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Tron Legacy - It's Your Call - Initiate Sequence

Page 10

by Jablonski, Carla


  You 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.

  TURN TO PAGE 134

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  Your 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 here—or 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 skeleton…still sitting in the same position.

  THE END

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  Your 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 own—and 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.

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  Let’s get up to the stands,” you tell Alex, hauling him toward an opening in the arena. “We’ll watch from up there.” You know this is the safe, smart thing to do. But it would be pretty awesome to try out one of those souped-up vehicles.

  Before you can make it off the platform, you hear a loud whirr—and the ground you’re standing on starts to move! You and Alex revolve away from the exit and…

  …come face-to-face with the remaining player on his Light Cycle. He circles around you and Alex, creating a light wall.

  “I think we’re about to play,” you say.

  “No problem,” Alex says. “I’m an expert at this game.”

  “Alex, this isn’t a video game—this is real life,” you say. “And he’s got a weapon and a bike!”

  Alex cups his hands around his mouth. “Need a bike down here!”

  To your shock, something drops from a craft hovering above the stadium. You hadn’t noticed it before.

  You dash over to retrieve it and discover it’s a baton. As you run back to Alex it turns into a Light Cycle! You hop aboard and pick up Alex. He settles onto the seat behind you.

  “Cool!” Alex cheers.

  Now you might actually live through this. You hope.

  TURN TO PAGE 121

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  You stand frozen for a moment, trying to figure out your next move. You hear a sound and turn. Quorra has come back and is hovering in the doorway. She is holding a hexagonal-shaped card.

  “There’s someone I once knew….” She gives the card to you.

  You gaze down at it. It’s weathered and torn. There’s a strange symbol on it and a map of the Grid.

  “There was a program named Zuse who helped me once,” she explains. “I haven’t seen him in a long time, but they say he still runs the underground. Forges data for rogue programs, moves them around the Grid. They say he can get anyone anywhere.”

  “How do I find him?” you ask. She nods at the card. “That’s his sector. Make it there alive and he’ll find you.” Her message delivered, she quickly vanishes back into her room. It’s time to go.

  TURN TO PAGE 64

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  You reach for your disc, ready to fight Rinzler. But your father clamps his hand on your arm. “No, son. This is mine.” You and Quorra watch anxiously as your father meets the warrior in the middle of the swaying, derezzing bridge. Your stomach clenches. You’re not sure who will be the victor in this battle. Maybe you should go after Rinzler while he’s distracted by your dad. But would that put your father in more danger? No matter what you choose to do you need to decide fast. The Portal is closing!

  Do you watch and wait, letting your dad take the lead here? TURN TO PAGE 129.

  Or do you try to derrezz Rinzler ON PAGE 82?

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  You power up your chutes and together you zip off the deck. Unfortunately, flying in formation above the vast Rectifier makes you a perfect target. Within seconds an entire army of programs shoot you down. Well, you think as you fall, at least you won’t live to see Clu take over the world.

  THE END

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  Luckily, you’re still wearing your Tron Chutes. You hit the controls and land in the vehicle your dad is commandeering. Once you and Quorra crawl inside, your dad peels away from the cave.

  You see the gate rising already—any minute now the Sentries will come after you.

  “It’s all yours,” your dad says to Quorra. He moves out of the way as she slides into the driver’s seat. He points toward the pillar of light. “Got a great landmark to navigate by.”

  “To the Portal!” Quorra declares.

  You hand your father his disc. “Try to hang on to this,” you joke. “I have a feeling you’re going to need it.”

  He ruffles your hair as if you were seven years old again. “Thanks, kid.”

  The vehicle lurches and shudders. “What’s happening?” you ask.

  “I can’t steer!” Quorra cries.

  “Is it Clu?” you ask your dad. “Could he be doing something?

  Your father shakes his head. “It’s the Portal. The energy around it is very unstable.”

  Great. You escaped from Clu and his henchmen only to have the Portal almost kill you!

  TURN TO PAGE 52

 

 

 


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