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Beck's head won't stop pounding.
His feet are taking him to some destination unknown as his vision tilts and whirls. His hearing whines high, only unable to block out the whirring deep in his chest.
His world viciously careens as he rounds a corner too fast. He stumbles left, right, then pitches left again into the wall. The yelp is ripped from his throat as the pain in his left shoulder peaks so fast his vision stutters black. Something fills the back of his throat, raw and burning and begging for him to cough. He gives in to the urge, and something splatters against the bottom of his mask and back up across his chin.
That can't be good.
[Status Check]
All he gets in return is garbled commands, flashing red in his vision. He groans at the shot of pain behind his eyes, intensifying in an arc over his head and down his neck. As if refusing to be beat, his shoulder throbs and his left hand tingles, limp at his side. In response, his right-hand throbs. His attempt for air results in a stabbing sensation across his chest. That whirring is back again, and when he hurriedly waves away the warnings and looks down to take stock, he winces at the jarring white that meets him.
White…
Why is he the Renegade right now? He faintly remembers a mission, Tron saying something to him just earlier that cycle, but what was it?
[Energy overload. Shut down imminent]
No, he shakes his head and instantly regrets it as his vision swims. No, he can't shut down out here. Not as Beck and especially not as the Renegade. He needs to find somewhere quiet, hidden…
He peaks from the alley into the empty street. Curfew must be starting soon, if it hasn't already. He looks left, and when he turns right his gaze finds the patterned wall of the Garage.
Something in him relaxes all composure and he slumps. He's home.
He takes off in a run again, ignoring how his left side protests. He only relents when he reaches the Garage. The lone door barely visible in the wall indicates he's near one of the side exits.
Perfect; limping in through the front would be asking for trouble. Almost nobody takes the stairs and hopefully everyone is in their rooms at this point. That will make it all the easier to get to his room, shed the suit, and sleep off this headache. When he wakes, he'll go to Tron for a debrief and to finish patching up. Who knows; maybe he'll actually remember what happened by then.
The door groans and grinds as he pulls it open. Well, tries. Was the door always this heavy? Has to be because he's only using one hand…
His body shakes and the curses leaving his lips are slurs of nonsense by the time he finally gets the door open enough to squirm through. The door slams shut behind and he flinches as the sound echoes in the stairwell. He watches the door to the garage floor, waiting for someone to burst in and find him.
After a moment, the door remains still, and the last dredges of his adrenaline leak away. Something heavy settles into his shell as he pulls his gaze up the looming stairwell. He better get moving.
He tries not to worry that he's out of breath by the time he reaches the stairs. Or that he leans into the railing more than he wants. Or that something is filling his throat and his body hacks and burns without his command. All he needs to focus on is one foot in front of the other.
His legs burn with each step. The left goes first, the right joins it, and then he does it again. He quickly loses count of the pattern as his headache rears to a peak. He legs shake, his vision spots and maybe I should sit down, just for a moment…
He slides down with less grace than expected of the Renegade, thumping down on a step. He immediately slumps into his right side, unknowing of the world that consciousness had already ripped him from.
Curfew has just started, but the mechanics of Able's Garage are still huddled in the center. Able should tell them off, herd them upstairs and shut down the garage. Instead, he stands among them, not really listening as he watches the entrance.
"I-I'm sorry, Able." Link says yet again. "I tried to stop him…"
"I know." Able responds the same as he already had. "He was going to do it anyway."
He doesn't pull his gaze away from the front. He tries to tell himself he's keeping an eye out for patrols. After all, it would be stupid to expect Beck to come waltzing in like nothing happened. The whole stunt had been General Tesler's metaphorical noose wrapping around the Renegade's neck. Not even considering everything that Tesler had done, Beck had hit the ground pretty hard after Able had sliced him out of the general's grasp…
"Do you think he's dead?" A mechanic whispers, snapping Able out of his preoccupation.
"Okay, enough." All the eyes of his wide betas turn to him. His hands rest on his hips. "Tron managed to walk away from the fight. He's a strong program, and he will be fine. If we stay down here, however, the Occupation will arrest everyone for breaking curfew. Everyone, upstairs-"
The thump is faint, but it sends a hush over the group. Able's head whips around to the left stairwell.
"What was that?" Someone hisses with a slight panic.
"I'll go look." Mara announces, speaking for the first time since the fight.
"Absolutely not-" Able breaks off with a sigh as she ducks past him, pulling off her disc. Zed hurries to catch up, at least having the decency to shoot an apologetic look to his boss.
Even at his fastest, he can't keep up with his mechanics and most pass him in a joint rush to investigate. "Get back here!" He calls uselessly. Users willing, this wasn't some desperate thief, or some soldier trying to get the drop on the betas in his care.
Mara pushes the door open, and freezes. Her disc clatters from her hands, and Able pushes through the crowd right as she screams his name. The name racing through his mechanics is nowhere near enough warning to find the Renegade slumped in the stairwell.
Beck!
He gently but firmly moves Mara out of the doorway before he races to the Renegade's side. He kneels against the stairs, and can feel the heat radiating off of Beck's circuits in waves. His left collarbone juts lower than his right; it must be impacting his core for that whirring breath to happen. Why why did he come here, and not out to Tron?
He reaches out to Beck's shoulder, trying to bite back a wince as he shakes him. His head lolls to the side, but he groans softly. "Wake up, Tron." Able demands.
"…Able?" He rasps, before breaking down into a coughing fit. The exposed code burned across his chest stretches and fractures spread across his shell. Beck whines softly when his coughs abate. "Able 'm sorry-"
Able shushes him gently. "Save your strength." He's going to need it if he wants to survive the cycle.
He looks up to the cluster of programs watching them. "Shut down the garage." He commands. "Bring down the grate. Lock all the doors."
Link pipes up. "But what about Beck-?"
"Go!"
Most of the mechanics take off; it'll take multiple to bring down the rarely used grate door. Mara, Zed, and Link remain. Able activates his mechanics gloves before he slips his hands under Beck.
"Able, let me help-"
"Put on your gloves first, Mara. He's burning up."
Mara nods, pausing just long enough to activate them before hurrying over. Able shifts to Beck's head. "This is going to hurt." He warns the beta softly, then looks to Mara. "Ready? On three, we'll lift. One…two…three!"
The two heave the Renegade up. The shriek he gives brings Mara's shoulders up to her ears, so Able has to shout: "Hold him steady!" He sees Mara's knuckles turn white against the suit, and nods to himself.
"Zed." He pulls his gaze from the trembling Renegade at his words. "Clear off my desk. We're going to put him there. Link, there's a small beacon in the top drawer. Press the button on it as many times as you can." Hopefully that would get Tron's attention.
"Able." Beck calls, pitch growing feverish. "Able, my arm. I can't feel my arm!"
"Your arm's gonna be fine, I promise. Just hang in there." He prays the warble in his voice isn't noticeable. It doesn't stop the babbling, most of it slurring into something nonsensical. Able shoots Mara a look and gives a short nod before he takes the lead out of the stairwell.
The grate has come down. Dash and Copper are locking it into the floor when the Renegade's form seizes. The whirring grows as cubes break away around his chest and his working hand begins scrabbling at his mask.
"Hey hey, Tron no!" Able tries to pull his hand away, hoping the name will jolt him back to reality. Instead, Beck finds the release and the helmet collapses as he chokes. "Put him down!" Mara is staring wide-eyed at Beck's face. "Put him down!"
She blinks and hurries to obey. The moment Beck is on the floor, Able turns him on his side. Code splats on the tile floor, and he gasps for air. "Easy." The older program whispers, trying to ignore how all work has stopped around them.
Beck slowly slumps into his hold, head hanging. Able returns him onto his back on the floor, barely able to notice his eyes roll back into his head as he goes still. Able finally gets a look at the program's face, the fracture lines etched into every inch and gleaming with the threat of giving. He shakes Beck's shoulder once, twice. The program doesn't stir; even in hard shut down his expression is pinched with pain.
Two pairs of footsteps come to a stop behind him, and he hears Link's soft gasp. Zed's voice is cautious, disbelieving of his eyes. "That's…"
Able doesn't answer, eyes searching Beck's face. After a moment, he slowly lifts him, and slips off his disc.
The door to the right stairwell bursts open. His mechanics jump back with shouts, but Able doesn't look up as the program hurries to him. "He tried to-"
"I know." Tron answers, voice steely with the distortion. His hands, however, hesitate over Beck. "…I saw."
"He just went into hard shut down. He doesn't have much time." Able tries to ignore the tremble in his hand as he opens Beck's disc. Red flashes across the screen.
Tron whips around to Zed. "Program, grab as many patches as you can carry."
Zed's brow furrows as he shoots a look to Able. "Do as he says." Able answers, barely looking up. "We can trust him." When he hears Zed run off, he begins to sort through the warnings.
"Biggest issue is this chest burn pixelating and the dislocated collarbone."
"What about the overcharge? That's causing the most damage to his shell integrity. The suit is the only thing keeping him together."
"The collarbone has impacted his core function. If we can relocate it, he'll start cooling and that'll offset some of the charge."
Tron grunts at that, looking up and accepting the patches Zed hands over. "Pull it up, then."
The next cycle has started, yet the Garage is still closed. Work across the main floor is long abandoned, and the mechanics hold vigil around Able's office door. Everyone tries to avoid looking at the code still on the floor in the middle of the shop.
Six programs have set up in the office. Link has sunk to the floor, head between his knees. Mara is standing, biting on her thumbnail, unable to pull her gaze away from the unmasked Renegade spread across the desk. Zed, on the other hand, can't look at the program directly, electing to steal glances out of the corner of his eye as he pretends to glare at the floor.
Beck is still unconscious, but his expression has softened. The crack in his chest has been sealed and the burns across his chest and shoulder are absorbed by patches. His left arm is in a sling.
Tron pulls his hands away from his chest, his first movement in ages. "His energy levels are stable now."
"Thank you." Though quiet, Able's voice carries. "Did it overcharge you?"
"No." Is all Tron says, and Able believed him. System Monitors tended to stabilize energy faster, and if he knew the other program well, Able could almost guarantee Tron's system had been starving for it.
Tron's hand cups Beck's face, gently turning it back and forth. The fractures across his face are no longer in danger of breaking open, but are taking their time to fade. It may be cycles before they truly disappear. Tron sighs, and lays Beck's head back down before he withdraws his touch.
"This is all my fault."
Able and Tron turn to Link, who holds his legs close. His eyes are red-rimmed, haunted. "I shouldn't have let him go. I should have tried harder."
Able rounds the desk, and kneels down in front of Link. "No," he disagrees gently. "Beck would have done this no matter who tried to stop him. Trust me, I should know."
"He was supposed to reach the hostages earlier last cycle." Tron says. "This was an unexpected outcome."
Able sighs, turning back to the program. "I wish you had thought to tell me that. I had grounded him because I thought he was planning to fight Tesler for the hostages."
"You knew?" Mara's voice break the impending argument rising. Her voice grows in volume and frenzy. "You knew he was the Renegade the whole time?!"
"I did." Able confirms. His gaze roves over Beck, and the bitter smile is unwitting. "I knew he would try something reckless after Bodhi's death. I just hadn't expected it to be that extreme, or that it would lead to this."
"You said he was Tron," Zed speaks up. He looks directly at Able. "But he's not. Tron's dead."
Tron tenses next to Able, who sighs. "Zed, names have power, especially one like Tron. It's not something he received lightly."
"He's not Tron!" Zed pushes with steel in his voice, but he's blinking back tears. "He can't be! Frag, he can't even be the Renegade! He can't-!"
"Because you said you would turn him in?" Tron challenges. Zed freezes at that, but Tron continues. "And would you now?"
He opens his mouth, hesitates, and closes his mouth again. "…I don't think I could." He says finally, "Not Beck."
Tron nods with surprising understanding. "I think he knew that. He wanted to tell you. You too, Mara."
"Why didn't he?" Mara asks. "We would have helped!"
"Because I told him not to." Tron remains unmoving. "You two are already magnets for trouble. Knowing the Renegade's identity would have put you at a higher risk of getting killed."
Mara stares down at Beck, biting her lip. Zed considers that, before clearing his throat. "…And now?"
Tron doesn't answer right away as he looks to Able. He's tense, but Able can feel his unwavering gaze, can practically see his set jaw. "…I don't know." He says.
"Yes you do." Able argues, crossing his arms. "You just know I won't allow it."
"Allow what?" Link asks, beginning to push to his feet.
"It would be useful to know how to defend themselves." Tron counters. "Not just against the Occupation."
"I will not allow you to send any more of my mechanics out into that death trap! It's already bad enough you got Beck roped into this!"
"Beck would have been fighting regardless of if I had gotten involved-"
"Allow what?!" Link shouts. The arguing programs freeze and stare at him in shock. He's breathing hard, fists at his sides.
Before anyone can answer, a soft groan cracks through the tension. All eyes snap down to Beck's furrowing brow as he blearily opens his eyes. Able returns to his side in an instant, and Beck's eyes find him. "…Able?"
"I'm here." All anger is gone from his voice. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I've been hit by a truck." He answers, starting to push himself up. Both Tron and Able's hands hurry to support him as he winces. His eyes find Tron's hand, and follow the path up to his mask. "Tron?"
Able's gaze shoots to Tron at that, but the program merely sighs. His mask collapses, showing the beginnings of his scars, and he nods. "How much do you remember?"
"Eh…it's all kinda fuzzy…"
Tron hums at that, situating himself so he can directly meet Beck's gaze and keep him from looking at anyone else. "You tried to fight Tesler to save the hostages. You got away, but you were injured badly so you came to the Garage."
"The Garage?" His gaze wanders before Tron can stop him, instantly stumbling across the mechanics huddled outside the door. His hand shoots up to his face, eyes widening as he touches his cheek. "My mask-!"
"Don't." Tron stops him from reaching back. "Your system is still trying to recover. You can't impede any breathing right now."
"But…" Another hand brushes his leg and he whips around to the owner. His voice shrinks. "Zed."
"It's okay." His voice is gentle. "I'm not mad."
"You're not? But you said…"
Zed winces. "I know. Now that I know it's you, I wish I hadn't. It wasn't fair to you."
"Nobody's mad." Mara confirms, joining them.
Beck looks down at his lap. "I…I wanted to tell you."
"We know." Mara gently takes his left-hand where it drapes in the sling. "I just wished you hadn't had to do this all alone. And I don't want you to have to do that anymore."
"…What are you saying?"
Mara looks up to Tron. "I want to join. I want to fight."
For a long moment, no one speaks in the stunned silence. Then, Zed squeezes Beck's knee. "Me too."
"Me three." Link adds, and other mechanics chime in.
"Me too!"
"Oh, and me!"
"We want to help!" The rabble grows, seeping into the office. Beck's gaze takes all of them in as his jaw slowly drops. He turns to Tron, who looks over to Able. The program sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Okay!" He says finally, and everyone goes quiet. He sighs again. "I'm going to regret this, but you can join."
Cheers overwhelm the decision. Beck's eyes flit between each program that begins to crowd into the room, a disbelieving grin creeping onto his face. Tron squeezes his shoulder. "The revolution has begun."
"This…this is amazing!" Beck announces, and the mechanics go quiet at their leader's words. He swings his legs over the desk. "What are we waiting for-?"
"Hang on." Tron's hand catches him by the arm before Able can. "You're still injured. You're going to need some more downtime first. Preferably back in the chamber."
"But-"
"No buts. We can't have you falling apart before your friends join." Beck pouts, and Tron snorts at the beta-like behavior. He deactivates the white of the disc before he rounds the desk. Beck's suit reverts to normal, but no one will forget the symbol of Tron that had been on his chest. Tron slings Beck's working arm over his shoulder and hoists him to his feet. "Up."
Beck wavers, but thankfully Tron keeps him upright. "I'll be back in a few cycles." The Renegade promises.
"Just focus on getting better." Mara encourages. "We'll be here."
The smile he gives her lights up his eyes, and he lets Tron lead him along. The crowd parts to let the two limp through.
"Oh, Able, by the way." Tron pauses in the doorway. Beck's brow furrows with a frown as he looks up to his mentor to see a small smirk on his face. "I wanted to thank you for stepping in to stop Tesler. Seems your training has paid off."
Tron turns back around as the mechanics erupt behind him, turning on their boss with shouts and questions. Beck can hear Able's sputters, can feel Tron's laughter deep in his core as the two leave the office behind.