Chapter Text
It hadn’t even been a cycle since Tron was… rectified. The thought of it still brought Beck to tears. The Uprising would never survive. He couldn’t keep it together by himself. The programs who fought with Clu’s forces at the garage looked to Beck for guidance that he… couldn’t give. Without Able or Tron… he was lost.
Beck tried to collect his thoughts as he practiced with the tower’s interface. Dyson had officially been sent to Argon to deal with the Renegade. Somewhat fortunately for Beck, Dyson had pinned all of the Renegade’s actions on Tron himself. Clu’s right hand program seemed to have no idea about Tron’s apprentice. Now that Tron belonged to Clu, Argon belonged to Dyson. Tesler and Pavel had been sent away, made a part of some kind of peace-keeping force. Dyson running Argon wasn’t any better. Most of Beck’s remaining allies were successfully in hiding, but that likely wouldn’t last much longer.
“What am I supposed to do now?” Beck pulled his disc off his back. He thumbed the half Tron had given him. “I’m not ready,” he whispered, his voice breaking. His legs shook, threatening to give out on him.
Then he heard an unfamiliar ping from the tower’s interface.
Every kind of alert or scanner had its own slightly unique sound. Beck was certain he had memorized them all. This alert was different. The ping made a noise, soft and melodic, but it also caused a feeling. Beck felt a pull, something beckoning him to the room that had triggered the alert. He’d never been in that room before… Had it always been there?
Before he knew it, Beck found himself in a strange chamber. It was filled with intricate patterns and vibrant colors, a stark contrast to the sleek, monochromatic interiors of the rest of the tower. A small set of stairs in the center of the chamber led up to a circular platform. Suddenly, a pillar of bright light burst down from the ceiling, illuminating the whole chamber with its warm glow.
After some brief hesitation, Beck stepped up onto the platform, his disc still in his hands. Something compelled him to raise his disc above his head.
Everything went white.
For a few nanos, Beck thought he went blind. Soon, his vision came into focus, though all he could see was himself. However, he didn’t feel alone.
A figure slowly appeared out of the vast bright space. It looked like a male program about as tall as Beck. His brown hair curled at the end, nearly falling on his shoulders. His blue-gray eyes stared at Beck with the same surprise Beck was feeling himself.
It finally clicked. Beck had been tempted to shout at the mysterious figure, to chastise him for his crimes, and to demand Tron’s release. That was the right face but the wrong identity. This was no program.
Beck broke the silence, his voice barely more than a squeak. “Flynn?”
“I-I didn’t think this would work from the inside,” the User confusingly replied. “I should have tested this ages ago!” He shook his head, his defeat palpable. “Alright.” Flynn clapped his hands together, rousing himself. “What are you doin’ here, kid? I thought the activity logs showed Tron using this tower.”
“He…he was, until less-” Beck struggled to speak the words. “Until…until…”
The User gently grabbed Beck’s shoulders. “Hey, hey, hey. Don’t drive yourself into a glitch. Just… did Clu get him?” Flynn’s gaze begged Beck to tell him his guess was wrong.
Beck dropped his head, nodding weakly.
Flynn pulled the program into a hug, cursing himself under his breath. The pair remained in that silent hug for some time. Creator and creation mourned the loss of their mutual friend.
When Flynn finally released him from the hug, Beck mustered the courage to ask his creator for help. “What do I do now?” His voice wavered as he tried to keep his composure, looking down at… whatever he was standing on. The area all around him being a glowing bright white, he couldn’t tell where the floor ended and everything else began.
Flynn’s eyes darted around as he searched for an answer. “Well, what were you doin’ before, kid?”
Beck sighed before he spoke again, lifting his eyes to gaze upon the User. “Tron was training me to lead the rebellion… He needed my help.”
Flynn stared back at Beck, squinting. “Wait a minute, I recognize you.” The User snapped his fingers a few times. “B, b, b… Beck! You were a- a mechanic in Argon, weren’t you?”
“You–”, Beck gasped, taken aback. “You remember me?”
His User chuckled and pointed at Beck. “I may have written a lotta programs, but I remember you in particular…” He trailed off, as if he didn’t want to explain. “So! Rebelling against Clu, huh? Don’t know what to do with Tron? Hmm… Any allies I should know about?”
The Renegade thought for a moment. “Well, I’ve got a couple friends in Argon, but they all have less training than me. A lot of our outside contacts haven’t responded to our requests for help. The only one is an old friend of mine, Cutler, but he can’t help until we’re out of Argon.”
“Hmmm… A little low on options here…” Flynn looked out into the white expanse for a few nanos until he turned back to Beck dramatically. “We need a new approach! I’ve got a plan. Buuuut, you’d have to be prepared for some major upgrades.”
“I’m ready for anything, my User,” Beck replied, dipping his head.
“Oh, please,” the User shrugged. “Call me Flynn.”