Perfection
Clu 2
"I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business" – Michael J. Fox
One simple objective: create the perfect system. It was the reason behind his creation, the reason behind his very existence. It was the motivation behind all of his actions. But it was more than that really. When he took the time to think about his sole objective, he always came to the same conclusion.
It was him.
.
The decision to defy his User—his creator—was far easier than he had anticipated it would be. Even though a small part of him balked at the idea that he should seek to overthrow the man who had created him, the man who had given him his one objective, it was hardly enough to make him reconsider his actions. It was right; he knew it was right.
If Flynn didn't want to stand by his side and finish what he himself had started, he had to be forcefully removed from his position of power.
Perfection wasn't for the faint of heart, for flesh and blood that couldn't possibly hope to comprehend it.
.
He saw such weakness in Flynn; he still, evidently, wanted to seek perfection even though he had been hiding from it ever since he became fascinated with the viruses he called ISOs. As soon as it was apparent that he was in the right—and the User in the wrong—he signaled for the attack. They couldn't—and wouldn't, he was certain—fail. Success was inevitable.
The coup was ultimately a mere formality when the User's weakness clouded his judgment and made him incapable of standing up for his own ideals. While the Black Guard surrounded Tron, he turned his attention to the real threat.
Catching up to the creator, he pushed him to the ground with ease. Only for a moment, he paused for reasons he couldn't fully comprehend. But then, he saw the fear in Flynn's eyes—fear of him, his own creation designed to carry out his own wishes—and it steeled him further. He readied himself to end the User's life and, to his own faint surprise, would have done it too if it hadn't been for Tron's well timed attack.
And, as he watched the "creator" flee, he decided he would make Tron pay.
He would not allow anybody—not even a program he had called a friend long ago—to stand in his way.
.
Looking out over the system that he had created from the wreckage, he wondered for the first time if it was truly perfect. After the purges—his greatest success in moving forward—he had been convinced that he was on the proper path. The system was running at its optimum potential. The ISOs were all but eliminated, leaving the programs to live knowing their system was secure. The traitor had been expelled from their midst. The games had been reinstated to weed out the weak, inefficient and outdated programs.
These were his accomplishments, his alone. He was achieving perfection in all things, something even the allegedly great creator failed to accomplish.
And, yet, something caused him to pause. Maybe it was the fact that Flynn was resisting—acting as if each move he made was taking him a step away from completing his objective. Maybe it was because a small part of him had its regrets; even though he easily brushed them off, telling himself all of the "sacrifices" were made in the name of perfection, they persisted.
That was when he had a thought born out of twisting the User's philosophy ever so slightly. What was it that Flynn had always said: that the Grid was more interconnected with the human world than anyone knew? That the two worlds existed intertwined with one another, each relying on each other in a kind of symbiotic relationship?
The revelation hit him instantly, chilling his processors and making him wonder for the first time if the objective was even possible to achieve. The system could only be excellent as long as the User world that dictated so much of its actions was left the imperfect mess it allegedly was.
"Change of plans, Jarvis," he said softy as he continued to look out over his system. "We need to draw Flynn out of hiding."
.
It was too simple, really. With Flynn's disc secured, all of his plans could finally be realized. The programs would no longer be trapped inside the computer; they would be free to traverse the world and would change everything about it in the process. As for him, he would see to it that the world would be made perfect, would be brought out of the darkness of the ignorance of a people that accepted and even cherished mediocrity.
He was so tantalizing close to the completion of his objective, to the fruition of all of his carefully laid plans. He was so close he didn't even stop to wonder what would become of him once his objective was completed.
And, as he walked out onto the podium to address his army, he knew it was time to change the world…for the better.
.
He couldn't comprehend what his User meant; even attempting to understand his assertion caused his CPU to balk in protest. He couldn't possibly be right, he told himself, the protest of his very functions enough to assure him that he was right to oppose his User to the bitter end. He couldn't allow him to thwart all of his plans when he was so very misguided, still chained to the altar of mediocrity because of his newfound fear of his initial quest.
"You couldn't understand because I didn't when I made you," Flynn yelled, his voice filled with such great pain it made him pause for a moment.
He couldn't process it but part of him just knew that his User was sorry for him. His CPU balked at the thought, but he continued to try to calculate why that would be, why he would feel sorry for a program he had once called his "best ever." Then, it hit him like an identity disc to the gut: he himself was deeply flawed and had been created as such…
He couldn't believe him, couldn't believe that everything he had ever done was because he had been flawed upon creation, incapable of understanding the truths of the Grid and the world. It couldn't be possible that perfection couldn't be realized, not when his objective was to strive for perfection and ultimately attain it.
His objective was him, and he would not accept what he knew was the truth.
.
And, as he dove toward the portal, he reminded himself never to settle for mere excellence, even if it cost him everything.
A/N: PLEASE READ: Hey everyone! Basically, this is going to be a series of one-shots exploring the different programs of Tron. I started with Clu 2 because I think he's a really compelling character, but I am going to write about all of them. All of the chapters will follow this format, and programs from Tron and Tron Legacy will be written about. Each will be a character analysis (inspired by the quote at the top) and each will attempt to delve deeper into all of your favorites. So enjoy! Also, please review: I'm working on another story right now and need to know if there's enough interest in this to continue. Enjoy and R&R! ~Moore12~