CHAPTER ONE
ENCOM International
Los Angeles, California
1983
It was another late night at the office. Reese Morgan sat in his cubicle staring inertly at the computer before him. If it were any other Friday night, he would have been taking advantage of the diverse nightlife Los Angeles had to offer—clubs and discotheques, or maybe the occasional roller-rink, all playing music he loved. Simply because he was a computer programmer of genius-level intelligence didn't mean he was out of touch with society as so many people were likely to believe.
Unfortunately, it wasn't every Friday night that he happened to be on the verge of a break-through. In the world of programming, such things just couldn't wait for discotheques and roller-rinks. Once the idea was there, it had to be fleshed out and tested in a trial-error fashion.
The music he loved would have to be sequestered to the quiet, little radio resting on his desk next to his Rubik's Cube. Right now it was David Bowie playing. Next it might be Duran Duran or maybe the Human League.
Reese sighed and stopped typing codes for his new programme. He had to clear his mind for a minute to figure out what would come next. He picked up his Rubik's Cube, absently twisting it this way and that until it was solved. That was far too easy. With a shrug, Reese set the cube back down to continue typing. That was when the idea finally hit him. Data simplification and interpretation. That was exactly the type of programme the ENCOM Mainframe needed these days to speed up the processors' functions.
Reese sped up his typing, keeping time with "Let's Dance" still playing on the radio.
Let's sway
Under the moonlight
The serious moonlight
The programme wasn't quite complete, however. It still needed something more. But what? Reese stopped coding and pondered for a moment as the song ended, the DJ blabbed, and then something by Journey began to play.
But what?
Then another idea hit him.
Melvin Giovanni two cubicles down was working on a data collection programme. That was just what Reese's programme was in need of. Something to collect the data it needed to simplify.
Reese rolled his chair to the edge of his cubicle and peered down the row. Surely enough, the light of Mel's cubicle was still on. Another dedicated programmer.
"Giovanni," Reese called quietly, "you still in?"
Mel popped his head up over the rim of his cubicle. He smiled. "Hey, hey! What are you still doin' here, man?"
"Working on something new." Reese smirked back. "I was wondering, are you still working on that data collection programme?"
Mel leaned his folded arms on the rim. "As we speak. Its code name is Linux."
"Linux?" Reese chuckled as he adjusted his thick glasses. "Interesting."
"Just a code-name for now." Mel left his cubicle and walked over to Reese's. "What would you like to know about it, anyway?"
Reese rolled his chair back to his computer. "Well, I've been working on this programme I've named Zuse, see. It's for data simplification, translation, sorting—stuff like that. But what it really needs is a programme to work with it, collecting the data it needs to sort."
Mel's eyes scanned the green codes on the black computer screen. "That's brilliant, Reese! Our programmes could work in tandem!"
"That's just what I was thinking."
"Awesome. If this works, I think Flynn would be pretty impressed."
"You really think so?"
Mel nodded confidently. "Absolutely!"
"Impressed enough to try it on the mainframe computer?" Reese ventured.
"Maybe. And if it's a success on there, who knows—perhaps he'll want to copy it for use on his experimental TRON System."
Reese slicked back his auburn hair. "TRON System?" He'd heard about his boss's eccentric experiments before. It was widely known around the office that Flynn was on the brink of something existential, and it certainly wasn't another video game. Sure, Space Paranoids made ENCOM quite a bit of cash, but Flynn had left the video game venture alone to pursue something else. What it was exactly he would never explain in detail. Reese was sure if Flynn did try to explain it, no one would believe him because it would probably sound like something out of a bad science fiction flick. All Reese really knew was that if a programmer happened to come up with software good enough to be copied to this TRON System, then that made Flynn very happy. And making the boss happy was always a good thing, no matter how odd he was.
"TRON System," Mel repeated, particularly enthused. "Sure, I don't think anyone except Flynn and Bradley really knows what the hell it is, but still. It's Flynn's pet project, so if we could contribute in some way that would make us invaluable programmers...you know that."
Reese nodded. "Right. I'm just going to finish up these codes real quick. And when I'm done, how about you show me what you got?"
"Awesome job, you guys!"
It was awkward having the boss breathing down your back, even if he was enthusiastic about your work. As Kevin Flynn looked over Mel and Reese's shoulder at the work done by their computer programmes, he patted them both heftily on the back. Reese almost felt the wind being knocked out of him.
"Really?" he wheezed.
He and Mel had been testing their programmes on Reese's terminal for the past two days, and the processes seemed to be working quite well, so they had finally decided to show their work to Flynn. So far, so good, it seemed.
"Of course!" Flynn smirked. "Two of my best programmers taking initiative like this? It's great, man, it's great. Do the two of you mind if we try these programmes on the Mainframe?"
Mel beamed. "We'd be honoured, sir."
"All right!" Flynn hi-fived them both. "Feel free to transfer in from your terminal to the main system as soon as you can." He then got up from where he kneeled and strolled out of the cubicle.
"You think they'll work as good on the Mainframe as they do here?" Mel asked Reese after Flynn was gone.
Reese began entering the coding for an upload and then pressed ENTER. "I sure hope so."
ENCOM Mainframe
When the programmes rezzed into the system, they were both surprised at how large it was. The plane on which they now stood seemed to go on forever, and it had many features through which data and energy surged in large, continuous pulses. Back on the other system, there had been limited space, and while inside the floppy—hardly any space at all. Now, they had been thrust into the most magnificent place they had ever seen.
"Where are we?" Linux asked.
Zuse looked around with him, taking in the vast view. "Could this be the Mainframe?"
Back within the simple system, the Kernel had explained that programmes were sometimes taken out of their folders to a wonderful place known as the Mainframe, where they could carry out their directives in the most efficient way. But only the best of programmes were taken there—programmes that had showed their users and the one known as Flynn that they were seriously about their business. Linux and Zuse had been nothing but serious about their business for the few cycles since they had been written. Had they finally proved themselves worthy to their users? Did the Kernel's advice to work hard finally pay off?
Some other programmes were approaching—mysterious programmes in hooded cloaks like nothing Linux and Zuse had ever seen before. "Excuse me?" Linux queried. But the hooded programmes didn't respond. They continued on their silent and sombre path until they were gone. Linux shook his head in bewilderment. "Well, that was odd. The Kernel said nothing of programmes like that being in the Mainframe."
Zuse sighed and his blue circuitry dimmed a little. "Maybe I spoke too soon," he said. "Maybe we're not in the Mainframe."
"Oh no," a voice suddenly came from behind them.
They turned to see a female programme approaching.
"You're in the Mainframe, all right," she continued with a smile. "Greetings. I am MIA, Mainframe Information Algorithm—at your service." She bowed for them and they looked at her in wonder. Zuse returned the gesture by bowing back. He had found back in the old computer that copying other programmes mannerisms helped him to learn new things. Things that weren't originally in his coding.
Linux kicked the back of his heel to make him stop.
"What was that for?" Zuse harshly whispered as he rose up from his bow.
"You're embarrassing yourself," Linux whispered back.
They both stopped their banter when then noticed that MIA had started to chuckle at them. "You two really have no idea what you're doing, do you?" she asked, amused.
"No," Linux said. "Not really."
"Well, you're in luck then." MIA sandwiched herself between them and took them by their arms. "My directive is to assist programmes like you. Now, to allow me to assist you, state your designations and your directives."
"I'm Linux, and that is Zuse. We work together, collecting and simplifying data."
Zuse smirked and nodded. "Linux does the collecting and I do the simplifying."
MIA smiled back at both of them. Zuse was beginning to realise there was something special about MIA. Back in the other system there had only been one female programme, and there was nothing at all special about her. That programme had been plain. MIA, on the other hand, was...
Zuse quickly sorted through all the adjectives he had learned from the word processing programme he'd once met.
Pretty? No, that wasn't quite right...
Beautiful? Yes. That was it. That was the proper way to describe her. Zuse stopped thinking about words, however, when he noticed Linux was staring at him. His chest to be more exact. Zuse looked down at himself, seeing that a noxious pink colour was spreading through his circuitry, rapidly replacing the blue.
Stopping himself, and Linux and MIA along with him, Zuse shouted at the sight of it. Nothing like this had ever happened before. "What is it?" he asked in panic.
"You're corrupting!" Linux offered.
But MIA laughed heartily at both of them and that ended their panic. "He isn't corrupting," she said as she took Zuse by the hand and stared at him briefly. His now pink circuits flared. "He's blushing!" She then laughed again and let go of his hand to continue walking.
Zuse and Linux lagged behind for a moment, watching after her. Zuse's circuitry started fading back to blue, until Linux nudged him and laughed at him, and it flared pink one last time.
"Stop it..." Zuse muttered, his circuits nearly red. Linux raised an eyebrow at him and walked after MIA. Watching them both walk on, Zuse allowed his colouration to return to normal before he too followed. How embarrassing...
He forgot about it soon enough, though. Within a few nano-cycles they had reached a large area where several programmes milled about among high rising buildings.
"This is the main city," MIA said. "Here is where you will reside. After I show you to your work station, you both may pick out a residence in one of the buildings that has room."
"Where will we work?" Linux asked.
"At the processing plant ahead." MIA pointed out a smaller building along the main road where strange vehicles passed.
"And how long will we work for?" Zuse asked.
"For one milli-cycle you will work and for another milli-cycle you will have free time. Time to rest and time for diversions and energy replenishment."
Zuse nodded quickly and then stepped out to cross the street, but MIA stopped him just as one of the vehicles zoomed past, almost hitting him.
"Careful," she warned. "You don't want to get derezzed. Lightcycles around here stop for no one."
Zuse took in a sharp breath of cyberspace. He was reminded of when the Kernel had explained deresolution to him and Linux. It was not pretty, and the last thing he wanted was to be deleted only a few nano-cycles after rezzing into the Mainframe.
The three of them waited until there was an opening in the traffic, safely crossing the street. They then entered the building. Immediately, MIA made her way to another female programme who sat at a desk in the centre of the lobby. This programme, a dark-skinned woman, was intimidating compared to MIA and quite obviously ran this data processing plant.
"Greetings, Nexus," MIA said to her.
Nexus didn't even look up from her work at the desk. She simply spoke, flat and daunting. "What do you require, MIA?"
"I have brought you two new programmes that have recently entered the system." MIA gestured to Zuse and Linux and Nexus finally glanced up, her eyes piercing into them both.
"I have many programmes working here already," Nexus said, looking back down. "What is so special about these two?"
MIA cleared her throat. "These programmes were specifically designed for the task of data processing by their users. They won't need as much training as your simpler programmes. Programme Linux collects data and Programme Zuse simplifies it."
Nexus typed away at the pad before her a moment longer and then stopped to look up at Zuse and Linux again. She then got up and walked towards them, her long white gown trailing behind her. She stopped in front of them both, giving them the eye again. "Specifically designed for data processing by your users, huh?" Nexus mused. "Is that right?"
The both looked at her dumbly, so she repeated herself.
"Is that right?"
"Yes, ma'am," Linux forced out pathetically.
Nexus looked to Zuse next, awaiting a reply from him as well.
"Affirmative," he uttered.
"Well, well." Nexus looked back to MIA. "They aren't very assertive, but I suppose I'll give them a chance."
"We won't let you down, Nexus," Linux blurted. "We'll do everything just the way you command."
Zuse cringed. Linux had always been much too eager for his own good and it had started by trying too hard to please the Kernel. Nexus wouldn't have that.
"Save your sycophantic comments for later, Programme Linux," she said. "Both of you, follow me." And she was off already, heading down a hall to the left. Zuse and Linux looked to MIA and she motioned for them to follow.
"I'll meet you both back here after your shift," she said, "to help you find a residence. I wish you the best luck. End of line."