He always tried to control his anger. If anything, he tried to make his motive in a way where one could debate it as righteousness.
Maybe he had always been angry, since Bodhi’s death, and it had only been more noticeable after he had become attached to the weapon.
But that was ages ago. Maybe he had learned to control it.
Then came the cycle when his squadron had been called to the outer city limits. Reports of a rogue sneaking around caused the concern and call for an entire squad, instead of one program to handle the situation.
“You see anything?” Beck asks of them as they search.
“Nothing yet.” Themis, his second in command, replies, followed by an agreeing chorus.
Beck sighs, but when he steps around the corner, everything freezes.
There they are. The program is, in fact, a rogue. They still bear the circuitry of a soldier even.
The others rush past them and handcuff the rogue, who doesn’t protest, or really even move except when forced to. They sit the program down nearby and examine them. Beck can’t find himself able to step anywhere but forward, closer. He feels...like there’s a fire within him, growing and growing...
“Seems like they’ve been repourposed.” Themis sighs. “We could at least figure out what their programming was...”
She breaks off as Beck pushes past her. The repourposed program dimly looks up before Beck lifts the program by the shoulder and pushes them back. They stumble, and Beck’s team members murmur before chaos explodes at Beck’s swing. The program stumbles back but Beck only charges forward and tackles the former soldier. They slam against the ground and Beck pins them with his weight as drives a punch. Glass shatters beneath his fist, but he punches again, and this time he hits skin. He falls into the repetition, over and over, swing after swing after swing. The fire is spreading, burning and destroying everything in its path. They did this. They killed Bodhi, and Rylo, and all the programs of Argon. They bombed the city, killing the innocent who had nothing to do with the war. They took Tron, and they took him from Argon, and put him through the darkest part of his entire life! They deserved this, deserved to face pain for all they inflicted on his city, his friends, his life! They deserved to be struggling to not drown in their own energy, and have no right to struggle as his hands wrap around their neck...
The blow to the side of his head makes stars dance in front of his eyes, and he’s roughly shoved off. He hits the ground with a grunt, and his mouth feels bitter. He numbly reaches up, and the tips of his fingers come back with traces of energy.
“What the frag is wrong with you?” Themis demands, and he looks up to her own enraged expression. “You could have killed them!”
He doesn’t answer, still mystified by the energy in his mouth. Themis must have hit him, he finally notes, which means...
He finally looks to the soldier. Their energy is pooling around them, shattered glass resting like islands in the sea. Even still, they’re eerily still, staring blankly up.
Someone helps him to his feet and Themis approaches. The fire had been doused, leaving him...empty, and instead the flame is evident in her own eyes, but more centered. A controlled fire.
“Killing is not our policy! It’s not your policy, you’ve said that yourself!”
“But that program deserved it-”
“Why?” Her voice is tight and arms crossed. “Why did they deserve it?”
“They...they worked for Clu! They were here, and they destroyed the city! How could you forget? Am I the only one who remembers how many they’ve killed or how many lives they destroyed_”
“I haven’t forgotten.” Her gaze is unflinching. “But this is something you set from the beginning. And it’s my programming to look for the equality in this situation. Allowing you to kill for vengeance is not it. Now go home.”
“What?” This doesn’t soothe the still flickering anger threatening to rise. “You can’t do that-”
“Yes, I can. And I will.” She glances to one of the others. “Take him home. We need to get this program to the hospital, before filing the report.” She looks back to Beck, the fire dimming but not dying.
“I know the Occupation has hurt you, and they have hurt all of us. But Paige was a soldier, and she is not being held to their crimes because you defended her, and helped separate her from the crimes she did not commit knowingly or willingly. How can you protect her, but not allow the same to a program who was programmed to have no will in what they were doing?”
The question rests on his shoulders, and he looks down. Themis was indeed programmed to search for equality in a situation, and that seemed hand-in-hand with truth and hypocrisy. And knowing her and what he’s just done, there will be consequences for him, more than the growing humiliation at being proved wrong is bringing.
When he doesn’t answer, she sighs.
“Take him home.” She tells one of the others, and allows them to step by. And as they take him by the shoulder, he doesn’t fight as they lead him home.
