Chapter Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Tron!

A/N: Woohoo! An Update! This chapter isn't my favorite, just a warning. XD But hopefully you guys enjoy it, and also enjoy the new addition. :3

I want to thank everyone who has reviewed between the last update and now. Your reviews always give me the inspiration to write, even if only for a little while. They help get these chapters done when my muse is hard to come by. So even if it's years between updates, a review will likely inspire me to get back to it. :D Thank you guys so much.

Chapter 13: The Outlands

Tron pulled an unconscious Sam out of the throng of dancing programs, worry evident on his face. Once out of the moving mass, he was able to lift the User into his arms, quickly making his way towards the back rooms. He could see Rez notify another program to take over for him as he slipped away from the bar to follow.

Once through the door, the music was dulled and it was mostly silent. Tron lay Sam down on the bed, unsure of what to do. Why did he collapse? Was he simply tired? Was there something wrong or causing him pain? He cursed his inability to decipher the User, and without his own disc, he could not check that either.

Rez walked in, approaching the pair quietly. "What happened?" the program asked, his voice laced with concern.

"He just collapsed, I have no idea," Tron replied, running a hand through Sam's hair. The User seemed to be fine, though, and didn't look to be in pain.

"I wonder what caused it… he seemed to be full of energy, not to mention he'd just had an energy cocktail," Rez murmured, taking a seat in one of the arm chairs. "I don't think it was exhaustion," he stated.

Tron nodded in agreement. Though that meant that something was wrong, and he had no idea what it was. Though the more he thought about it, the more an idea presented itself to him. "Rez, do you think it's because of my disc?" Tron asked quietly.

Rez looked up sharply, a thoughtful and troubled look on his face. Tron had said that with guilt in his voice. "Tron, even if it is, that is not your fault. Your disc is also keeping him stable, remember? But you may be onto something. Maybe wearing another's disc for too long is causing some sort of… glitch? Though he is a User, I do not know what it would be for him," he said, tilting his head. "Perhaps the energy surge from the drink caused it," Rez was thoughtful.

Tron clenched a fist, anger flooding through his circuits. Damn Code… if he had never broken Sam's disc…! The urge to kill the now-rectified program was strong, but Sam would disapprove. It was the only reason he had not just yet. "We won't know until Sam wakes up," he said stiffly, his thoughts whirling. He was unused to feeling such emotions so strongly- usually he had been able to keep a strong reign on them, and even then he never really had felt such things like this. Now he understood why ISOs were special- they were more like users than programs would ever be. Was he lucky, then, to be closer to Sam?

Tron was unsure how long he had been muddling over such thoughts, but a groan from the blue-lit User had him focus solely on him. "Sam," he said, relief flooding through his system. Before the User could sit up, Tron had reached out a hand to prevent him. "Don't sit up just yet, relax," he advised.

"Ugh, my head feels like it's been split into two," Sam muttered, raising a hand to his temple.

Rez was the first to address the problem, "Do you have any idea why you collapsed? Tron and I have our speculations, but we'd like to hear your thoughts," he explained.

Sam looked over at the violet program, and he gave a shrug. He sat up slowly, and this time Tron didn't stop him, but helped him. "Well, just before I collapsed, it felt like… I don't really know how to explain it. But it felt like I was being split apart. It was similar to when Code broke my disc, but not exactly. That was just inexplicable pain, and this wasn't," the User explained, a frown on his face. He reached behind himself to touch the blue disc, Tron's disc.

He glanced at Tron, who looked troubled, and he voiced his thoughts, "Do you think it's because this disc is not my own? A disc stores all the data, or memories, events and such that happen to the program, or User in my case. But since this is Tron's, I don't have anything to store my data on. I think it's finally affecting me. I also think Tron's disc is trying to… how do I put this, not corrupt per say, but influence me? Trying to, I know this will sound ridiculous, but trying to turn me into Tron?"

Tron's eyes narrowed and he looked at Sam, frowning. "That's similar to what Rez and I thought," he said. "And if that's the case, we need to get you a new disc as soon as possible," the warrior said.

"Too bad, I was looking forward to suddenly being as skilled as you with a disc," he laughed, though he could tell it didn't do much to ease the tension. So Sam blinked, "Right, yeah. Where do we get one? I got mine in the Arena, so do we go there?" He asked, tilting his head.

"No, that's been shut down since the reintegration. Well, all of them have been since the reintegration. I think our best bet is your father's house in the Outlands. The reintegration would not have reached that far," Tron said thoughtfully.

"Good thing we have a Light Runner," Sam said, chuckling. He'd have to look into a way of giving Light Cycles the ability to go off Grid, though the fact that they hadn't had saved him way back when. But still, nothing was quite like riding a Light Cycle, so he'd have to look into it one way or another, if only for his own indulgence.

"Are you sure you should go now? The portal may close before you can get back," Rez advised.

"If so, Quorra can open it again. She knows I'm here. After all, I had to pretty much get her permission to come back," the User rolled his eyes.

Rez looked amused. "I see she has adapted to being a User quite well, then," he chuckled. "Well, good to know, I suppose. But be careful, who knows what sort of Rogue programs have made outposts in the Outlands," he shrugged, going back to the club.

Tron nodded in acknowledgement, then looked at Sam, offering a hand to help him up. Sam took it, and Tron wrapped an arm around his waist to steady him, though Sam looked about ready to protest.

"I can walk, Tron, really," the User complained, and with a small sigh, Tron let him go. He wobbled, though, and almost fell over, causing the warrior to grab him again.

"I believe you," Tron replied, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. It was foreign to him, and he was slightly surprised at himself. Sam looked equally surprised.

"I didn't think you were capable of sarcasm, Tron," he laughed, suddenly amused. Sam allowed himself to be helped, however, deciding not to argue. Tron was right, after all. He was having trouble walking.

It didn't take long for them to get to the Light Runner outside, parked in the same place they had left it- in the garage. Tron helped Sam in, and then quickly got into the driver's seat. One day, Sam thought, I'd like to finally drive a light runner…

As soon as the hatch closed around them, Tron put it into gear and quickly sped down the road. He made a few turns, taking a roundabout route to get to the highway that would lead to the Outlands. He seemed to be avoiding certain sectors, and Sam didn't mind. The less hassle the better. If he couldn't make it back to the portal, he wasn't so sure Quorra would let him back onto the Grid next time.

Tron sped up as they neared the end of the highway, and he shifted, the wheels changing to form off-Grid tires. They kicked up dust bits as they went, Tron easily maneuvering the rock formations and debris from various skirmishes.

Sam was confident in his ability, so he allowed himself to relax and look around as they drove, taking in the various structures as they went. He was able to make out debris from what looked like tanks and recognizers, still flickering red. He wondered if these were homes to rogue programs, but there was no chance to find out. Tron would likely not pull over.

They were taking a different path than Quorra had taken, he realized. A lot of this was unfamiliar to him, and there was certainly more to look at. Tron slowed down to navigate through a particularly rocky section, and that's when Sam saw it. He didn't know why he felt a pull towards the recognizer debris, but he did, as if he'd find something important there. "Tron, stop," he suddenly found himself saying.

Tron looked over at Sam in surprise, "What?" He questioned, though he had had heard him loud and clear.

"Stop the light runner. I just saw something… I think we should check it out," Sam explained, and he looked over at Tron with an 'I'm serious' expression.

Tron slowed down and then came to a stop, eying the User. "Sam, I don't think it's a good idea to go exploring, especially in your condition," he said slowly, to emphasize.

"Tron, come on, you're here with me. We'll be fine," Sam said, reaching over and pushing one of the buttons to activate the hatch. It lifted and Sam hoisted himself out, glad to find he had his ability to move back. He hopped out, going back the way they had come a few yards- Tron hadn't exactly stopped when he told him to after all. He could hear Tron following close behind.

He rounded one of the rock formations and found the flickering recognizer on a plain not far from where they stood. So he quickly made his way towards it, wondering why he felt a pull. He just had a feeling he'd find something important…

As they came to the debris, he paused, wondering what do to next. He could feel Tron's eyes on him, and he just knew the warrior was wondering why they were here. He walked around the recognizer slowly, looking for any small thing that would be of any sort of use. As he rounded the main bulk of debris, he could see a disc lying next to it, a fine layer of dust on top of it. It was old, then. He moved over to it and knelt down, picking it up. It instantly flickered, thrumming with energy that Sam had given to it unknowingly. The glow was white.

Sam tilted his head, curious. A white glowing disc? Didn't white usually signify a User? Or ISO?

He flipped the disc over in his hands and wondered. Without meaning to, he brought up the main display, showing who the disc had once belonged to. His eyes widened. "System Monitor?" He voiced aloud, and he could hear Tron's breath catch.

Tron looked over, surprise on his face. System Monitor? He walked over, kneeling down beside the User, staring at the disc with evident shock. "It can't be," he murmured.

Sam looked at him, "Tron? You know who this belongs, er, belonged to?" He asked, looking back at the disc display. He reached up and flicked through some coding, realizing that he was looking at another security program. One with a lot of abilities and data, to boot. Less than Tron, but still much more than he had thought possible for a, well, program. Because let's face it, Tron was never a normal program, even before he became an ISO.

"I can access the memory bank, even… This disc is in really good condition. What does that mean, Tron?" He questioned.

Tron shook out of his shock and memories, looking back at his User. "Anonymous, that was his name. Anon for short. He… he was the first System Monitor, created by your father before CLU… Well, before everything happened. I don't know much of what happened; he was around just before I was reprogrammed. From what I remember as Rinzler, he was a huge 'pain' in CLU's side," Tron explained, and he also added, "He also knew Quorra. I remember ordering him to keep tabs on her because she looked like she was stirring up mischief," he chuckled, shaking his head.

But he had to wonder at Sam's second question. "I don't know what that means. Usually discs don't last very long after the program's been derezzed. Maybe we can learn more from the memory banks, but I suggest we get to Flynn's first, I'd rather not be out in the open like this," Tron advised, standing up. He helped Sam to his feet.

"Alright, sounds fair enough," Sam grinned, twirling the disc in his hands. His father's program… Maybe he could bring him back? It was possible, with the disc in such good condition. That's when it hit him. The floppy disk in his jacket pocket. The designation had been 'Anon.' The floppy held this program on it. He tucked this information away for later.

They headed back to the Light Runner with no problems, and before long, they were off again. Sam activated the disc once again, curious about what made this System Monitor so unique, not to mention it had more information than the floppy disk. He analyzed the code and wondered if it would be beneficial to make more like this one. He'd ask Tron about it later, and maybe… An idea began to form in Sam's head, but he wondered if Tron would ever accept it.

Perhaps he could recreate this System Monitor, Anon. From what it looked like, this program had just as much skill as Tron did. Maybe he could, well, take over Tron's job, or at least partially, and Tron could return with him to the User world. Sam's thoughts took a new direction, then.

Their relationship wasn't really 'normal.' At least not back home- it wouldn't be well accepted. Not to mention Tron was, well, he looked like Alan when he had been younger. There were differences, yes, like the darker hair and the really in shape body, but… He still appeared similar to Alan. And what if Tron did agree to come with him? Would he be ready to have a steady relationship? Was Tron, as corny as it sounded, 'the one?' He couldn't bring Tron into the User world only to realize that maybe it wouldn't work out between them… Tron would be devastated and he would never be normal in the Grid again- he'd be a User.

Though Sam, judging by how he had felt just thinking about the idea of not being with Tron, was sure he was wrong about that. His eyes moved over to the new ISO, watching him. He was relaxed, even though they were moving at incredibly high speeds, weaving in and out of obstacles. There was a longing in Sam to have something more than what they had. Because what they had right now wasn't much. He would see him for a short time, but have to return to ENCOM and life outside the Grid for a couple of days. Which translated to a very long time for Tron. It wasn't fair for him.

"You look like you're thinking about something painful," Tron broke the silence, his eyes landing on the User before quickly darting back to the Outlands.

Sam jumped slightly, startled at the sudden words. He chuckled, "Nah, I was just lost in thought is more like it," he remarked, unsure if he wanted to talk to Tron about that just yet. He decided that he didn't- it wasn't the right time.

Tron nodded, deciding not to push the User. He was probably just thinking about the disc in his hands, anyway. "We're almost there," he commented, to divert the conversation. And by almost there, he actually meant that they were already there.

Sam could see the 'garage' entry fast approaching. He always felt nervous approaching such a small opening at high speeds.

But Tron got them in with no effort at all. He stopped the light runner and opened the hatch. They both exited and walked over to the elevator in silence. Sam felt somewhat nervous. He hadn't been here long the first time, and now… he was back, but he would not find his father this time.

The platform came to a stop, opening up into a spacious and unlit room. Both ISO and User stood where they were, merely staring at the place. Sam was the first to speak, "I feel like he'll just come walking out of his room, right over there," he whispered, swallowing down his emotions.

The last time he was here, he had been Rinzler. Quietly observing. But now, he was here as Tron, and he felt great sorrow. He looked at Sam, noticing his hunched shoulders. Without really knowing how to properly comfort someone, he reached a hand out and put it on Sam's shoulder. "Flynn… would be very proud of you," he said quietly.

Sam looked up at Tron, trying to mask his emotions but not succeeding. "Yeah," he said, and his voice sounded choked. "He would, wouldn't he? He'd be glad you're back, too. And I think he'd be happy about…" Sam trailed off, unable to continue.

He felt himself pulled forward into an embrace, and he returned it, leaning his face into Tron's neck. He would not cry, damn it! The twenty-eight year old let out a shaky breath, taking comfort in the strong arms wrapped around his waist. He had to focus on breathing.

Tron was unsure of what to say, but he knew what Sam meant. Flynn would probably be happy they had each other. Memories flooded through his mind of a time when Flynn would talk about nothing but his son; and how much he wished he could show him the Grid- introduce his son to him. He had always said he believed he and Sam would hit it off real well. To think the Creator had been right all along.

Sam shifted, pulling himself from Tron's embrace, despite how much he had just wanted to remain like that. "Come on, we came here for a reason," he said, his voice back to normal. He stepped out onto the floor panels and they immediately lit up the room, as if it were coming to life. He noticed everything was in place but the table- it looked like somebody had knocked everything off. He assumed it had been Clu.

The User looked around, then decided to venture into his father's room. Maybe he'd find something in there that was useful.

As he opened the door, he found himself in a very bare room, aside from the bed and a desk on the far side, looking out over Tron City. He walked over to the desk, wondering. Sam leaned over and put his hand on it, and watched as it flickered to life. Just as he had thought- it was like the computer in the Arcade's basement. He pulled out the chair, sitting himself down. Tron was likely exploring the rest of the house, but he didn't mind.

Sam pulled up the mainframe, wondering where to start. He decided with a search to see what that brought up. Several programs popped up, indicating many different options. His eyes honed in on a particular line of code. Create New Program Disc It was just what he had been looking for. He typed in a few lines of code, and then more lines appeared, asking for various inputs.

Sam hesitated, a bit unsure. He prompted for a help screen and was glad something came up. It explained the various inputs and their functions. So he perused through them, curious, deciding on the correct format for his disc. Sam had no idea it had been this complicated. Though perhaps it was because it was his father's computer…Or perhaps it may not even work.

He typed in the inputs he had decided upon and lines of code appeared. He typed in OK and a pending status appeared in the corner. It beeped loudly and then more lines appeared, saying, 'Creating Identity Disc… Pending… Pending…'

Sam leaned back, waiting. Where would the disc be? He looked around the room, not noticing anywhere something like that could be created. His eyes stopped on Tron, who stood in the doorway. Sam pointed at the desk, "It's making me a new disc. I have no idea if I did it right, though," he said, sheepish.

Tron smiled and walked over, crouching down by the chair Sam sat in. "It will be, I'm sure," he assured the User. Sam had an uncanny ability to get things right the first time through. Luck, Flynn would call it. Well, aside from that first time he tried to make a baton for a light cycle…

A ping was heard, and the screen read, 'Complete. Identity Disc Created Successfully.' A sliding noise was heard at the side of the desk, and Sam peered over it to see. It was like a CD drive on a laptop, only for identity discs. And there one was, as sleek and white as his father's. Though, if he remembered correctly, his father had been able to change it to black when he went back to the Grid. Hopefully he could do the same… the white identity disc would stand out way too much.

He picked up the disc and flipped it over in his hands. It felt right… the only thing now was to test it. He felt hands at his back suddenly, and looked over his shoulder at Tron. The ISO gently removed his own identity disc and offered his hand to Sam to take the new one. Sam handed it over without hesitation and waited. He imagined it would be like the Arena all over again, that feeling of syncing with the disc… it was weird, but he was prepared for it this time.

Tron placed the disc onto the dock and turned it, the click of it slotting into place audible in the silence. Sam felt the tingling sensation down his entire spine, and then it was over. He blocked, then turned to face Tron. "Well, that was easy," he remarked.

Tron leaned in and captured Sam's lips in a soft kiss, and when he pulled away, he connected their foreheads. "Hopefully not too easy," he replied. He truly did hope that his User was restored to his full functions. No more random collapses would be great.

"Well, now that we're here and creating the disc didn't take nearly as long as I thought, I think it's a good time to view the memory data on this disc," he said, standing up. He moved out towards the main living area, deciding it would be more comfortable to sit on the couch than a desk chair.

Tron had followed, "I am curious, as well," he said, sitting down on the couch, near the corner.

Sam paused before he sat, and he grinned. "It'll take a while. Why don't we get comfortable?" He grinned. He noticed Tron's semi-confused look and sighed. "I guess that means you've never properly 'cuddled' before, though I hate that term," Sam rolled his eyes. He motioned to Tron's legs, "Put your legs on the couch- no don't give me that look, I know what I'm talking about," he grinned in amusement. Tron looked skeptical, so he'd have to prove him wrong.

Once Sam got Tron properly situated, he sat down, positioning himself to sit in between Tron's legs. He leaned back against Tron's chest, making himself comfortable. In this position, they could both view the contents of the System Monitor's disc.

Tron shifted slightly, finding that though this was different, he quite enjoyed it. He wrapped his arms around Sam, keeping the User pressed against him. The ISO leaned forward a bit, kissing Sam's neck a couple of times before relaxing into the couch once again. He watched as the User accessed the memory banks on the disc, and the images flashed before them, as if they were watching a documentary on Anon.

A/N: WOO! There's that. I'm completely unsatisfied with this chapter. And as you can see, I'm not computer savvy. XD Oh well. Hope you guys enjoyed it! And it'll probably be another long wait for the next chapter. I have two jobs and I play hockey three times a week, so it's hard to find time and the urge to write. But never fear, this will be updated again. :3 Especially if you review.