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Cool!” Alex cries before Bartik can respond. “Rescuing Kevin Flynn. I’ll be famous forever!”
“Slow down, kiddo,” you tell him. “You’ll be doing no rescuing. We need to get you back home.”
Alex’s eyes widen in fury. “No fair! You wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for me.” His lower lip trembles as if he’s about to cry.
“Hey, I’m not going to just send you packing,” you tell him. “I need you to be my backup on the outside. In case something goes wrong.”
He studies you suspiciously. “Really?”
“I swear,” you say. “Your mission is critical.” You find Alan’s business card in your wallet and give it to Alex. “The minute you get home, call this guy. Tell him everything. He’ll find a way to take out Clu—just in case we don’t.”
“The mini must go?” Veltor asks. He seems disappointed.
“We try to protect kids,” you explain. “Otherwise they don’t become adults. Now, how do we get him out of here?”
Bartik and Veltor exchange a look. “We’re not sure,” Bartik admits. “But the rumor is that Kevin Flynn came and went through the Portal on the island.”
“So let’s get to the Portal,” you declare.
“We can’t go with you,” Bartik explains. “It’s off the Grid.”
You shrug. “That’s where you said my dad is. So first I deliver Alex. Then I find my dad.”
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You can’t leave your dad here. You’ve just found him again, and now you understand why he didn’t return. You’re sure you can get him to leave with you after a good night’s sleep. The Portal has to stay open that long, right?
The next morning you wake up and find your dad doing yoga. Quorra is sipping tea and gazing out the window. Everything is so quiet you feel as if you should tiptoe.
“It’s all right, Sam,” your father says without looking at you. “Don’t worry about making noise. It’s all part of the experience.”
“Can I talk to you?” you say.
“We’re talking now,” you father replies.
“I mean with us both right-side up.”
“Don’t limit yourself, man,” your father says. But he gets out of his pose and sits in a lotus position.
“We really have to get out of here,” you say. “There’s a whole life—a whole world waiting for you outside. And for me.”
“The world for me is the world within,” your father says. “Inner space. So it doesn’t matter if I’m in this safe house in the mountains of the Outlands or if I’m in the middle of the biggest city in the United States.”
“It matters to me!” you exclaim, exasperated. You get up and stalk away from your dad. Otherwise you worry you might grab him and try to shake some sense into him.
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Within minutes you’ve left the club and entered a subterranean level. “Your dad invented Tron?” Alex asks as you walk. “Why didn’t you say so? He’s like a total rock star!”
“I didn’t think you were old enough to know who he was,” you say, glancing at him. “He’s been…gone, for a long time.”
“I read all about him,” Alex gushes. “Do you think he’ll give me an autograph?”
“If we find him,” you say. You follow Bartik and Veltor into a dilapidated shack with blacked-out windows. Bartik lights a small lamp, which casts everyone’s face in shadow.
“I know why I’m looking for my dad,” you say to Bartik as you settle into a rickety chair. “Why are you?”
“You really don’t know?” Bartik asks. You shake your head. Then he launches into a story that makes your head swim. How your dad created this whole world, but one of his creations, Clu, managed to overthrow him. That Clu turned the place into a totalitarian nightmare where programs are hunted down and killed if Clu deems them “imperfect.” And that there are signs that Clu is plotting something new. Something big.
“Which means now is the time to be rid of him. Once and for all,” Bartik says. “If we can bring your father out of hiding, I know he’ll be able to rally legions of programs to our cause.”
“Do you have any idea where he is?” you ask.
Veltor sighs. “We suspect he’s gone off-grid. Where no programs can go.”
“But I can,” you point out.
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When you finally stop falling you find yourself in a strange landscape. It’s very dark, except for occasional flashes of crackling light that trip across the blank terrain. Far in the distance in one direction is what looks like a massive city, and far off in the other direction you can see bursts of brightly colored lights on the horizon.
“We’re in the computer!” Alex bounces around as if he’s got springs on his feet. “I did it! I really did it! This is awesome! This is bigger than awesome! This is—”
“Would. You. Please. Just. Simmer. Down?” you say. Your brain feels like it’s melting, and a crowing, hyper kid isn’t helping. “You’re just jealous because I figured out how it worked and you didn’t!” Alex brags.
“You having fun yet?” you say sarcastically. “Because you may have gotten us into this place, but now what?” You gesture broadly. “There’s nothing to do out here but watch some flashes of light.”
Alex frowns, and then his eyes well up.
Sheesh. “Hey, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
The kid flops to the ground. “I mess up everything!” he wails.
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Your disc,” you say. “It’s gone. That’s a big problem, right?”
“Is it?” He throws out his hand to meet a control panel that emerges from the wall. He quickly punches in a code.
The floor beneath you opens! The elevator descends into an invisible sublevel. Here are the hidden wires, cables, pipes, and labyrinthine infrastructures from the Grid world. A place very few people other than your dad knows anything about.
The glass elevator shrieks to a stop. The doors open, but your father just stands there, not moving. You kneel beside Quorra who now lies motionless at your feet.
“I’m sorry. I screwed up,” you say. If you had listened to your dad he wouldn’t have lost his disc and Quorra wouldn’t be injured. “We can go back to your safe house.”
“This is the road we’re on now,” your father says.
“So what do we do?”
“We head to the Portal,” he says.
You help him carry Quorra out of the elevator. Outside you see you’ve arrived at what looks like a wharf—only there’s no water, just energy grids. A large cargo ship is floating in the air.
“A solar sailer,” your dad murmurs, identifying the ship. “That’s how we’ll get to the Portal.” Together you carry Quorra and sneak aboard the ship. Just as you lay Quorra on the platform, the ship breaks away from the Grid and unfurls its sails. It levels out like an airplane, heading out to sea.
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Dashing over to the game, you duck down. Aha! You grab a pair of ankles and yank hard, pulling out a squirming, yelping kid.
“Leave me alone!” he squawks. He kicks out at you.
“Who are you? And what are you doing in here?” you demand.
“Let me go!” he yells. “Or I’ll call the police!”
“You’ll call the police? You’re the one who’s trespassing!” But you release him. He quickly scrambles to his feet.
“How did you send the page?” you ask.
He looks puzzled. “What page? You mean like from a book? I get into trouble if I tear up books. Ooh, I bet whoever sent you that page is going to get into big trouble.”
You stare at him. “Not that kind of page. You know. Like from a phone.”
Now the kid looks mad. He kicks the leg
of a nearby game. “I don’t have a stupid phone. It’s no fair. All the other kids have them. My mom treats me like a big baby.”
“Okay, okay!” you say, holding up your hands in surrender. Man, for someone so small he sure speaks in big chunks.
“Listen,” you tell him with as much authority as you can muster without cracking yourself up, “If you leave now, I won’t rat you out. No one’s supposed to be here.”
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You drag Zuse over to the bar and haul him up onto it. You keep a strong grip on him—he’s your ticket out.
You glance out at the crowd and see all eyes riveted on you. Good. Now if you can just make yourself heard over the pounding music! And keep Zuse from squirming away.
“Hey!” you shout.
“Hey!” they shout back.
That’s weird. They’re all mimicking you. Not just your words. Your every move—including each time you yank Zuse. They’re grabbing their partners and jerking them. “What’s wrong with them?” you ask Zuse.
He cackles. “They think this is the latest dance craze! We were in the middle of a dance contest when you made your untimely appearance.” He starts to add little flourishes: a kick here, a toss of the head there. Everyone on the dance floor copies him.
“Listen to me!” you shout.
“Listen to me!” the crowd chants back.
“Give it up for our next dance champion!” Zuse shouts. They cheer.
“Shut up!”
Should you toss Zuse into the crowd and announce his identity ON PAGE 67?
You don’t want to lose your hold on Zuse—he’s your bargaining chip. Shut down the music ON PAGE 73.
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You and Alex set out with a detailed map, a vehicle that has seen better days, and instructions. “According to Bartik, as long as that blue light is beaming, the Portal is open.”
“Are you sure I can’t stay?” Alex whines.
“Absolutely and totally sure,” you reply.
You’re able to use the vehicle for a while, but then, just as Bartik explained, it runs out of juice. That means you’re now off-grid. The good thing is no one can look for you out here. The bad thing? Since none of the inhabitants can venture off-grid your map ends here. The pulsing Portal light is your only guide.
It feels like days before you finally reach the floating island that holds the Portal. Alex looks worried. “How’s that supposed to get me home?”
You have no idea. But you don’t want him to know that. “Remember when we came here? There was some kind of flashing light, right? So I guess we travel on beams of light or something.” You glance down to see if he’s buying this explanation.
He shrugs. “Makes sense.” Without further adieu he steps up to the pulsating light. All his hair stands straight up. For one moment, you wonder if maybe you should go with him. Then you remember your father. Your mission.
Alex gives you a final wave, then shuts his eyes and leaps into the light. There’s a blinding flash and a surge of energy so powerful it knocks you over.
You scramble back to your feet. Alex is gone. You hope he made it back okay. You wound up being really fond of the kid.
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Gotta go!” You grab Alex and spin around. A beefy hand clamps down on your shoulder. “Run, Alex!” you shout. The boy takes off and disappears into the crowd.
Bartik spins you around roughly. “We need to know more about the small one,” he says with a snarl. Then he calls over his shoulder. “Bring him back!”
“Leave the kid alone!” you shout. “He hasn’t done anything wrong!”
A man dressed all in silver taps Bartik with a translucent staff. “Now, now, Bartik. Haven’t I warned you before? Please take your fights outside. My insurance premiums keep going up!”
“Don’t worry, Castor,” Bartik says, but his eyes never leave your face. “I’ll take this one to a nice quiet spot where we can talk.”
“Hey! I’m innocent here,” you tell Castor. “Don’t let him—”
But Castor just shrugs and dances off into the crowd.
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You wish you could spend more time with your father, but there’s no way you’re staying here. Once you’re back home, you’ll deal with Clu and help your dad from outside the system.
Your dad provides you with his bike and a fake disc—just in case you get stopped. He gives you a long, hard hug before you go. You’re sorry he’s not coming with you, but you’re very glad you found him. You feel better than you have in a long time.
It’s a long, hard ride to the Portal, and you have to keep stopping and hiding as patrols on foot and in the air blast their searchlights. But your dad gave you a great map that points out danger zones, good places to take cover, and shortcuts.
Not short enough. A few miles away from the Portal the light flickers wildly—then the beam blinks out. Completely.
You stand staring at the pitch black sky where just one minute ago there was an intense blue light. Too late. You waited too long. Your chance to get out is gone.
Now what?
You slowly turn your bike around back toward your dad’s safe house. It may take you the rest of your days—and it seems like days can easily become years in this crazy place—but you vow you’re going to find a way to overthrow Clu. This world will go back to being the brilliant, promising place your father originally created. And someday you’ll escape.
With renewed purpose, you thunder along the Grid, knowing exactly where you’re going.
THE END
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Jarvis holds up an ornate box and opens it. Clu pulls out a yellow baton. Then he offers the box to you. You remove a white baton. You inspect it and then wave it around, getting a feel for its weight.
“What do I do with this?” you ask.
Jarvis sneers at you. “I’ll give you a hint. Not that.”
Clu strides off as four programs emerge out of the Grid floor behind you. You recognize one of them as the kid from when you were held captive aboard the Recognizer. He’s wearing aqua armor. The others are clad in purple, green, and blue. Are these your team members or are they your adversaries? And what are you supposed to do with the baton? Lead a marching band?
A loud whine emanating in the distance keeps you from asking the programs. You whip around and see two Sentries approaching rapidly on strange vehicles.
You remember these from the games your dad invented. Totally rocking motorcycles—Light Cycles, he called them.
“You’ve got no chance, user,” the purple program snarls.
Okay, it’s a good bet he’s not on your side.
“Their cycles are faster than ours,” the guy in green says. “Use the levels.” Levels? What levels?
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You’ve seen what they do to programs here; you don’t even want to think about what they’d do to nonprograms! And they’d probably have a whole lot of questions you won’t be able to answer. Like how you got here.
“You can call me Mr. X,” you declare. “I think an air of mystery is good for a gladiator like me!”
Okay, kind of lame. But it buys you a little time. You sidle toward the edge of the game platform as the people up in the ship confer. Maybe you can leap off and go into hiding—at least long enough to figure out what’s going on. And how to get out of here!
No such luck. Before you get very far, Sentries roar out onto the platform and grab you. They haul you off to some kind of jail near the arena.
“What am I in for?” you ask. “Poor sportsmanship?”
The Sentries don’t respond, they just toss you into a cell.
“Hey! I know my rights!” you shout. “I get one phone call. I demand to see my lawyer!”
The Sentries exit without a word. You slump onto the floor.
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Your mission is to find your dad. So that’s what you’re going to do.
The wind picks up, chilling you to the bone. You jog toward the mountain, trying to get warm. You speed up, hoping the cliff face will give you some protection against the bitter cold.
When you reach the base of the mountain, an amazing thing happens—a door slides open! It must have motion-detecting devices installed. You dash inside, certain that you’ve stumbled onto your dad’s hiding place. Who else could live out here? None of the inhabitants of this world can go off-grid.
Suddenly, alarms whoop and wail. “Intruder! Intruder!” an electronic voice booms. “Extermination in process!”
“No!” you scream. “It’s me! Sam Flynn! I’m looking for my dad!”
The super-duper high-tech security system doesn’t understand what you’re saying. It just knows it’s never seen you before. And it has only one command: destroy.
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You toss the keys into the garbage. Why should you waste your time looking for ghosts? Alan can have silly fantasies that Kevin Flynn has returned, but until your dad walks through your front door, you won’t believe it.
The next morning you wake up late. You notice a bunch of voice-mail messages, but you don’t bother checking them. Alan’s visit put you in a funk.
You know exactly what will improve your mood. You climb aboard your motorcycle and peel out.
You speed into a deserted area of the city to a lot that’s perfect for practicing. You do a few circles to warm up, making your loops tighter and tighter until you’re practically horizontal. Then you alternate between riding only on your front tire and then only on your back tire. After several wheelies, you decide to go for a handstand on the handlebars.
Tron Legacy - It's Your Call - Initiate Sequence Page 8
