I finally saw Tron : Legacy last weekend. Seeing it made me realize how much I loved Tron, and I mean the character as much as the original film. So little Tron in the new film, so I decided to do a take on the small flashback that showed Flynn, Tron and Clu together. This is a one-shot.
Author's Note: some back story borrowed from the game has been. The makers of the game did a pretty good job of explaining the rise of Clu.
I do not own Tron, Tron : Legacy, or Tron : Evolution.
Comments are always welcome.
TRON : Return of the Prodigal
When Flynn had jumped into the housing of the MCP, enabling Tron to defeat the Master Control Program, the digital world changed. Programs from all over the system were finally able to freely communicate with their Users again. Tron himself was able to reach his User, Alan1, to give him a report on his success in defeating the MCP. It felt good to know his User was there. Hadn't he feared that, if he ever escaped from the Game Grid, there would be nothing out there but cold circuits? That fear now seemed foolish. Still, Tron wondered what had happened to Flynn after his return to the User's world.
For a long while, the free system seemed to be working with its previous digital precision. Tron continued watch-dogging the overall security of the system, while Yori, under instructions from her User, Lora82, worked on various modes of transportation that would be valuable in the User world.
New creations were introduced into the system, as technology in the User world grew and changed. But soon, something happened that would make over the digital world drastically. Only this time, it wouldn't be for the good. Flynn returned.
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When Tron first saw the familiar face of his User friend, he was astonished and pleasantly so. He ran up to Flynn, grabbing his shoulders, a broad smile on his face. "Flynn, you came back!"
Flynn smiled back. "Greetings, program!" the ENCOM CEO said with boyish enthusiasm. "How is our best security program? I hear Alan has made some upgrades to your sub-routines," Flynn remarked, referring to Tron's User.
Tron's creator, Alan Bradley, had been at odds with Flynn over his old romance with his then girlfriend, now wife, Lora Baines, yet Flynn had been Alan's best man at their wedding. Since his adventures in the system and his subsequent return to the real world, he and Alan had formed a close and profitable friendship that included building ENCOM into a planet-wide leader in the techno world . No one else had access to the brightest minds or the resources their company had. And the one thing Flynn had insisted on was that ENCOM's would be accessible and affordable for everyone. He knew revenue would come in from other sources once the ENCOM-distributed programs were in use. Others in the company, however, did not share Flynn's altruistic approach, and would have preferred him off the Board of Directors.
"So what are you doing back here, Flynn? I thought once you returned to the User world, you'd want to stay there."
Flynn still retained his youthful exuberance when it came to new ideas. "Tron, I think I may have found a way to make the digital world better than ever. But I need your help. Now that I've found a way to go back and forth between worlds, it'll be easy to work together on this. Are you in?"
Tron wondered how Flynn had returned and what ideas would compel a User to come back to a place where he had almost been de-rezzed the first time he was here. But if Flynn wanted his help, he would be there for his friend. Seeing Flynn again made Tron think of Ram. He still missed the feisty little conscript. Tron was a bit sorry that Ram's User had not re-created the program, but he realized that if he had, it wouldn't be the same Ram. It was best not to look backwards, but instead, to look forward as Flynn was asking. Now that the system was secure, there would be many new and exciting things happening, he was sure. "You can count on me, Flynn. Come, we can talk more about it. What's happened in your world since you went back?"
Flynn told Tron about the doings at ENCOM, how his User was now Chief Operating Officer, and that he, Flynn, had married and had a son, Sam. He drew a mental picture of the many creations ENCOM was responsible for, and his plans for the future of both Tron's world and the real world. Flynn knew that any benefit one had would benefit the other as well.
Tron sensed Flynn's excitement, and reveled in the life that emanated from the User by his side. Flynn had been able to do things no program had ever been able to do. Hadn't Ram said that he felt the new program was different? Many programs worshiped the Users, even if it had cost them their existence. Tron recalled how easy it had been to follow Flynn, when he and Ram were with the incognito User on the light cycle grid. Flynn had asked them to join him in leaving, and neither he nor Ram had hesitated.
When Tron had found out that Flynn was a User, he knew that everything would be ok. But Flynn had set him straight, saying that even Users didn't always know what they were doing. Still, Users wrote the programs, and that made them god-like to many of their creations, including Tron. Alan1 had updated Tron's programming several times since Flynn had returned to the real world. Communication with his creator was an imperative, with each update like a holy communion. And that was why Tron could never be friends with Alan1 in the same way he was friends with Flynn.
Now Flynn was asking him to be User-like, and that filled him with pride. He would recreate his world, shoulder to shoulder with a User. That made this program very happy. That is, until Flynn added another program to the mix.
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Flynn and Tron spent a lot of time together. Tron was not a recreation program, but he learned quickly. When Flynn challenged Tron to a game of chess, it took the program 10 seconds to learn the basics, one minute to reach championship status. After that, Flynn preferred to take Tron out on the light cycle grid, where he had half a chance. And at Rings, Flynn even occasionally beat Tron. Of course, they didn't play to the death.
Sometimes, the two friends would just sit and talk about the real world. Tron was fascinated over the stories Flynn had to tell. At times, he felt that Flynn was making things up, but then he knew that if there was any User he could fully trust, it was Flynn.
"Are you and Yori still...together?" Flynn asked, remembering the female program who looked so much like Lora.
"Yes," Tron answered matter-of-factly.
"Then you love her," Flynn said, waiting to see how the program reacted.
"Love. What's love?" Tron looked at his friend with innocent eyes. That look was something Flynn never got used to.
"Do you care about Yori? I mean, is she important to you?" Lora had been important to Flynn once, and maybe she still was. But she felt he would never grow out of his boyhood, as she called it, and left him for the more mature Alan Bradley.
"Yes, of course. Yori and I shared something once. I'm not a User, Flynn, so I don't know if its something you'd understand better than me. It happened back when you were here before. She pressed her lips against mine and there was...this energy. I can't explain it since it's not part of my programming.
Flynn suppressed a smile, recalling how he had kissed Yori before jumping into the workings of the MCP. "I guess Users can teach programs in other ways."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing, man. You love her, and that's all that matters. When my wife died, there was this hole..." Flynn stopped. He knew Tron understood loss. He'd seen it in his face when he had to tell him Ram hadn't made it to the solar sailer with him.
Tron pondered Flynn's words. Love. A strange concept, but one hardly foreign to Tron. He had just never attached a term to it.
Sometimes, when things seemed static, and he found himself needing a break, Flynn would challenge Tron to a game of Rings. It was nice to know neither would de-rezz if defeated, so the competition was more playful.
Tron had just sent the lightball with a curve that sent it back down to Flynn slightly off. But he managed to catch it while standing on one foot.
"That was a good shot. You know, buddy, Alan wrote you to be the best at what you are, but I think you've acquired some new sub-routines on your own."
Tron smiled at the User on the opposite ring field, and replied. "Part of that is because of you, Flynn. I've learned to be more than just the sum of my programming."
"Well, some...Users...feel that each program they write has a bit of their personality in it. If that's true, then you have some of Alan in you. Maybe some day, programs will begin to act and think like Users. Not sure what that would do to the system. I guess we can only hope it would be an improvement."
"Programs acting like Users. It would change things a lot." Tron, as one created to serve the interests of the Users, questioned the possibilities for abuse. How could programs continue to serve Users, if they started to think for themselves? Would they neglect their original directives? Would they refuse to serve the Users? He wasn't sure if he liked that vision for his future, a world where programs were too independent.
"Let's hope things don't change too much. The User world is messed up enough without the digital world going down that same road," Flynn admitted.
Tron nodded at Flynn's words and sent the lightball straight up, grinning as Flynn missed the projectile and fell to the floor.
Flynn laughed, as he picked himself up and waited for the next shot. He caught it with ease and sent it back upwards, watching as it erased the very ring Tron was standing on. If this had been the MCP version of the game, Tron would have fallen and been de-rezzed instantly. But as this was a friendly game, he merely conceded victory to Flynn...this time.
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Later, Flynn found Tron, excited into breathlessness about his new discovery. "Tron, I found a way to ensure the complete security of this world. I've created a program based on an older one, but with improvements. If it works the way I expect it to, this will perfect the system a hundred-fold. No operating system on Earth will match it for decades."
"A perfect system?" Tron asked, although it was more a rhetorical remark. What program didn't appreciate order to all existence. But he felt trepidation. "Does this mean I'm being replaced?"
Flynn had forgotten how human-like these programs were. Was Tron jealous of the idea of a new program, or was he more fearful of becoming obsolete? "No, buddy. I'm going to need you to help me install the new program, teach him the ropes, you know? He'll be sort of...uh...an administrator. Hell, Tron, I couldn't do any of this without you. You'll always be Head of Security, so to speak." He noticed his friend visibly puff up. So he was right. In truth, he would need Tron. He liked the program, almost as if he were human. And not as a Bradley clone. Tron had a distinct personality separate from Alan. He threw an arm around Tron's shoulder as they walked back to Flynn's place, a virtual creation of his that didn't come close to mirroring his real world accommodations. Whenever he came to this world, from now on he'd have a place of his own to stay in. "Now I want to show you what I have in mind," he started, as they went inside.
The User led the program to a desk covered with drawings. Flynn handed a sheet covered in figures and scribblings to Tron, who perused them curiously. He hated to admit it, but Flynn's design for the new program made sense. "Have you already completed the final algorithms?"
Flynn looked at Tron. "You're starting to sound like a User." He nodded approvingly as he took the paper, setting it on the desk. "I plan on running a few tests and then bringing it 'online' soon. I'm calling it CLU, after another program I wrote back before I was sucked into the system. CLU Senior was my best program. It was...appropriated by the MCP, which is how I ended up here. CLU Junior will be far superior to that or any program ever written."
"Flynn, aren't you afraid of it becoming just another version of the MCP?" For whatever reason, Tron didn't know if he would like this new program. But then, maybe it was just his security applications causing his doubt. After all, that is why Alan1 created him, to watch over all functions of the system and protect it from anything invasively harmful. The MCP had grown powerful enough to almost infiltrate the world of the Users. What might happen with a program that started out that powerful? "Come on, Flynn. Let's go see how Yori's doing."
The two made their way to another part of the system, where Yori was working on a series of projects that would make self-driving in the real world a thing of the past. Cars would run on a completely automated world-wide system, with a guidance field similar to the light cycle grid. When Yori had first explained it to Flynn, he had to laugh, thinking how much the real world could be like Tron's world. But whatever made his world better, he was all for. That was his vision for ENCOM when he had taken over as its CEO. It would be the savior of the planet by creating the best of everything, and giving it all to its inhabitants.
When they entered the functions rooms, Yori saw Tron and ran up to him. The two programs embraced, then Yori hugged Flynn. When she pulled away, she asked, her face still radiating that innocence that endeared her to Flynn since the first time he'd met her, "Want to see something wonderful?" She excitedly explained the workings of the program she was part of. "Users will never again have to worry about traffic jams or accidents. Lora82 is very pleased with it."
"Do you seriously think Humans would ever want to give up the freedom to crash into one another?" Flynn asked jokingly.
Yori stopped smiling. "Why would they want to crash into one another, Flynn? That doesn't even make sense."
"You still don't understand Users, Yori. We're illogical beings. That's why we depend on you programs so much. We expect you to run the world for us." Flynn turned to the other program. "Tron, I'm going back to my world for awhile. I have to see my son. I promised to take him on vacation to Disneyworld. But I'll return as soon as I finalize the CLU program. When I get back, you and I will acclimate the new program to the system, ok?"
"Alright, Flynn," Tron replied. "What is...Disneyworld?"
"It's a lot like here, only not quite as deadly. See you in a cycle or six," he said, winking. Time didn't match between the real world and the digital world. But it had become a joke whenever Flynn paid the digital world a visit. He had no idea that the next time he came back, it would be for far longer than he would ever expect.
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Flynn had taken Sam to Disneyworld as promised. It would the last promise he kept to his son. One day, he left the boy at his parents's home, and after again regaling him with stories about the magical world inside computers, he left, never to be seen again. Sam grew up without a father while a company grew without its CEO. Speculation ran rampant, but no one knew what really had happened. Those who benefitted from Flynn's absence didn't care.
The truth was worse than anyone could imagine. Flynn had returned to the digital world, ready to bring CLU Junior online. Since he was doing this in the cyber world, it would involve new methods. This excited Flynn no end. As he prepared, he carefully finished the required programming, and while Tron waited and watched, Flynn "drew" his new creation into life. CLU Junior looked just like its maker. Mirror images stood and faced one another.
Clu regarded Flynn, who was grinning ear to ear, like a father watching his child take its first steps. "You are my creator," Clu said flatly.
"Yes," Flynn replied, smiling broadly.
Clu smiled, mirroring the smile on Flynn's face. "We will build a perfect world," he said, uttering one of his programming directives.
Flynn nodded. "Yes, that's right. Improve and perfect." He led Clu to Tron, who had heard the simple exchange between program and creator. Something made him uneasy, but he didn't know why. Still, he had to trust Flynn.
"Clu, this is Tron. He's THE security program around here. He'll be helping us."
Clu regarded Tron with minor interest. He seemed to know he was superior to Tron, but didn't behave differently toward the program than he did to his maker.
"Together, the three of us will bring perfect order to the digital world, thus making the User world perfect. Users will have access to things that will not only make their lives easier but the capability to create better programs will grow exponentially." With himself in the middle, Flynn cheerfully led Tron and Clu to his apartment, talking all the while about his big vision. Once there, he barely slowed down to breathe. Clu listened to Flynn with rapt attention. His programming matrix was actually being activated by Flynn's words. He was learning. It all seemed so easy. He, his Creator and Tron would bring order to this world and the world of the Users. No flaws would remain. Users would become perfect, as all they knew became perfect. In Clu's thought processes, he saw logic in his creator's dreams. But Clu also saw an opportunity for the digital world to pattern itself after the User world. Both in unified perfection.
Clu came to regard Flynn as a son regards a father. It bothered him when Flynn would return to the real world for what was a long time to the programs, less time to Flynn. Clu began to feel that Flynn was neglecting their plan, that he was no longer interested in bringing about his vision of perfection for the system. It angered Clu, and yet he found himself wanting his creator nearby. This contradiction in his program matrix distracted him. He had to do something, and quickly.
Flynn was oblivious to Clu's feelings. Tron would try to hint at things he noticed, but could not articulate his observations to his friend. Flynn for his part never noticed anything amiss in his program's behavior. After all, betrayal was the furthest thing from Flynn's mind.
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Flynn called Tron and Clu to his apartment. He needed to get back to the real world. He wanted them to know he was leaving, so that they could keep a watch on things while he was gone. The spontaneous appearance of Isomorphic Algorithms brought a new factor into Flynn's plans. He was in awe of the ISOs, regarding them as a technological miracle. "Tron, this is the beginning of something wondrous. Programs independent of User creation and control. This could change the system in a big way."
"How can that be, Flynn? All programs need a creator." Tron queried.
"That's what makes the ISOs a miracle, Tron Don't you get it, man, programs that appear spontaneously based on need. We'll have to find out exactly what their functions are. And that's going to take a while. When I get back, we'll start on that."
Unknown to Flynn, Clu didn't agree with his creator's awe of the ISOs. He had spoken so long about creating a perfect world, but the ISOs were imperfect. They were independent of any creation. They had to be flawed, and that meant they had to be eradicated. But his creator didn't regard them this way. He wanted to study them, and integrate them into the Grid. This was unacceptable to Clu's programming.
Flynn had left the digital world, and while he was gone, Clu attempted to show Tron why the ISOs were a danger to the system. Tron disagreed, siding instead with Flynn's desire to study and integrate the self-generated programs into the system.
"Flynn has been gone for so long already. How do you know he's even coming back. He wouldn't want us to do anything in his absence, you know that. But if he chooses to stay in his world, we have no way to complete his plan."
"Flynn will be back, Clu. He promised. You have to remember, time moves more slowly in his world. A 1000 cycles is nothing to him. He'll be back."
"The system grows more imperfect while he is gone. The ISOs are bringing disorder," Clu said, again accusing the ISOs of all the flaws in the system.
"You don't know that, Clu. That's why Flynn wants to learn more about them. They may change the system for the better." Tron felt that Clu was thinking outside the parameters of his programming. He had to inform Flynn.
"You're as blind as he is. We don't need Flynn to complete the original directive. I'm his creation, his likeness, therefore I can do what he can. I am perfect. I will replace the creator."
Tron didn't like hearing this coming from Clu. Flynn, where are you? "Clu, wait until Flynn returns and tell him your thoughts. He'll listen to you."
Clu said nothing more to Tron, but later, he went on to create a virus that would destroy the ISOs. It infiltrated much of the system. He feigned ignorance, pretending disbelief as well as the others.
When Flynn did return, he knew nothing of Clu's plan. He did know that Clu had no love for the ISOs, and he wondered why they were so offensive to his programming. He didn't think he had written that into the original algorithms.
Tron was not satisfied to see his fears come to fruition. For all their time together, playing games on the old grid, planning the future of the new one, how could Clu turn on Flynn? When they'd first met, Tron had assumed Flynn was a program himself. Later, he found out that Flynn was a User, and his perception of Users changed. But he'd never lost the desire to know Flynn, to be a friend to this human, as he called himself. Many a time, Flynn had expressed a wish to show Tron his world beyond the I/O towers. But that was not possible. Tron found his loyalty to Flynn equal to his loyalty to his User, Alan1. Maybe it was greater. Now Clu wanted to destroy Flynn. Tron would not allow that. He had to follow his programming and protect the User Flynn. He later realized this feeling went beyond his programming. He wanted to protect his friend.
When Clu had articulated his desire to see Flynn de-rezzed, Tron protested. "You can't destroy a User!"
"He's in our world now, Tron. I can destroy him." Clu walked away from the astonished program.
Tron, for his part, ran to tell Flynn of Clu's threat to him, and his wish to destroy the ISOs. Flynn couldn't believe what he was hearing. Clu wanted him dead? But he had created Clu. How could a program want his maker destroyed? He confronted Clu with what Tron had told him. "Why are you doing this, Clu? The ISOs could be the future of the Grid and the real world both."
"You don't see the potential for their affect on the Grid. Your absences have left you with no idea what damage they've caused. You made me to improve and perfect this world. The ISOs are imperfect. If they are not destroyed, I will have failed in my directive. You are the Creator...and the Creator has failed." Clu looked upon Flynn with a mixture of sorrow and disgust. "It is an imperative now, that you be eradicated from the Grid."
Without warning, Clu attacked his creator, having secured several other programs willing to follow his orders. Flynn was no match for his own creation, but Tron intervened. "Flynn, go!" The security program fought hard against Clu, having dispatched the other attackers, but in the end, Clu took down the valiant program.
Flynn fled, knowing his friend had been de-rezzed. He had been torn between staying at Tron's side, or looking for help from friendly programs. But instead, he ran. He felt guilty for not remaining, and spent a lot of time mourning Tron's loss. He wanted to go home, yet when he tried to use the portal that blended this world and his own, he found it shut down. Something had closed it. Flynn could not get back to the real world. Now that Clu was in control of the system, Flynn had no choice but to go into hiding. He had failed. All his dreams were gone. And Tron had perished for his ignorance.
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What Flynn didn't know was that Clu had not de-rezzed Tron. This program would be a valuable additional to his army. Instead, Clu would re-program Tron, giving him a new purpose.
Tron defied the reprogramming as long as he could. He could feel his directives being altered. He tried hard to retain who he was, and all that he knew, but new directives were being imprinted over the old. Still, Tron struggled even as he felt his memory slipping away, to be replaced by new programming.
I am Tron. My User is Alan1. I serve the Users.
He fought the reprogramming, but he knew he was losing the battle. Yori's smiling face appeared before him.
I love you, Yori.
His hands formed into fists as he struggled against the rewriting of his very existence.
Flynn, go! My friend. Did he survive? I have failed in my directive to protect...my directive...
Little by little, memories faded away. New imperatives took their place.
I am Tron. I fight for the Users. I fight for...I...
Repurposing complete....
I am Rinzler. I serve Clu.
A/N: sorry this is not a new story. I was deleting two stories I had decided not to finish, and accidently deleted this one. If you've read it already, nothing new here. Thanks much!