Disclaimer: TRON and TRON Legacy belong to Disney.

Restitution

Chapter One: New Beginning

1989 Three months prior to Flynn's disappearance

"I'll be right back," Alan Bradley excused himself as he stood up from the couch. His guests had told him what he wanted and they all took up on his offer from refreshments.

The Bradley house was crowded that evening, not because of a formal or friendly gathering. Alan and Lora's son Jet had received the new Encom Victory system with the new activity board that was guaranteed to be even better than their rival's power pad. One of the games was a surf and skateboard game and the board was able to shift and wobble and measure the balance of the person who stood on it.

Two of the kids were friends of Jet from the neighborhood, Ricky Hernandez and Chrissy Greene. Sam Flynn was brought over due to invitation, that and his father wanted to see the kid's reactions. The last two children that were brought over were Janelle Harper and her two and half year old sister, Lisa. The Harpers were at the hospital getting ready to welcome their third child into the world and they asked the Bradley's to watch the girls.

The kids enjoyed playing with the Activity Board, even little Lisa had a few turns on it before she got tired of it. The afternoon turned into an early evening. Chrissy and Ricky both had their parents permission to stay for dinner and Lora ordered everyone pizza. The kids ate and played some more, but now it was getting late. Kevin had offered to wind down the over stimulated kids with one of his stories.

"Kevin has a great imagination," Alan said as he handed the bottle of beer over to Carlos Hernandez. "He can tell such vivid stories."

"As long as my daughter is no longer over excited," David Greene said as he was given his glass of ice water.

"This should do the trick." Alan set the two glasses of soda down for Lora and Kevin. "Along with a warm bath and a good tuck in. I'll check in on them." He headed to his son's bedroom and nearly bumped into Lora.

"Sorry," his wife apologized.

"Both our faults," Alan admitted. "How is Lisa?"

"Sleeping," Lora answered. "Her arm tucked around her stuffed dragon."

"Going to look in on Kevin and the kids. Could you keep our other guests entertained?"

"I'll try, but my stories are not nearly as entertaining as our boss's," she said with a half laugh.

Alan chuckled and continued on his way to Jet's room. When he arrived he noticed the door was ajar and he could hear Kevin talking to the kids.

"The hero from our world jumped into the main glowing red form of the MCP."

Alan blinked. He heard Kevin telling this story to Sam and Jet before. It was about how Kevin was digitized with the laser in the lab, Lora's laser to be exact, and was transported into some form of cyberspace that had computer programs as sentient beings. Alan's own security program, Tron was one of these anthropomorphized programs and Lora's Yori was another.

"Then Tron killed him," Sam Flynn piped up and nearly fell of the bed. He was the biggest fan of the character called Tron and enjoyed the classic games. He was even wearing a black shirt with a yellow lightcycle on it.

"Easy kiddo," Kevin told his son. "I'm getting to that part."

Alan pressed his foot gently to the side of the door and gave a light push, opening it just a few more inches. He looked inside and watched as the kids were seated at one end of Jet's bed, all staring at Kevin with awe.

"The MCP was distracted," Kevin continued. He held his hands in front of him, palms out and side to side. "He could no longer control his barricade, leaving an opening." He spread his hands apart. "Tron threw his disk in. The code that Jet's daddy wrote was powerful enough to destroy the MCP."

"So I'm in this story once again," Alan whispered before he took a sip from his beer.

"The hero from our world was returned home," Kevin continued. "The system was free. Everyone knew the evil boss was a thief and he was fired and the hero took his place."

"He became an evil boss?" Ricky asked. His black shirt had a red Thundercat's logo on it.

"I'm not evil," Kevin mouthed. "No, he became a good boss that is friends with his employees and tries to listen to people and comes up with a lot of tubular ideas."

Alan had to cringe at that word. He had already promised himself he was not going to try to earn cool points by acting like a teenager and using their words.

"What happened to Tron and Yori?" Janelle asked. Her auburn hair was tied into pigtails and her two front adult teeth were half grown. "Did they marry and live happily ever after?"

"I don't know if they called it marriage," Kevin said. "But I do know they love each other very much and they worked together to create a special border for the ENCOM system. It would keep invading programs out and if another MCP comes into power it won't steal programs from other places of business."

"Are there more stories?" Chrissy asked. She had pale pink headband over her short blond hair.

"There are a lot more stories," Kevin said. "Stories about how the hero found a way back and started to create his own computer world with cities." He opened a small tote bag that he carried with him. "Those will have to wait until another time." He pulled out small hand sized glow in the dark Frisbees. "These are for you guys." He handed them out to the kids.

"Just like Tron," Jet said when he received his. He held his Frisbee above his head. "I fight for the Users."

"I am a User," Sam said.

"You will not defeat me," Ricky said as he waved his arms around.

"It's the MCP," Sam said as he pointed to their friend.

"Take that." Jet gently tossed his disk at Ricky.

"Jethro," Alan said in a commanding voice as he stepped into the room. "You do not throw your toys at your friends."

"Just make believe," Kevin said.

"You were supposed to be winding them down," Alan said. "It's getting late. Ricky and Chrissy's parents are here waiting for them."

As if on cue, Ricky and Chrissy got up and walked out of the room.

"They'll be walking home right?" Kevin asked and pointed at the Frisbee in Sam's hand. "Always good to have something that glows when walking in the dark.

The slight bit of anger that Alan had formed and was about to use as fuel for lecturing his friend had faded. Once again Kevin Flynn had made a good point.

"Look," Janelle said. She was spinning her Frisbee on her finger. It spun around six times before it fell off. "Ahhh. I was just getting started."

"That was pretty good," Kevin said and gave her a light pat on the head. "You keep practicing and you will be good as Tron someday."

"Really?" The little girl asked and stared at Kevin with admiration.

"If I believe it, then it must come true."

"Janelle, why don't you go find Lora and ask her to draw you a bath," Alan said to the girl.

"Sam, go get your stuff together," Kevin turned to his son. "I'll meet you in a bit."

"Jet, go and help him," Alan instructed. It was time he and his friend and boss had a little talk. He turned to Kevin once he was sure they were alone. "I couldn't help but overhear some of the stories you have been telling these kids."

"Not quite a best seller, but it keeps them entertained."

"About the one you just told. You mentioned that I helped someway. This wouldn't involve that night that you and I hacked into the ENCOM mainframe." He remembered that night all too well. Alan sat down at his own cubicle while he worked to get past the MCP's security and find his program and Lora took Kevin to one of the terminals in the laser lab so he could find his lost files and prove that Dillinger really had stolen them from him. Alan had to reign in his own excitement when he got to Tron and gave him the needed code to delete the MCP.

"The best stories are inspired by the truth." Kevin had yet to lose that shit eating grin from his face.

"I know that actually entering the world of the computer was a metaphor for you being able to bypass security." He noticed his friend's smile had faded a bit. "But then you mention building your own version of this Grid and getting back inside."

"The adventure has to go on."

"I heard how the hero got in before, but how does he go back?"

The laser was discontinued after the funding for the digitizing project had stopped. There were many concerns for safety and many who felt humanity wasn't ready for teleportation machines. There were also concerns that people who work in the courier business and in travel would be out of jobs. It had long been disconnected, but it still existed. They have retooled it for other purposes and it has become an exhibit when ENCOM did tours for school field trips.

"There is always more than one way in."

"How?" The second he asked he knew the answer. Back in 83 Kevin had asked Lora for copies of the laser's blueprints and he had been ordering special parts and salvaging older parts that ENCOM would normally throw away. "You did not."

"Not what?"

"You did not build your own laser just so you can try and get into this fantasy world of yours."

"It's not a fantasy."

"Kevin Flynn, listen to yourself. You talk about entering some alternate dimension by zapping your body with a laser."

"Why do you think it's not real?"

"It defies logic." Alan grabbed his friend by the shoulders. "Don't try whatever you are imagining and guessing. Do not for the love of God. Your son already lost his mother I don't want him to lose you because you made yourself explode trying to enter this cyberspace."

"I promise you I won't make myself explode."

"And make sure the kids know this is all make believe when you tell them these stories."

"No problem, man." He slung the strap of the tote over his shoulder. "Well, see you at work tomorrow."

Alan sat the edge of his son's bed as soon as Kevin had left. He looked at the poster for the Tron game. Sentient computer programs living inside cyberspace. If it were real it would be amazing. He shook his head. Of course it wasn't real, that was ridiculous.

21 years later. Real World Time

The sea welcomed him, embraced him as he sank lower. It will be over soon; derezzing was inevitable, and he will accept it. After all that had happened to him. He cannot go back.

Remember your promise.

The voice from within rang through his form. What promise? There was only one, and that was his programming. He remembered his promise and he broke it. The world will never be perfect, not in the way Flynn wanted.

Flynn! He was attacking him, his friend and the creator of the new world, the new Grid. He had become something else, something he detested. He had had failed and was eager to accept his punishment. There was no other way.

Who do you protect?

He was supposed to protect the Users. He was to fight for them. The Users created him and the others. The one he called Alan-One was his creator, his User. He fought for him and for Flynn. Together they were able to defeat the MCP and bring a new order to the Grid of the ENCOM LAN.

Flynn wanted him for something else. His friend spoke with Alan-One and with his permission he was able to join Flynn and a new program to create a new Grid. It was Flynn's dream to create a new Grid that will save his own world, to make it better.

The other program was called Clu. He resembled Flynn and was given the main order and direction and that was to help create the perfect world. The three of them worked together. They brought in other programs from other systems and Grids. They worked with and taught the ISOs. Flynn called them the miracle children. They had no Users. They were born from the Sea of Simulation.

He was excited about it as much as Flynn. He found a way to connect with ENCOM's Grid and spoke with Yori.

"It's beautiful," he had told her when they linked. "They came from the sea, fully functional."

"Are they programs?" Yori asked. "Like you and me?"

"Yes and no," he told her. "They are like programs, but they are different." He continued to tell her about the world and the ISO's.

"It sounds wonderful." Her smile had grown wider.

"You have got to come over. You have to see it for yourself."

"I want to," Yori said in a half defeated tone. She placed her hand on the divider screen that separated both systems. "But I am still needed here."

"When will you come over?" He had asked her. He wanted her to be with him, to see this brave new world. Ever since he had started to help make it, he had thought of her. "Flynn wants to see you again and Clu wants to meet you."

"When you are done. I promise I will come over and see this world."

"We will be together?"

"Forever."

They never reunited. Clu changed and became corrupted. He tried to change the system to fit his idea of perfection. Clu tried to kill Flynn.

"I failed." He was able to help Flynn escape but Clu did something to him, corrupt him. He became the enforcer of the Grid. He became Rinzler. Now he was free of the corruption. He was never going to see Yori, or show her the new Grid.

Who do you fight for?

He fought for the Users. He repeated those words when he saw Flynn, the ISO, and the son of Flynn. He fought for them and his friends. He overcame the corruption and took out Clu, or he had thought. He fought back against Clu, but it still wasn't enough.

Clu was still functioning. That meant he was going to continue on his path. He was going to derezz the Users and the ISO.

No! He could not let that happen. He had to make sure Clu was derezzed and then he was going to allow his punishment to take him.

I fight for the Users.

The thought kept repeating through his mind as he swam to the surface, and with what little bit of strength he had left he climbed out of the sea and onto the shore.

He was still crawling when the explosion happened. The force was enough to rock him and force him to roll into the mountain wall. He did not look back at the direction of the blast and sought shelter in a nook at the bottom of the wall and continued to crawl until both the shaking had stopped.

He watched as glowing bits of data flew towards him. A large piece came into contact with his armor and was absorbed into his being .He saw an image of Flynn flicker before his eyes before it faded out.

"No," he whispered. "No!" He had failed again.

"No you haven't," the voice of Flynn was heard in his head. "They made it through. My son is alive. Quorra is alive."

"What do I do?"

"Keep on fighting, buddy."

"I will fight for you, my friend."

"I know you will, Tron."

"Flynn," Tron gasped out his friend's name.

"We will rebuild."

Tron nodded. They will rebuild the Grid, but first he needed to rest.