Tron Legacy the Junior Novel - Alice Alfonsi [9]
Jarvis noticed his master’s sudden interest. Curious, he turned to an Intelligence Sentry. “What is that program?” Jarvis asked, pointing at Sam.
With his attention trained on Sam, the Leader shifted two black balls in his gloved hand. Jarvis noted the move. That single, innocent signal triggered the entry of a deadly new contestant.
“Rinzler has entered the arena,” the announcer informed the crowd.
As cheers went up, Sam watched the sleek, black-armored Rinzler enter. The face of this warrior program was completely hidden behind a dark visor. He drew his disc, and it instantly transformed into two metal weapons.
“Come on!” Sam shouted. “Is that even legal?”
Rinzler threw with both hands. The discs closed in on Sam. He leaped at the last possible second, and the discs careened off each another.
A warning siren wailed. A hologram of a giant arrow appeared above Sam’s and Rinzler’s heads. Then it began to turn. Amazingly, the gravity in the arena shifted with it!
Helpless, Sam felt his body crashing against a translucent dome that now covered the entire arena. Rinzler was dropping on him. He tried to get out of the way, but there was nothing he could do.
Sam cried out as Rinzler’s boots landed on his forearms and one of the discs sliced his skin. Pinned, he was helpless as Rinzler raised a disc for the killing blow.
Just then, a drop of blood oozed from the wound in Sam’s arm. The globule leaked through a crack in his armor. Beading like mercury, the single drop hung in the air for a moment before dripping, then bursting like a scarlet balloon.
Seeing the blood, Rinzler froze in midstrike. Confused, he lifted his visor-covered face toward the rectifier overhead.
In answer, a voice boomed out. “Identify yourself, Program.”
The electronic voice was not the announcer’s. It was Counselor Jarvis who’d spoken.
“I’m not a program!” Sam called in reply.
Another voice spoke, one that sounded oddly familiar to Sam. “This is your Leader,” the man said. “Identify yourself.”
“My name is Sam Flynn!”
The crowd began to murmur.
Up in the rectifier, the Leader turned to Jarvis. This was interesting. very, very interesting.
Below, Rinzler stepped back as two Sentries appeared. Lifting Sam to his feet they led him off the combat court. Then sheathing his deadly discs, Rinzler followed.
THE SENTRIES DRAGGED SAM up to the command bridge of the rectifier. They tossed him to the deck in front of their master’s throne.
Sam glanced around. “Where am I?”
The Leader walked up to Sam. Activating a switch on his helmet, his dark mask dissolved, revealing his face.
Sam staggered backward. He couldn’t believe his eyes. It couldn’t be…“dad?” he croaked.
Sam was staring at his father, who looked exactly as he had when Sam last saw him twenty years ago.
The Leader smiled. “Sam! Look at you. Look at the size of you. How did you get in here?”
Sam felt numb. He swallowed. “I got your page,” he whispered, “and…”
“So, it’s just you?” the Leader asked pointedly.
Sam nodded. “Yeah. Just me.”
“Just you!” the Leader said, sounding relieved. “Wow. This is something, isn’t it?”
Now it was Sam’s turn to become suspicious. How could twenty years have passed without his father aging a day. “You look…the same, dad.”
“But a lot’s happened, Sam,” the Leader explained. “More than you could ever imagine.” He extended his hand. “The disc.”
Sam winced as Rinzler yanked Sam’s disc from the sheath on his back and handed it to his master. The Leader opened the disc and gazed into it, as though reading a book. Sam watched as billions of bits of information about his life were downloaded into the Leader.
“Got it,” the Leader said, looking up. “But I expected more.”
“You were trapped here. Is that what happened?” Sam asked.
“That’s right,” the Leader replied vaguely.
“But you’re in charge?” Sam said, puzzled. “So we can get out of here now, right?”
The Leader shook his head. “Not in the cards, Sam. Not for you.”
“Why not?” Sam asked. “I’m your son!”
“Oh, that.” The Leader placed his hand on Sam’s shoulder. “You see, Sam. I’m