Tron Legacy - It's Your Call - Initiate Sequence (20 page)
Read Tron Legacy - It's Your Call - Initiate Sequence Online
Authors: Carla Jablonski
Tags: #Fiction - Young Adult
S
o it is true,” the man with the scar says as they help you back up to your feet. “I'm Bartik,” he continues. He points at the other big guy. “That's Veltor, and she's Kindra.”
The girl with the shaved head nods. “Welcome, Son of Flynn.”
“Why do you need my dad?” you ask.
“He'll unite the factions to rise up against Clu,” Bartik explains. Veltor eyes you with satisfaction. “And you're just the person to convince him to join us.”
You have a lot of questions, but if this group of rebels can help lead you to your father, you're in. Besides, from what you've seen so far, Clu isn't exactly a leader worth supporting.
“I have to get to work,” Kindra says. “Let me know what happens.”
After she leaves, Bartik and Veltor argue about strategy. You don't have much to contribute, since you're still trying to understand this crazy place. Ultimately they agree: Kevin Flynn is hiding off the Grid in an area known as the Outlands, and you should try to track him down.
It takes what feels like days, but they finally drop you off where they think your search should begin. Then they vanish back into the glittering Grid.
Y
ou plummet downward. Then you hit a button, and the winglike blades begin to whir and level you out.
The only problemâit's not as if you made a subtle exit. Sentries stream onto the deck from multiple directions, ready to fight.
You and Quorra zip toward the front of the Rectifier, desperately hoping to find your father waiting with an escape vehicle. You arrive at the very edge of the deck and power down, landing with a thud on the platform.
You scan the sky, but there's no sign of your dad. Now what?
Alarms wail and lights flash. “They must have discovered we took the disc!” you say.
“Lockdown!” a metallic voice booms. “Trap the intruders!”
“I'd say you're right about that,” Quorra says.
You see a gate slowly descending at the entrance to the cave.
Now what?
Maybe you should use the chutes to fly out of there and hope your dad will find you outside the cave. Too bad you don't know if he's still on the Rectifier. Or you can try to hold your ground and hope that he arrives before the gate drops.
Use the chutes and get out of there
ON PAGE 137
.Or stand and fight
ON PAGE 123
.
T
hat bridge is just too precarious for you to make any surprise moves. You could send your dad plummeting to his death. Better to watch and wait. Your dad may have some ideas of his own.
“Clu did everything you asked,” Rinzler says. “He took the system to its maximum potential. He was creating the perfect system!”
“The thing about perfection is that it's impossibleâyet it's in front of us all the time,” your father says philosophically. “He can't know that because I didn't when I created this world.”
Rinzler eyes your father suspiciously, as if he doesn't trustâor understandâhis compassion. Then Rinzler suddenly springs forward and kicks Kevin hard in the stomach. Your father drops with a groan. “No!” you shout.
W
ith bloodcurdling war cries, the rebel forces charge into the cave. With the element of surprise, you get in the first strikes and take out program after program. But soon their greater numbers turn the tide. Your comrades begin falling, and morale starts to fade.
Then a hush falls over the chaotic scene. You turn to see what has everyone's attention. A solitary figure stands at the entrance to the cave. He's backlit so you can't see his face, but everyoneâClu's men includedâseems to be in awe of him.
He takes a step deeper into the cave and now you can see his face. It's your father! “Cease your fighting!” he calls out. People scatter. The rebels, Clu's army, everyone. You step forward. “Dad?”
He stares at you. He blinks several times as if he can't believe what he's seeing. “Sam? Is it really you? There were rumors, but I didn't trust them.”
“I heard rumors about you, too,” you say.
“You shouldn't be here,” he warns. “It's much too dangerous.”
“Can't do much about that right now, can I?” you say. “So how about we take care of this thing and worry about safety later.”
He smiles slowly. “Okay, kid. Come on. We have an enemy to defeat.”
You and your father march shoulder-to-shoulder, ready for the battle of your lives. Somehow, you know by joining forces, you're assured of victory inâ¦
THE END
Y
ou grab Alex and fling yourself off to the side. You land hard, but at least you avoid being run over. “Get off me!” Alex squirms out from beneath you. “You're squashing me, dumbface.”
“Hey! I just saved your life!” you snap.
But there's no time to argue. The motorcycles roar toward you again. You grab Alex's arm and drag him out of their path. “Whoa! Cool!” Alex exclaims. You turn to see what he's watching.
Cool is right. The motorcycles are leaving trails of light behind them. This is very familiar. Then you remember. The Light Cycles! From your dad's game Tron! You have stumbled into a Light-Cycle match.
Suddenly a whirling disc flies by your head. You watch in horror as it slices off the head of one of the riders.
I don't remember that being part of the game, you think.
Then your eyes widen as you see the rider break into tiny pieces! You glance down at Alex, hoping he's not too scared. To your shock, he's grinning broadly.
“I got my highest Tron score ever on a Light-Cycle game!” he cries. “That guy totally derezzed his opponent with his disc. This is the best day ever!”
You're not so sure about that.
Y
our dad knows how this place works a lot better than you do. If he says you can't get to the Portal in time, he's probably right. Then you'd still be stuck hereâor a lot more vulnerable being out there with Clu searching for you.
But now that you've decided to stay, what is there to do?
Your dad starts teaching you some of the meditation techniques he's developed over the many, many years. Every day you learn something new that makes your head spin.
And speaking of spinning, you begin to master the twirlingdata-streams trick you witnessed when you first arrived. Your dad is right. What's the point in getting worried about things you can't change. Better to go with the flow.
You go with the flow so much that you barely move anymore. You just allow the equations to float inside you. All that matters is inner space.
Four thousand years later, archaeology programs wanting to learn about the early days of the Grid discover your skeletonâ¦still sitting in the same position.
THE END
Y
our father abruptly leaves the room. Whatever happened to your dad in the past has made him reluctant to take any action. He just wants to leave the status quo intact. Even if the status quo bites.
The Portal is going to close soon. You have to make a decision. Do you get out now, leaving your father behind, before the Portal traps you here forever?
Or do you stay to convince your father to come with you? You don't know if you'll be able to maneuver in this crazy world on your ownâand can you really just leave him here after finally finding him?
If you go now,
TURN TO PAGE 88
.If you decide to wait until you can convince your dad to get out with you,
TURN TO PAGE 104
.
