Tron: A User's Rise

[Jay's Pov]

{???}

Blinking my eyes open, I let out a groan as I groggily rolled my head. My head felt like shit. I mean, seriously, I feel like someone just took a frying pan and hit me over the head with it. Strangely enough, there's also this weird crick in my neck. Anyway, that's besides the point. What really matters right now are these memories. These memories aren't mine... well, they weren't mine.

Information about this world was now flooding my head. Life on the Grid, knowledge of the many vehicles, combat skills, and much more. It was probably that program's memories, I concluded. The disc must have transferred everything he had learned and experienced to me. This was the only explanation I could think of.

Sitting up from my leaning position, I go to stand up, only to realize that my hands and feet were bound to a chair with some sort of handcuffs. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the cuffs were made of some kind of hard light material. Suddenly a schematic of said handcuffs flashed through my mind.

My head throbbed as I saw memories of how to make and repair them. Then I saw the most helpful memory for someone in my current predicament. How to unlock them and get out of them. Unfortunately for me, I didn't have the tool needed to do so. Wincing from the pain I doubled over, panting slightly as the memory passed.

Breathing in deeply, I let out a deep sigh as I tried to mitigate my head pain. Guess I'm still assimilating with these new memories of mine. I really hope it isn't like this every time I learn more about things in this world. Groaning, I look around, trying to get a sense of where I was, only to see a darkness that seemingly stretched forever. Glancing at the floor, it seemed to be rippling with water spanning just as long.

Damn it, this couldn't get any worse. Shifting in the chair, I was about to begin finding a way out of these handcuffs until I heard the sound of footsteps approaching me. As a spotlight shined over me, I saw a figure coming closer. He wore the same clothing as the program that gave me his disc, but with orange lines instead of blue.

"Do you understand the position you're in?" he questioned, his helmet warping his voice.

"Nope." He didn't seem amused by my answer.

"You were at the crash site of a program I was looking for. What did you do to him?" He asked me as he stood a foot away from me.

From the memories I had gained, the colors of programs line colors or circuitry were like a kind of alignment thing. And orange was definitely bad, from what my memory told me. I didn't say a word to him, only staring at him through my helmet.

"Maybe I should say it this way. Why do you have his disc in your possession?" He grunted.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me. Only you and his remains were at the scene when I arrived. His disc was nowhere to be found, and you were the only one that had one. Why?"

I stayed quiet. I wasn't about to answer some sketchy dude who was holding me captive.

"Who are you?" He asked, getting closer to me.

"I don't have to tell you anything." I growled through my helmet. This headache was starting to get to me.

"Then don't. I'm sure the disc will show me all I need to know." He said before walking behind me to take the disc.

Lifting my cape, he pulled at the disc before realizing it was quite stuck to my back. Giving it a few more tugs, he finally relented before sighing as he walked back in front of me.

"Not the outcome you expected, was it?" I chuckled, sneering at his failed attempt to get my disc.

"I'll ask again, why did you derez that program?"

"I didn't derez him." I snapped, my frustration growing by the second. The headache didn't make it any better.

"If you didn't derez him, then why were you in the outlands alone?"

"Are you going to free me after I answer?"

"That depends on the answer you give me."

Clicking my tongue, I sighed in frustration. I don't have time to mess around. Especially considering the situation I was in. I had to keep him talking for a bit. Just until I found a way out of these damn cuffs.

"I'm looking for someone."

"Who?" He demanded.

I paused for a few moments, shifting my body slightly as if I were adjusting myself to sit up, and subtly tried to get out of my arm and leg restraints.

"Tron." I spit out.

The masked figure pauses before roughly asking, "Why are you searching for him?"

No way in hell was I going to tell the real reason I'm here. Plus, I don't even know if he'd believe what I had to say. I knew I couldn't tell him who I was truly looking for or my identity. But I noticed something ever since I came to the Grid. I felt stronger, faster, and more durable than before.

Maybe it had something to do with that energy that had started the bike back when I first arrived here. I couldn't be sure right now, but whatever it was, I felt like I could brute force my way through these handcuffs if I tried a little harder.

"Because he can help me."

"What do you-" I didn't let him finish the sentence because I finally got those damned cuffs off me, using my strength to break them as they shattered into voxels.

My cape dematerialized as I went to grab my disc. Making use of my new memories, I attacked the masked man. My movements were sloppy and sluggish. My body was not trained nor had the time to sync with these new memories of mine, but that didn't matter right now. All that mattered was finding a way to escape this place, but only after I took this person down.

Going in for a kick to the face, the man leans back slightly, effortlessly dodging my kick. Seeing this, I used the momentum I had just built to deliver a punch to his stomach, only for him to grab my wrist before putting me in a chokehold.

"Your movements are sloppy." He said as he kicked me away.

Grunting I rushed at him once more, using my disc this time to try and slash at him as he shifted to the right, grabbing my arm and pressing his arm into my neck. Putting me in some sort of hold.

"You're untrained. Your footwork is that of an amateur, but you're strong. Like your body and mind are separated." He said before throwing me over his shoulder, slamming me onto the ground.

Coughing as I hit the ground, I look up to see his foot about to stomp me. Rolling out of the way in the nick of time, I jumped back up as I was met with a kick to the face, causing me to lose my grip on my disc as I crashed to the ground once again. Shit, not good. I felt like I was about to throw up. That kick to my face stung like hell. Almost as bad as the now worsening headache.

"Ok, you're starting to make piss me off." I snarled as I got up, slightly disoriented and nauseated as I turned to the man who only raised his hand before gesturing for me to come closer.

With a furious roar, I dashed towards him, jumping as I went to land a kick, only for him to bend down under my kick. Seeing this, I took the chance to slam him onto the ground with my elbow, only for him to leg sweep me. Catching myself, I flip backwards before rushing him again as I go for a leg sweep of my own. Stepping back slightly, he dodged the leg sweep just in time to catch a punch thrown at his face.

"Enough games." He stated it like it was a fact before kicking me hard in the chest.

I felt the wind get knocked out of me as I felt myself skidding on the ground before coming to a stop next to my disc. Looking around, the man was nowhere to be seen. As I turned around, however, he stood with his activated disc pointed to my neck.

"Give me one good reason why I should derez you."

"I don't know because you'd be derezzed as well." I said, grinning behind my mask.

Taking his disc away from my neck, the man began chuckling slightly.

"Why are you laughing? My disc is still pointed towards your neck." I threatened, but to be honest, I was putting up a front.

My head was still throbbing in pain, while my face was contorting in anger and frustration. I knew that if he wanted to, I'd probably be dead right now.

"You won't hurt me." He asserted.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" I said, inching my disc closer to his neck. I wasn't willing to let go of at least this small advantage, if it could even be called that.

"Because…" His suit began changing colors. The black turned white as the orange lines turned blue.

My eyes started to widen slightly as I saw that signature emblem appear on his chest. His helmet opened as he stared straight at me.

"I'm the one you're looking for."

"Tron?"