Identity Discs into the ground to slow their momentum. Sam stood up as fast as he could and ran at his opponent. He spun to increase his momentum and threw his disc at Devi. Devi flipped over the disc and landed on his hands. He did a handspring into the air and tossed his disc at Sam. Sam ducked and held his hand out to catch his returning disc. Devi's disc turned back around and flew towards the back of Sam's head. Sam dodged and while Devi was busy catching his disc, Sam jumped into the air and flung his own.

The crowd was in awe. The referee's were in disbelief. One ref turned to the other and tapped him on the shoulder.

"This is illegal." The ref said. "Shouldn't we stop this?"

The other ref shrugged him off. "Shut up."

Devi managed to roll out of the way of Sam's disc while catching his own. Three Recognizers spun over head, bombs exploding around the two fighters. The battle was tense, sparks electrified between the two. A nearby bomb blast took Devi off of his feet; Sam flew at him and threw his disc. This was his chance to end it. Devi saw the disc flying at him and, in a split-second, pulled his Identity Disc up to his chest and blocked the disc. Devi leaped on to his feet and watched Sam trying to skid to a halt. Devi ran at him and Sam, being defenseless, watched in horror as his body slipped and Devi pulled back his arm and, with all the force of his might, brought his arm down and smashed the disc on his helmet. Sam fell to the floor and his disc came back and fell beside him. Devi stood victorious.

There was silence from all around the stadium. Sam looked up at the crowd of people and straight into the VIP seats. Quorra was looking down at him, shocked.

"Umm..." The announcement began. "Despite all the odds against him, the winner is Devi! Ladies and gentlemen, the great Annex has fallen! Hail our new champion!"

Devi walked over to Sam and held out his hand. Sam grabbed it and Devi pulled him to his feet. He pulled Sam's head closer to his.

"Excellent game, Sam Flynn." whispered a distorted voice.

"How do you know who I am?" Sam pushed Devi away from him.

"Now, now." Devi said. "If you push me away like that, the crowd will think that you are a poor sport."

"Answer the question before I terminate you, program." Sam growled.

"I know you more than you would like to think." The program laughed. "Don't worry, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already."

Sam began to boil with rage. “Listen, you..."

"Excuse me, Mr. Flynn." The program patted Sam on the shoulder. "I have to go accept my Champion Gear, and you have to go turn yours in."

Devi walked off into a Recognizer that dropped down and opened its doors. Devi disappeared inside and Sam watched in disbelief as his reputation crumbled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Bull****!" Sam shouted when he entered the locker room. He kicked a trash can away and watched it shatter against the wall and derezz. He slammed his fist against the wall and then slammed his head against it. Good thing he was still wearing his helmet.

Quorra entered the locker room and came up behind Sam and hugged him. "It's alright, Sam. There's no need to freak out."

"That cocky bastard!" Sam vented. He turned to Quorra. "He knew who I was!"

"How?" Quorra scratched her head. "Nobody knew except me."

"And Yullie." Sam muttered.

Anger filled Quorra's face. "You told her?"

"Calm down, Quorra!" Sam took off his helmet. "She works in the Armory and provides me with my outfit. How could I avoid her knowing?"

"Well... You could have..." Quorra mumbled, flustered. "I don't know..."

"The point is... There's something sinister about that Devi guy." Sam put his hands on Quorra's shoulders. "I'm going back to the surface... I need you to investigate this Devi character."

"Fine." Quorra closed her eyes and sighed. "Get me a sandwich when you get back up. I'll be out at about Seven O'Clock."

Sam nodded and left through the back door of the locker room. Quorra watched him leave.

"The things I do for you, Sam..." Quorra sighed.

END OF CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

.system//INFECTION


Quorra raced through the Outlands Highway on her black Light Cycle, heading towards Yori City. She constantly kept her eyes on Devi, who was driving a Light Cab about twenty feet away. Quorra was careful to stay behind other vehicles so to not appear suspicious. It was currently six-thirty in the human world, she had to be back at seven so she had about two to three hours.

Devi's cab took the nearest exit ramp to Yori, Quorra then following suit. The exit ramp spiraled into a busy street. Quorra slowed her Cycle to match the speed limit of the city. The cab rode for a couple more miles and pulled over in front of a large building. Devi walked out of the cab and into the building. Quorra parked her bike in a dark alley.

Quorra walked out into the dark street and walked silently to the building. Lights illuminated the dark blue building and Quorra saw Devi's silhouette walking past a window from the second floor. Quorra walked in front of the building and walked towards the giant doors. The doors slid open and Quorra walked into the flood of lights.

As she stepped inside the building, she noticed a couple of programs looking over at her and she smiled at them nervously. They didn't make any effort to stop her, so she moved toward the stair to the second floor. Before she went up, she noticed a program sitting at a desk in front of a sign that said: Welcome to the System Registry Library.

Quorra was puzzled as to why Devi would want to go to the Registry archives. Quorra reached the second floor and saw rows of bookshelves and desks occupied by librarians. Quorra saw Devi sitting at a table, a pile of books next to him. He was holding his Light Disc and accessing his data that the disc had recorded, which looked like strange numbers and pictures that flashed in the middle of the hole in the disc. Quorra saw images of Sam's face in the pictures he was scrolling through. Sam was right, he was up to no good.

Quorra started walking towards him, until a security guard stepped in front of her. The guard glared at her under his transparent visor.

"Do you have a pass?" The guard asked in a deep voice.

"Um..." Quorra scratched her head. "I don't have one actually..."

The guard pointed at the stairs she just came from. "Then leave."

Quorra looked over at Devi and saw him staring at her. She then noticed that everyone on the floor was looking over at her and she suddenly became more self-conscious and flushed.

"What if I get one of these passes?"

"Then you're welcome to return." Quorra looked over at the faces staring at her and then left to the bottom floor. She decided to try to obtain help from the receptionist.

"Hi, I need a pass." Quorra told the receptionist.

"Sure." The receptionist smiled. "May I see your administrator I.D.?"

Quorra became embarrassed again. "I... I'm not an administrator..."

"I'm sorry, but you are not qualified for a pass."

"B... But I'm very close with the Master User, Sam Flynn. Doesn't that merit for anything?"

"I need proof before I can believe a story like that."

Quorra grabbed her disc and started accessing her memories until someone grabbed her shoulder. She turned and saw Devi behind her.

"She's with me, Sal" Devi said.

"Of course, Mr. Devi" The receptionist, Sal, responded. "You've got friends in important places, ma'am."

Quorra frowned and followed Devi who led her to the second floor. They walked past the security guard, who stepped aside when Devi approached him, and led Quorra to the table he was sitting at. He pointed at the chair across from where he was sitting and Quorra took a seat there.

"So... Quorra..." Devi started after he sat down and grabbed one of the books, which looked like a miniature version of the Identity Discs. "Why have you been tailing me?"

"How do you know who I am?" Quorra asked, she was beginning to become a little afraid.

"That's not important, Quorra." Devi responded. "Answer the question."

"I... I wasn't following you..."

Devi laughed. "You must think pretty low of me. I'm not stupid, Quorra. Sam sent you didn't he?"

Quorra gulped. "Y... Yes he did... He's suspicious of you."

"With good reason. I came out of nowhere, defeated him, and acknowledged that he was Sam Flynn and not a program named Annex. I'd be suspicious..."

"So what's your deal? Who are you?"

"That's not important right now. What is important is that Sam Flynn is in danger." Devi leaned forward with his elbows on the table. "He has been working on something in secret far off Grid. Something dangerous. Can you not sense it?"

Quorra looked around herself. "Sam wouldn't never make anything dangerous, he has safety as his number one priority. He's the one that put the safety locks on the Identity Discs, so they can't derezz and kill anyone anymore."

Devi laughed. "You have too much trust in Mr. Flynn."

"Regardless... I don't sense anything strange going on in the System."

"You've been in the human world for too long, Quorra. You've lost your sense of the Grid."

Quorra started to become angry. "Listen you! Sam has everything under control and everything in the System is just fine!"

"If Sam had everything under control, if he wasn't doing anything dangerous, then he'd still be the champion and I wouldn't be here talking to you." Devi grabbed another disc book and activated it, a series of images and words appearing in the center of the disc. "I'm the most dangerous thing he's created thus far, and he's creating more."

"D... Dangerous?" Quorra looked around her and saw many of the programs staring over at her.

"Indeed." Quorra looked back over at Devi. "You shouldn't have come here, Quorra."

Quorra felt something heavy slam into the back of her head. Everything starts to fade to black and her head leaned forward, hitting the table. She tried her hardest to keep her eyes open, to see what hit her from behind, but it was too late. All went black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam Flynn sat at his computer in his office and scrolled through a private database stored on his flash drive. He had plans, big plans that would change the System forever. He knew that Quorra wouldn't approve, he knew that Alan wouldn't approve either, but he knew that in the end, they would understand his goals.

There was a knock at his door and Sam was snapped out of his daze. He walked over to the door and opened it, seeing Edward Dillinger Jr standing nervously.

"What is it, Mr. Dillinger?" Sam sighed. He walked over to his computer and minimized what he was working on.

"Well, I need you to come into the System with me, there's a problem." Dillinger said. Sam stared at him and there was a long awkward pause.

"Why?" Sam asked. "Why in God's name should I just drop what I'm currently working on and follow you into the System to deal with something that probably can be solved very easily?"

"W... Well... There's a new program causing havoc in Tron City." Dillinger said. "And Ms. Quorra is missing."

"What!?" Sam shouted. He looked over at the clock and saw that it was seven-thirty. "How do you know this?"

"I was down there. I saw her being carried away." Sam gave him an angry look and headed towards the door.

"Come with me." Sam grunted. "You're going to pull me out in case something goes wrong. God help you if you fail to do this, Dillinger!"

Dillinger ran out after Sam and shut the door behind him. The flash drive remained in the computer.

Sam and Dillinger walked into the room with the Digitizing Laser. Dillinger walked over to the control panel and turned the laser on. Sam sat in the chair and stared at the wall with the laser pointed at his back. He looked over at Dillinger who was activating various switched on the panel.

"Are you ready, Mr. Flynn?" Dillinger asked, trying as hard as he could to hold back a smirk.

"Put me under." Sam responded. Dillinger hit a button and the laser impacted his back and Sam began decompiling into tiny little cubes which was sucked into the laser's light. Next thing he knew, Dillinger was staring at an empty chair.

"So long, Mr. Flynn..." Dillinger inserted a flash drive into a USB port on the side of the control panel. A message popped up on the massive screen above the panel. A digital keyboard appeared in front of Dillinger face. He started typing on the keyboard and there were three small beeps from the console. The words "Installing Software" appeared on the screen and Dillinger grinned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam opened his eyes and looked around the place he compiled into. Something was wrong. He wasn't in the lobby of the Grid, he was in a large hallway. There were many pods on the sides of the wall, some empty but most filled with programs wearing red grid suits. Sam noticed a window against one of the walls and headed towards it, walking past a couple of pods. He looked out the window, and then his eyes grew wide.

Outside of the window, far below, were the Outlands. He was in the air... In a flying vehicle: A Carrier. Sam ran down to the end of the hall and reached a corner. The hall around the corner led to a red door. Sam sprinted to the door and the door automatically opened, revealing a big room filled with control panels. Sitting in front of the panels were more of the red programs that Sam saw in the pods.

"Hey." Sam tapped the shoulder of a program he walked behind. "Where am I?"

The program kept his eyes fixed on the screen in front of him, completely ignoring Sam.

"Don't make me override you, program!" Sam shouted. Sam heard footsteps approaching from behind him. He whipped around and saw an unexpected sight. "What are you doing here, Devi?"

"I've changed the game, Sam." Devi laughed. "The game is no longer just a small fight to be champion... It is now a game of revenge."

"Revenge?" Sam gave Devi a puzzled look.

"Yes. The theme of this game is vengeance." Devi crossed his arms. "I'm not the only one playing, Sam. I'm not the only one throwing darts at a picture of your face."

"You took Quorra, didn't you?" Sam started to become angry. "Where is she!?"

"Edward Dillinger Jr, Sam." Devi continued, ignoring Sam's outburst. "Flynn's should never trust a Dillinger."

Sam instinctively reached for his Identity Disc, but he didn't have it with him. It was still waiting for him in his locker room, and he had no idea how far he was from the city. Devi started laughing at him, angering Sam further. There was only one thing he felt that he could do.

Sam jumped at Devi and wrapped his hands around his neck, both of them falling to the floor. Sam tried to choke the program, but he felt a heavy blow to his stomach. Devi kicked Sam off of him, who stumbled back onto his feet. Devi leaped to his feet and punched the still surprised Sam across the jaw, who fell to the floor. The red programs were still working, as if not noticing anything that was happening.

Devi grabbed Sam from behind and put him in a choke hold. He then signaled to one of the programs sitting at a chair and the program nodded and typed on his console. A screen appeared in the front of the room and a video began playing.

The video was fuzzy, but Sam could make out what was happening, and it shocked him. There was Quorra, struggling against the grip of two Grid Guards. A news anchor program appeared in the video and she began speaking.

"Only moments ago, Quorra, the assistant to the Prime User Sam Flynn, was found possessing Infected Data, threatening to spread it through the System and terminate all life within. Thankfully the new Grid Champion, Devi, found out about her evil plans and the rogue program has been sent to the Decompiler, where her fate will soon be decided. The citizens of The Grid, both programs and Users, are demanding her termination as soon as possible."

The video turned off and Sam sat silently. He slowly turned to face Devi, and saw the program looking down at him, waiting for him to say something. When he said nothing, Devi picked him up off the floor by his neck and slammed him against the wall.

"As they say in your world, revenge is sweet." Devi hit a switch next to him and massive door opened next to the wall Sam was on. "They also say that it is a dish best served cold, and the waters of the Sea of Simulation are pretty cold."

And with that, Devi threw Sam out the door, the Sea of Simulation waiting to embrace him with its cold waters. It took Sam a while to realize he was screaming and, the next thing he knew, he hit the water and all went black.

END OF CHAPTER FOUR