Tron: Deliverance

<EXPORTING>

Gem rolled down her window and fixed the guard with a sultry smile.

"Lovely night isn't it?" She said softly, holding up her codes for inspection. The Guard scanned the codes but leaned towards Gem's window.

"It's a great night. Now where does a lovely program like you get a roadster like this?"

Gem beckoned him to lean down so that she could whisper into the audio processor on the side of his helmet.

"A lady never reveals her secrets" she crooned. A chuckle rattled through the guards audio processors.

"You have a safe night ma'am" he said stepping back unwillingly. His partner stepped away as well. Gem gave him a sultry wink and revved the engine, pulling away from the checkpoint as the two guards watched in obvious fascination.

Allen nodded, slightly impressed. The guards hadn't even looked in the backseat, too taken with Gem's performance.They drove in silence for a few more minutes, Gem pushing the roadster to almost frightening speeds. She calmly switched between gears with detached indifference.

Allen was formulating a few questions to ask her, realizing that they suddenly had a source of information on what had been happening in the grid since Sam had left and CLU had been destroyed. But before he could speak, Quorra beat him to the punch.

"I knew Zuse for a long time. I did not realize his loyalties were so fickle. Radia would be ashamed"

Gem did not blink at the criticism. She merely geared up and weaved between a pod of light cycles in the fast lane.

"I already explained, Zuse did what he felt gave us the best chances at survival. He knew CLU was about to make a big play. I don't know what the ultimate plan was, but everyone knew he was going to try to change the Grid itself. If CLU gained that much power, it was only a matter of time before programs like us got caught in the crossfire. Zuse calculated that if he proved himself to be a strategic ally we could survive that shift......he miscalculated"

"Astoundingly logical. But your character still leaves something to be desired" Quorra responded darkly.

"Miscalculated?" Jet interjected quizzically.

Gem continued "CLU destroyed the End of Line bar and attempted to execute Zuse and myself. He made the mistake of leaving us in the bar to derezz. We escaped. But CLU's actions made it obvious that he no longer needs allies. That is why I am headed to the sea. We need to know what happened to the fleet and where CLU went. So we can be prepared for his return"

Sam chuckled

"I don't think ya gotta worry about that. My dad took care of CLU. No thanks to you by the way" he finished sourly.

Gem blinked and stared at Sam in the rear view. "What do you mean?" She asked, her impassive mask slipping just slightly.

Quorra answered this time.

"Flynn forced a reintegration with CLU. It destroyed them both and the backlash would have derezzed most of CLUs fleet"

Gem's knuckles were white on the steering wheel

And she stared blankly ahead.

"Flynn....killed CLU" she said slowly.

"Yes. You did not think he'd actually do it did you? You had no faith in Flynn. That's why you betrayed us" Quorra said coolly.

She looked back in the rear view at Quorra. Saying nothing.

Then looked back to the road. A laugh escaped her. It was a harsh and a slightly hysterical laugh.

"CLU is gone? Destroyed?" A few more laughs escaped her before she cleared her throat and schooled her expression.

"That changes things" she said stiffly.

Allen cut in, wanting to control the flow of this particular conversation. "In light of that information you are still willing to go to the Sea of Simulation yes?" He asked calmly.

Gem looked back at him, for the first time looking genuinely confused.

"I told you I would take you wherever you needed to go. Nothing will change that"

"Ah, good" Allen said lamely. Again taken aback by the sheer devotion in her gaze.

The awkwardness made him chew on his next question for longer than normal. The silence stretched on as they made it further and further into a land of dark mountains and low hanging clouds.

"I will need to go off road here in a moment. Brace yourselves" Gem said, pulling back on a lever beside the gear shift. The roadster jumped and the soft humming changed to a deeper rumble. She flicked a few switches and the lights of the vehicle dimmed. Without warning she veered off the road, disappearing in a narrow pass between two large rocks. Allen instinctively grabbed for a handle above his head but found nothing to brace with. Quorra's sharp shoulder jammed into his arm when the momentum threw him into her.

"Neatly done. I doubt anyone saw us" Jet said approvingly. With the privilege of the front seat he hadn't been quite as jostled.

"Thanks for the warning, I about got whiplash" Sam grumbled. The force of the sharp turn had  shoved Quorra onto his lap.

"Very well. Warning" Gem deadpanned as she took an equally sharp turn to avoid crashing into a sheer cliff.

Quorra and Sam's combined weight crushed into Allen, making him grunt.

"Jet, next time I'm taking the front seat. I'm too old to be squashed in the back" Allen griped.

Jet laughed "Are your old bones crunching gramps?"

"I may be old but I can still whup your butt" Allen shot back. All too familiar with the old man jokes.

"At what? Bingo? Jeopardy? Farkle? Insert another old person game?" Jet continued relentlessly.

"Mmm hmmm keep talking sport. I'll let your mom know you think she's old. Since we're the same age"

Jett looked back, aghast. "You wouldn't! That is low! Even for you"

"Try me" Allen said darkly.

Quorra watched the exchange with a wondering smile. She always watched him and Jet banter that way. Parent-child relationships weren't really a thing in the Grid so she always looked fascinated when Jet interacted with either of his parents. Sam looked marginally more relaxed with the softened atmosphere.

"Hey Jet I don't think your dad can say anything. He still rocks a pager"

"Ayyyyy who are you paging dad? Nikola Tesla? Allan Turing? One of your old school classmates?" Jet guffawed.

"We are almost there" Gem said impassively. In the distance, the dark ground cut off into an even darker expanse of water.

The Sea of Simulation.