I do not own Tron or Tron: Legacy.

Shadow Life: a journal on paper

Cycle 10

Flynn wanted to show me how to play a simple game of strategy, one he called "Go". As he taught me to play, he would take a very long time making his moves, while I would quickly decide where to place my next piece.

"Q, you're too aggressive. You need to take your time, study the board, imagine moves far in advance of your current move."

I placed a piece next to one of his, and waited for his move.

He laughed and shook his head."Why did I expect anything else? Don't be so impatient, Quorra. Take your time. That's why it's called a game of strategy. You try to out-maneuver your opponent's moves with more strategic moves of your own."

"But Flynn, if I know what pieces I want where, why would I delay placing them on the board. That seems a waste of time."

"And time is what we have in abundance, my dear apprentice." He moved a piece across the board, not where I would have expected him to place it.

"Was that move wise, Flynn?" I asked him, my eyes shifting from the board to his face.

He merely smiled, saying 'uh huh'. I know he thinks I don't understand strategy, but I do. I have had to think about that since Clu began his usurpation of the Grid. I placed a piece, thinking I had Flynn blocked, but on his turn, he slowly stretched a hand toward me, dropping his piece down and triumphantly pronounced himself the winner yet again.

"You see, Q, look ahead. If you only see what's in the moment, you'll miss the very important things to come."

"Like you saw what was going to happen with Clu?" I immediately regretted the words as soon as I saw the look on his face. I rose from my chair and went to kneel beside him, placing my hand on his. "I'm sorry, Flynn. I had no right to say anything about Clu."

He put his free hand over mine, clasping it gently. "Quorra, you're right. I created Clu, and in my arrogance, made him something that was easily twisted and corruptible. I wanted perfection, but I see that I was wrong. Sometimes the things we look for are right in front of us." He touched my cheek.

I smiled at his touch. "It wasn't your fault. You made him too human, Flynn. And from what I have been reading in your books, humans are unpredictable."

He chuckled. "Yes, we are." He leaned forward and kissed my forehead.

I rose and squeezed his shoulder. "Shall we play again later? I promise to take your advice next time."

"My dear Quorra, you are predictable, and I know you won't change. But that's right for you. Be impatient, be impulsive. It suits you."

I cleared off the board, placing our playing pieces in our respective cups. "How about some dessert, Flynn? There's leftover cake."

"I think I've created a cake monster, Q, but yes, you can get me a piece too, if you would."

I gave him a look of pique. A monster was one thing I was not. And a cake monster? What was that supposed to mean? But I cut him a large piece, and handed it to him. My own piece was probably larger, but since he had given me the name, I may as well live up to it. Since Flynn had introduced cake to me, it had become my weakness. "Flynn, do you really think I'm a monster?"

He stopped eating his cake, set his plate on his lap, and looked at me, saying, "Quorra, you are not a monster. I was joking, meaning I was just teasing you." He sat in silence for a moment. "You have been the one bright spot in this miserable situation I find myself in. If not for you, I might have gone crazy if I had to be out here alone for much longer."

His words made me smile. "I can say the same thing about you. Being the last of my kind would mean a life of loneliness. But I have you now."

I think Flynn was embarrassed, because he didn't look at me. He just lowered his head with his eyes closed. Then he perked up suddenly, saying, "Thanks, Quorra. Now, eat your cake and we'll play another round. I might even let you win."

I pretended to be shocked. "Let me win? I'll beat you, how did you say, fair in the square?"

"That's fair and square, and bring it on, Q."

And we both laughed as we finished our cake. If it could always be this way between us, I wouldn't mind. Being alone no longer meant being lonely.