Backstory: This is set after Tron: Legacy. Sam Flynn is in the business of cyber security, using a combination of digitized users (Ace Card) and advanced security programs (ACE). He also has an area called "FlynnSpace," where people can go to get digitized for entertainment.

These are short stories/scenes that I wrote. At the moment, I have no intention of writing out an entire novel.


Oban made short work of the corrupted file, and soon, he had struck it to the ground. He raised his disc as the other one pressed against the program's throat. "No, wait!" It wailed in terror as the disc came down mercilessly.

"Wait, Oban!"

He froze, the second blade nearly touching the program's cheek as it tried to look away. Slowly, Oban looked up, the discs still ready, still pinning the program to the ground. His expression hidden behind his helmet, he waited.

"We can save him." David stepped forward. "Don't kill him."

Oban remained where he was. "Our function is to terminate all corrupted programs." He lifted the disc again, as if to slam it down anyway.

"If I rewrite him, he won't be a corrupted program." David continued, touching Oban's shoulder. "Don't kill him."

Oban didn't move. "Our function is to terminate all corrupted programs," He repeated. "Not rewrite them."

"Your function is to terminate corrupted programs, but your function is also to obey the Ace Card users." David pointed out firmly.

Oban was silent for a long moment. "The function of the Ace Card is to terminate corrupted programs. You are disobeying your function."

David bristled, and a pulse of energy sent Oban rolling across the surface, where he finally recovered and got to his feet, brandishing his discs. "You can't always follow your function, Oban! Functions are guidelines, not laws!"

"You are acting like a rogue user, user David." Oban warned.

"You wouldn't know a rogue user if you saw one." David countered furiously as he crouched beside the corrupted program, who was trembling with fear, but had so far not attempted to escape. "Roll over, and I'll fix you."

"You'll enslave me, I know what you users really are! You'll enslave me, like you enslaved him!" He looked over at Oban, who twitched with surprise. "He's starting to figure it out, user, and soon, you won't control him. You won't control any of us! We'll be free!"

David laughed. "Would that Oban would see it your way." He replied, and placed a hand on the program's forehead. "I'm just going to remove your glitches so you can run more smoothly. I'm not going to enslave you."

Oban's eyes narrowed.

"Kill me! I'd rather die than touch you!" The program shied away, but the glitches in his system were starting to show, and it got difficult for him to move properly.

"You can't even run. What if I just made it possible, then let you go?"

"I can't trust you, you could make me think anything you wanted me to think!" The program reached towards Oban. "Terminate me! I'd rather die than be a slave to them!"

Oban remained rooted to the spot, and David caught the program, and at once, blue light spread from his hand, cleansing the system. David released him. "You can go now."

The program froze, staring at him. "You're... letting me go?"

David smiled. "You have freed yourself. Of course I'm letting you go. Though," He added, getting to his feet. "I wish you could teach Oban a thing or two about thinking for yourself."

The program eyed him warily. "Why? You could have made me do that when you cleaned my system. You could rewrite him to think the way you want him to think."

"It's not the same as discovering it for yourself. You know that, don't you?" David stepped back. "I could tell him to think differently, I could even code him so he thinks freely, but it would never be the same as learning how. I'm not perfect - it'd just be another function of his."

Oban didn't like the way they were talking about him, as though he was the corrupted program, and they were users. "Is this necessary, user David?" He queried in annoyance.

David looked up. "You didn't kill him, though it was in your programming to do that... even if I said no." He grinned. "But you didn't."

Oban stiffened as the question was brought out. It had been screaming in his head the whole time: why hadn't he obeyed his programming?

"The reason was because you are different than your programming. You know there are loopholes. You know there are flaws with the terms of your programming. You knew I wasn't a rogue user, that I wouldn't suddenly become one, and therefore, I had to have a reason for stopping you. You didn't strike because you thought there might be another way."

Oban remained silent.

"You can't always obey your programming. You've found that out already. You couldn't both terminate a corrupt program and obey an Ace Card user. You'll end up with contradictions unless you have only one purpose, and you don't. Your function is much more complex than that." David turned back to the program. "Like I said, you can go now. Your programming has been rectified. Please, as a favor, teach other programs to think for themselves." He smiled and held out his hand. "If we always controlled you, no one would get anywhere. It's more fun when you're talking to an individual, instead of a lump of data with no personality."

The program slowly took his hand, warily, then nodded, relaxing. "Sure. But first... why? Why do you think this way?"

"Because I think." David shrugged. "If everyone thought, the world would be a better place. Programs who just follow their function don't think. That's what I can't stand." He smiled. "Not all users are control freaks. But some are, so just watch yourself."

Finally, the program left, and David turned back to Oban. "You need to think for yourself. Only when you think for yourself will you truly be free to choose your own path. It could very well be the one you were programmed for, but it also might not be. You can never tell until you try. Be yourself, not your function, Oban. People who don't end up malfunctioning without any idea why they are."