Tron Legacy the Junior Novel - Alice Alfonsi [16]
Sam noticed Sentries up ahead. They were stopping passing programs and checking their disc Ids.
Better look for cover, Sam thought.
He ducked into an alley across from Flynn’s arcade. As he parked his dad’s cycle, he noticed a destitute program sleeping nearby. Sam traded his blue arena baton for the defeated program’s ragged poncho. disguised now, Sam ventured onto the main street.
“Sam Flynn?”
Turning, he recognized the pretty program approaching him. This was the head Siren, the same living statue who had helped Sam suit up before he entered the arena. She looked more conventional now, wearing street clothes and carrying an umbrella.
“Do you remember me?” she asked.
Sam nodded. “You gave me some advice.”
“And you followed it. I’m glad,” the Siren said with a smile. “It’s unfortunate we met the way we did.”
“Yeah. Can I have my jeans back?” Sam asked.
“I am off duty now,” the Siren replied.
“Well, you have a good night,” he said, turning to go.
The Siren stopped him. “You’re looking for someone?”
Sam froze. “What makes you say that?”
The Siren plucked Quorra’s holographic card out of his hand. “Intuition,” she replied flatly.
Just then, two armored Sentries appeared at the end of the block. The Siren pulled Sam into the shadows.
“I can help you, Sam Flynn,” she whispered. “I know what you are looking for, and your other options don’t strike me as particularly attractive.” The Siren’s gaze drifted to the Sentries.
Sam nodded once. The Siren took Sam’s hand and led him away, out of the Old City and toward the new.
Back in the Outlands, Kevin awoke with a start. Sensing something was wrong, he got out of bed. In his bare feet he padded to where his son was supposed to be sleeping.
Sam was gone—and so was the vintage Light Cycle.
Kevin knew Sam could never have gotten out of the safe house without help. He summoned Quorra.
She found Kevin on the veranda staring out at the flickering lights of the metropolis. “The city is bright tonight,” he said. “Clu is excited to see me.”
Quorra flinched. He knows I helped Sam. did something happen? The city lights were brighter than ever. Spotlight beams stabbed at the black sky. Quorra could see squadrons of air Sentries assembling above the city’s towers.
Suddenly she became frightened. Clu knew Sam was on the grid! He was marshaling his forces.
“Thank you for bringing my son to me,” Kevin said quietly. Then he touched a button on his belt. Thick, plasma-laced armor morphed around him. Battle boots encased his bare feet. The data disc Clu wanted appeared on Kevin’s back. It glowed steadily in the shadowy light.
“You can’t go,” Quorra pleaded. “Sam is going to be okay. I sent him to someone we can trust.”
But Kevin activated his faceplate. “I don’t expect you to understand. There’s no other choice.”
Kevin’s face looked almost ghostly inside the illuminated helmet. “Chaos,” he said with a strange smile, looking at the flashing lights and assembling army. “That’s good news.”
SAM FOLLOWED THE SIREN to a towering building. He craned his neck. The top of the building was pulsating with light. A symbol flashed in the brilliant neon. It was the same symbol he’d seen on Quorra’s holographic data card.
Walking inside, Sam and the Siren boarded a glass elevator. She pressed the only button and the doors closed. The elevator soundlessly ran up the side of the colossal building. Sam marveled at the view. Not even the Encom Tower was as high as this monolith.
The elevator finally stopped. The doors opened and Sam’s jaw dropped.
“What is this place?” he whispered.
The Siren took his hand. Her eyes were burning with a strange inner light. “This is the End of Line Club, Sam Flynn,” she said. Then she tugged on Sam’s hand, pulling him into the massive club.
The interior was vast and multileveled. verandas, balconies—even floating islands—were crowded with programs. Helmeted DJs played music from a booth overlooking the kaleidoscopic floor.
The jam masters used color