I love when a story rolls into the Third Act. Unless it's Transformers 3 that lousy piece of shit.
Title: I Owe You A Love Song [20/?]
Fandom(s): TRON: Legacy/The Princess Bride
Characters/pairing: Sam Flynn/Tron; Quorra, Anon, Ed Dillinger, Jr., Ed Dillinger, Sr., Jordan, Clu, Radia, Zuse, Gem, Alan & Lora Bradley, Dumont, Jarvis, Sark, Kevin, the MCP, etc. (Jeebus Christmas, y’all)
Rating: T+
Word count: 958
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
Summary: Horses are lightcycles, ships are Solar Sailers and Recognizers, Prince Edward Dillinger, Jr. of the Grid needs a reason to go to war with Bostrum, and Sam just wants Tron and his father back.
Author's Note: Just one thing to note - this chapter was originally titled "The Truth" but the outline begged to differ. So this update is "The Revelation" and the next chapter is "The Truth".
There’s something wrong with this picture.
He knows of Clu, has fought Clu, has escaped Clu, but he had never told Clu his name. He had never given the war minister a reason to look for him under his real name. Dread Pirate Rinzler? Yes. Tron? No. And shouldn’t Clu have already given orders to execute him?
“What do you mean by ‘welcome back’?” he asks while the Guards close in on him.
Instead of answering Clu starts walking around him, appraising him like he’s a lightcycle or a particularly excellent casket of energy. Tron turns around to face him, feeling uncomfortable with the attention the war minister is giving him.
“So you took on the cover stories as your own memories,” Clu mutters. “You don’t remember anything at all.”
Tron bristles, clenches his fists and takes a step forward. The Guards tense and move even closer. “What does that mean?”
“Luckily nobody else broke through the rectification,” Clu continues, dictating his thoughts to himself out loud. “Will have to study this further in case something does go wrong on the front. But you, you’re the prototype. Full of errors. It’s expected.”
Prototype? A chill crawls up Tron’s back and through his fiery circuits. A horrifying thought nudges at the back of his mind and he asks faintly, “What did you do to me?”
“Was the rectification not strong enough or is there something else....” Kevin’s face cocks an eyebrow at him. “You expect me to exposit to you? I don’t think so.”
He gestures and two Black Guards seize Tron by the arms. Clu saunters up to him, looks him in the eye, and says, “This time it’ll be perfect and you won’t remember anything at all-”
A Guard punches Tron’s disk dock.
* * *
They stop once during the eight-hour journey back to ENCOM City, at the outskirts a small nameless town that farmed energy out of the lifeless desert around it. While a Guard goes in to acquire energy the other two flank Sam and Edward. The prince looks deeply troubled by something but Sam doesn’t care.
“Why is he lying to me?” Edward suddenly says. “I’m not blind or stupid. I know what I saw. You weren’t plotting against me.”
Sam stares at the slate gray ground and nudges a rock with his foot.
“You knew him, before. He wasn’t protecting you because you were an asset. What he did to save you...” A short, hysterical laugh. “Most people wish they had that.”
The third Guard emerges from the town’s borders, holding two caskets of energy. With assistance from the other Guards he fuels the lightcycles and pours the rest into a vial that he then gives the prince. Edward tucks the blue vial into his pocket and mounts his lightcycle.
“Shame he was a Dread Pirate. Mother might’ve liked him.”
* * *
Jordan, Radia, Dumont, and someone whose name might be Shaddox are waiting for them in the courtyard. Everyone looks relieved - and a bit wary of the three Black Guards - and as Edward dismounts Jordan comes forward to hug him.
Then Shaddox asks, “Where is the war minister, Your Highness?”
“Dealing with the...Dread Pirate responsible for with my brother’s kidnapping,” Edward says.
Sam remains on the lightcycle, staring very hard at the reflective ground and trying to block out the conversation around him. He doesn’t look up when his mother approaches.
“Sam?” Jordan says. “Are you all right?”
Her hand touches his face and he flinches away. The queen straightens her back and draws in a shaky breath, then firmly says, “You are telling me everything right now, Edward. What happened?”
“I’ll tell you privately,” Edward says. “I have a few questions for you, anyway. Take him to his room.”
Two of the Guards march up to the lightcycle and grab Sam by the arm, haul him off of it and guide him into the palace. He stares at the red hue of their circuits and wonders why they’re the same color as Tron’s. The name pierces through his chest but he holds back the shuddering, sobbing gasp until after they shove him into his room and shut the door.
Something black and white lies on his bed and it leaps off as soon as the door closes with a click. Sam blinks at Marvin, who’s happily wagging his whole body, and then his knees give out. He collapses on the floor and Marvin runs up to him, wiggles into his arms and licks his face.
Sam doesn’t even have the energy to say his name. He buries his face into Marvin’s neck and cries.
* * *
He comes to in a dark space lit with consoles and circuits. He blinks and the cavernous room comes into focus. Someone - bald, wearing an orange visor hovering over his eyes - is fussing with something to his left. He tries to lift his head but he can’t; he’s immobilized, clamped down to a surface. It hums with faint energy underneath him and that causes a memory to surface: Guards holding him down, too many for him to fight off, as something grips his disk and sends fire through his body-
“Oh,” the Basic suddenly says. “You’re awake. That won’t do.”
Something vibrates at the base of his neck and he goes under.
When he comes to again it’s to a familiar face hovering over him. Familiar, even with the lines and wrinkles, the gray hair and beard, the weariness and exhaustion in the solemn blue eyes. He tries to tilt his head back to better see but he can’t.
“Oh Tron,” Kevin says. “What have you become?”
“A Dread Pirate,” he replies.
“You have no idea, do you?”
19 [The Lie] || 21 [The Truth Pt. 1]
Fandom(s): TRON: Legacy/The Princess Bride
Characters/pairing: Sam Flynn/Tron; Quorra, Anon, Ed Dillinger, Jr., Ed Dillinger, Sr., Jordan, Clu, Radia, Zuse, Gem, Alan & Lora Bradley, Dumont, Jarvis, Sark, Kevin, the MCP, etc. (Jeebus Christmas, y’all)
Rating: T+
Word count: 958
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
Summary: Horses are lightcycles, ships are Solar Sailers and Recognizers, Prince Edward Dillinger, Jr. of the Grid needs a reason to go to war with Bostrum, and Sam just wants Tron and his father back.
Author's Note: Just one thing to note - this chapter was originally titled "The Truth" but the outline begged to differ. So this update is "The Revelation" and the next chapter is "The Truth".
There’s something wrong with this picture.
He knows of Clu, has fought Clu, has escaped Clu, but he had never told Clu his name. He had never given the war minister a reason to look for him under his real name. Dread Pirate Rinzler? Yes. Tron? No. And shouldn’t Clu have already given orders to execute him?
“What do you mean by ‘welcome back’?” he asks while the Guards close in on him.
Instead of answering Clu starts walking around him, appraising him like he’s a lightcycle or a particularly excellent casket of energy. Tron turns around to face him, feeling uncomfortable with the attention the war minister is giving him.
“So you took on the cover stories as your own memories,” Clu mutters. “You don’t remember anything at all.”
Tron bristles, clenches his fists and takes a step forward. The Guards tense and move even closer. “What does that mean?”
“Luckily nobody else broke through the rectification,” Clu continues, dictating his thoughts to himself out loud. “Will have to study this further in case something does go wrong on the front. But you, you’re the prototype. Full of errors. It’s expected.”
Prototype? A chill crawls up Tron’s back and through his fiery circuits. A horrifying thought nudges at the back of his mind and he asks faintly, “What did you do to me?”
“Was the rectification not strong enough or is there something else....” Kevin’s face cocks an eyebrow at him. “You expect me to exposit to you? I don’t think so.”
He gestures and two Black Guards seize Tron by the arms. Clu saunters up to him, looks him in the eye, and says, “This time it’ll be perfect and you won’t remember anything at all-”
A Guard punches Tron’s disk dock.
* * *
They stop once during the eight-hour journey back to ENCOM City, at the outskirts a small nameless town that farmed energy out of the lifeless desert around it. While a Guard goes in to acquire energy the other two flank Sam and Edward. The prince looks deeply troubled by something but Sam doesn’t care.
“Why is he lying to me?” Edward suddenly says. “I’m not blind or stupid. I know what I saw. You weren’t plotting against me.”
Sam stares at the slate gray ground and nudges a rock with his foot.
“You knew him, before. He wasn’t protecting you because you were an asset. What he did to save you...” A short, hysterical laugh. “Most people wish they had that.”
The third Guard emerges from the town’s borders, holding two caskets of energy. With assistance from the other Guards he fuels the lightcycles and pours the rest into a vial that he then gives the prince. Edward tucks the blue vial into his pocket and mounts his lightcycle.
“Shame he was a Dread Pirate. Mother might’ve liked him.”
* * *
Jordan, Radia, Dumont, and someone whose name might be Shaddox are waiting for them in the courtyard. Everyone looks relieved - and a bit wary of the three Black Guards - and as Edward dismounts Jordan comes forward to hug him.
Then Shaddox asks, “Where is the war minister, Your Highness?”
“Dealing with the...Dread Pirate responsible for with my brother’s kidnapping,” Edward says.
Sam remains on the lightcycle, staring very hard at the reflective ground and trying to block out the conversation around him. He doesn’t look up when his mother approaches.
“Sam?” Jordan says. “Are you all right?”
Her hand touches his face and he flinches away. The queen straightens her back and draws in a shaky breath, then firmly says, “You are telling me everything right now, Edward. What happened?”
“I’ll tell you privately,” Edward says. “I have a few questions for you, anyway. Take him to his room.”
Two of the Guards march up to the lightcycle and grab Sam by the arm, haul him off of it and guide him into the palace. He stares at the red hue of their circuits and wonders why they’re the same color as Tron’s. The name pierces through his chest but he holds back the shuddering, sobbing gasp until after they shove him into his room and shut the door.
Something black and white lies on his bed and it leaps off as soon as the door closes with a click. Sam blinks at Marvin, who’s happily wagging his whole body, and then his knees give out. He collapses on the floor and Marvin runs up to him, wiggles into his arms and licks his face.
Sam doesn’t even have the energy to say his name. He buries his face into Marvin’s neck and cries.
* * *
He comes to in a dark space lit with consoles and circuits. He blinks and the cavernous room comes into focus. Someone - bald, wearing an orange visor hovering over his eyes - is fussing with something to his left. He tries to lift his head but he can’t; he’s immobilized, clamped down to a surface. It hums with faint energy underneath him and that causes a memory to surface: Guards holding him down, too many for him to fight off, as something grips his disk and sends fire through his body-
“Oh,” the Basic suddenly says. “You’re awake. That won’t do.”
Something vibrates at the base of his neck and he goes under.
When he comes to again it’s to a familiar face hovering over him. Familiar, even with the lines and wrinkles, the gray hair and beard, the weariness and exhaustion in the solemn blue eyes. He tries to tilt his head back to better see but he can’t.
“Oh Tron,” Kevin says. “What have you become?”
“A Dread Pirate,” he replies.
“You have no idea, do you?”
19 [The Lie] || 21 [The Truth Pt. 1]