Dillinger's Notebook

December 29th

LOG: 25

I'm tired of Sam's inability to program a system that can sustain our research. He still refuses to be practical. Yesterday I pointed out to him that our technology could possibly help his friend Jayla walk again. He still maintained that we weren't ready to move forward yet. And he still insists that we create ISOs in the grid and yet he fails at every attempt.

I have been doing research into improving the Grid technology. Flynn left us with a lot of outdated programs some of which I have been able to modify behind Sam's back. He believes that I am working on optimizing the system. But there are other things I am interested in.

There are rumors of artifacts hidden in the grid. Some programs believe that these keys, they call them the Keys of Flynn, were left behind by their creator and that whoever finds them will gain control over the grid. I have to admit these rumors have piqued my curiosity. Recently I had the opportunity to learn more about them. I have a feeling they will be very important in the coming days.

I have also developed an interest in Sam's friend Quorra. She has been helping him, and I have a feeling that she could be persuaded to join me and my team I invited her to coffee, but she has yet to respond. I hope that in the coming days more can be done to win her over.

Quorra and Dillinger met at a local coffee shop. Sam was off doing Sam things. Quorra was left alone more and more often now. She tried to find ways to keep herself busy. She took care of Marv, went for walks on her own, but it was rare for her to actually sit down and have a conversation with someone. When Dillinger invited her, she was glad to be able to get out of the house.

"So what do you like to do on your, well, on your days off," he asked her. Since Quorra had never had coffee before, Dillinger had helped her order. She liked sweet things, so she got a hot chocolate. She slowly sipped it, savoring the new flavors.

"Well," she said. She paused for a second. Dillinger noticed she had whipped cream on her nose. He handed her a napkin and pointed to the cream.

"Oops!" She wiped it off and laughed. "Anyhow, I like to read a lot. Anything that Sam has on his bookshelf. And I like to go for walks around the city. There are so many hidden places. People are so strange here, too. I like to watch them." She looked out of the store window.

"How do you mean?"

"People aren't like programs, you know. Some of them don't know their purpose. They spend so much time running around that they can't even see what's in front of them."

"I suppose you're right, but that doesn't make us all bad."

"Oh no! I didn't mean that at all. It's just that we're so different. Now that I'm here, I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to be doing. I guess I'm more like a human here. I know Sam wants me to help him bring back the ISOs, but he's never around to help." Dillinger saw an opportunity.

"You know I could use your help, Quorra." He looked at her to see her reaction. She was close to Sam and he was very protective of her. He didn't want to make the mistake of moving too quickly.

"What would I do?" she asked. She didn't seem too defensive. She leaned in closer to the table, a sign of interest.

"Well you could help us with the research. We would need some of your genetic material."

"I did that for Sam. It wasn't a problem."

"And we'd need your help. Possibly even need to modify your identity disc. Would you be ok with that?"

"Sure." She seemed happy that she could finally do something, finally help. She was happy to be needed again. Dillinger smiled back. "We'd be more than happy to have you on our team, Quorra. You'd be a really big help." He sipped his mocha and leaned back in his chair crossing his leg over his knee. They sat watching the people pass by. A woman in a red dress with an umbrella walked by the window. Dillinger couldn't help staring at her as she walked away.

"You like her?"

"What do you mean?"

"You were watching her. Do you like her?"

"I like looking at her. But I don't think I'd like her. She's not really my type."

"What's a type?" He looked at her.

"A type, well. That's all the things you like about a person. Some people like dark hair. Some people like blondes. Some people like um, other things."

"So what's your type?"

"I like smart women." He leaned back again and smiled.

"Ah." Quorra was quiet for a moment. "I like people who don't make me feel small." Dillinger smiled. That made a lot of sense to him. Sam and the others had been ignoring her, making her feel inferior, just a subject in their experiments. He had a sudden desire to be protective of her. She was fragile in this world, a delicate rose. Of course her help in his work would be more important. No need for things to get complicated. He watched as she looked down at her watch.

"Oh," she stood up. "I have to get back. I'm supposed to take Marv for a walk. Thanks for the hot chocolate. It was delicious!" Dillinger smiled as he watched her go.

"I'll call you, ok?" he said.

"Sure! I can't wait," she said as she left the cafe. Dillinger picked up his phone and made a call. He'd be looking forward to it too.