Hold On, by smiley-anon (PG)
Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Sam/Tron
Length: 27,828 words in 11 chapters
Author on LJ: smiley-anon
Author Website: Index post
Warnings: AU of Legacy. Spoilers
Why this must be read:
In honor of Hurricane Irene, and whatever lepidopteran bastard flapped at the wrong time, I thought I’d rec some stories that apply the butterfly effect to Legacy. First up is this suspenseful novella, which splits off from canon over the Sea of Simulation - and separates Sam from Kevin and Quorra in the process.
A shattering crash and a roar broke Sam's world and he was falling, flying, knocked back in a rushing surge of chaos. Up was down and down was blue and white and reddish-orange and all shattering, all breaking to tiny crystals as he tried to hold on. Color spun around him as he tried to orient, an electrical burn surging through the controls as he yelped and let go-they sparked and shattered.
Dark clouds. Black sea. The horizon-no, up should be that way. The ship-half of the ship, his father's form in the segmented opening, all serenity lost, shouting panic into the wind.
"SAM!"
The sea again.
Ignoring the nausea as he continued to spin, Sam kicked off the fragmented seat, pushing himself away from the wreckage as it sizzled and dissolved around him. He'd have patted himself on the back for that if he weren't still falling-seconds later, the tangled heap detonated like a bomb, something inside overloading. Sam winced as sharp crystals cut a line into his cheek, but these fragments were too small for real damage.
That was it, he realized, air rushing past him. The first crash, with the two jets… A chunk must have hit the plane. Nearly hit him-a bit more directly, and... He snorted, looking down. Yeah, this was the lucky outcome.
From that slambang opening, smiley-anon keeps the stakes high as events play out in ways that sometimes parallel canon, and in other places diverge in a very satisfying fashion, like when Quorra and Sam square off against Clu:
"You're done." Quorra's voice, from the right, cold animosity expressed infinitely more articulately than his own hot rage. "Flynn made it out. No matter what you try here, it won't make a difference. He'll derezz you. Delete you." Her teeth showed as she smiled. "Or maybe he'll just remove your admin privileges and let the rest of the Grid have a shot. There's a line."
Clu's impassive look remained, although it didn't quite meet his eyes. "Is that what you think? That Flynn will save you?" His mouth widened slowly in a vicious grin, gaze deserting Quorra for a better target. "I thought you had learned...
"Flynn abandoned you." His head rose as he spoke, including the ISO again as he continued. "But Flynn doesn't matter now. Or later." He smirked. "I've integrated myself with the system code. He can't touch me from out there-he can't even find me without ripping the Grid apart."
"Good." Sam's voice sounded strange in his ears, and Quorra's head angled towards him oddly at the edge of his vision. He didn't shift his gaze. "That means it's our turn."
He flung his disk with a yell, blazing white edge cutting a brilliant streak through the air.
And then there’s the wild card, a certain Program who gets to play a much larger role this time around...
“ Hold On” master post
ETA: Ooh, just found fanart by Salioka from FF.net. Click here and scroll down.
Pairing: Sam/Tron
Length: 27,828 words in 11 chapters
Author on LJ: smiley-anon
Author Website: Index post
Warnings: AU of Legacy. Spoilers
Why this must be read:
In honor of Hurricane Irene, and whatever lepidopteran bastard flapped at the wrong time, I thought I’d rec some stories that apply the butterfly effect to Legacy. First up is this suspenseful novella, which splits off from canon over the Sea of Simulation - and separates Sam from Kevin and Quorra in the process.
A shattering crash and a roar broke Sam's world and he was falling, flying, knocked back in a rushing surge of chaos. Up was down and down was blue and white and reddish-orange and all shattering, all breaking to tiny crystals as he tried to hold on. Color spun around him as he tried to orient, an electrical burn surging through the controls as he yelped and let go-they sparked and shattered.
Dark clouds. Black sea. The horizon-no, up should be that way. The ship-half of the ship, his father's form in the segmented opening, all serenity lost, shouting panic into the wind.
"SAM!"
The sea again.
Ignoring the nausea as he continued to spin, Sam kicked off the fragmented seat, pushing himself away from the wreckage as it sizzled and dissolved around him. He'd have patted himself on the back for that if he weren't still falling-seconds later, the tangled heap detonated like a bomb, something inside overloading. Sam winced as sharp crystals cut a line into his cheek, but these fragments were too small for real damage.
That was it, he realized, air rushing past him. The first crash, with the two jets… A chunk must have hit the plane. Nearly hit him-a bit more directly, and... He snorted, looking down. Yeah, this was the lucky outcome.
From that slambang opening, smiley-anon keeps the stakes high as events play out in ways that sometimes parallel canon, and in other places diverge in a very satisfying fashion, like when Quorra and Sam square off against Clu:
"You're done." Quorra's voice, from the right, cold animosity expressed infinitely more articulately than his own hot rage. "Flynn made it out. No matter what you try here, it won't make a difference. He'll derezz you. Delete you." Her teeth showed as she smiled. "Or maybe he'll just remove your admin privileges and let the rest of the Grid have a shot. There's a line."
Clu's impassive look remained, although it didn't quite meet his eyes. "Is that what you think? That Flynn will save you?" His mouth widened slowly in a vicious grin, gaze deserting Quorra for a better target. "I thought you had learned...
"Flynn abandoned you." His head rose as he spoke, including the ISO again as he continued. "But Flynn doesn't matter now. Or later." He smirked. "I've integrated myself with the system code. He can't touch me from out there-he can't even find me without ripping the Grid apart."
"Good." Sam's voice sounded strange in his ears, and Quorra's head angled towards him oddly at the edge of his vision. He didn't shift his gaze. "That means it's our turn."
He flung his disk with a yell, blazing white edge cutting a brilliant streak through the air.
And then there’s the wild card, a certain Program who gets to play a much larger role this time around...
“ Hold On” master post
ETA: Ooh, just found fanart by Salioka from FF.net. Click here and scroll down.