I do not own Tron or Tron: Legacy.

Shadow Life: a journal on paper

Cycle 14

A great deal of our time was spent learning about the Outlands. Although Flynn was the Creator, he had little knowledge on what the area was like, if anything existed out here, and whether or not we were in danger from Clu. He felt we should be shielded from any possible threat, so Flynn set about creating a way to make us invisible to visual and spacial cues. Grid bugs were also a consideration. but even they seemed to stay away from the Outlands, needing energy as much as any program.

"Is it almost ready?" I asked him, as he tinkered, he liked to call it tinkering when he was building something new, with the shielding unit. It was hidden within the wall, since he didn't want anyone to disable it, should we be out. Always thinking of the possibilities. I suppose it had to do with his boy scouts being prepared.

"Just about, Q. What I'll need you to do is take the runner out as close to the city as you can get, WITHOUT getting caught. Do you understand? Don't take any risks!"

All I heard was 'take the runner out'. He was letting me go that far, alone. I smiled, as I nodded at his instructions. He wanted me to see if our location gave off any wave particles, and if the shield blocked those particles. Even if all was clear, Flynn indicated Clu might find a way to detect us all the way out here.

I took the runner and headed toward the city. The darkness permeated everything, making the city the best guidepost on the Grid. When I felt I was far enough from our house, I stopped, using a basic particle detector Flynn had pieced together. He always amazed me with how easily he could create standard equipment, yet was also into studying how his User nature might affect the Grid, or vice versa.

From here, I could see the hill our house sat upon. Visual cues were good. I aimed the particle detector in that direction, and noticed nothing that would stand out. We were effectively shielded from detection by anyone in the city.

I headed back to the house to let Flynn know the good news. His shield worked. When I arrived, I noticed the light grid that separated us from the outside. "Is that it?" I asked him, walking up to the grid and reaching out to touch it.

"Quorra, you can walk through it. So can I. Anything else will be stopped, including Grid bugs and particle wave detectors. As far as anyone noticing us, we are essentually invisible." He waved his hands in an odd way. Seeing my frown, he explained, "I was being spooky, Q."

"Spooky? What does 'spooky' mean?" I cocked an eyebrow at him, as he would often lace his speech with words foreign to me. I only recently understood what he meant when he would call me 'dude', and anything else 'radical'.

"Spooky, Q, means scary, like ooooooo, you know, ghost-like." Once more, he waved his hands about.

I frowned again. "Ghost-like. What is a ghost?" I asked.

He thought for a moment, then said, "Ghosts are supposed to be remnants of humans, what's left when the human dies. His spirit, or, as some believe, latent energy relating to the life force. When someone's body dies, the spirit remains. Ghosts are more legend than fact, as far as anyone can tell."

I knew dying to a human was as de-rezzing was to a program. I had read about death in one of Flynn's books. The human in the story had grown old, and eventually died. I looked at Flynn. He would grow old and die, since he was a human. Being the Creator would not spare him that fate. I was suddenly sad at the inevitable loss of the man, my friend, and my eventual solitude without him. I went to him and embraced him tightly. "Don't die, Flynn! Don't die!"

He laughed as he tried to calm me. "Q, don't worry. Time moves so slowly, while I'm on the Grid, I'm practically immortal. Now stop. I'm planning on being here for a long time, ok?"

I felt his arms around me, holding me as I attempted to stop thinking about existence without him. I had never imagined being alone, because he had promised me that, should he find a way to exit the Grid, he would take me with him. And now, the probability of life without him became real once more. I squeezed my eyes shut, and willed myself to think in the moment. He was here. I was here. We had everything we needed to be safe and comfortable.

He pulled back to let me in the face. 'Are you ok now? Hmmm?' He kissed my forehead. "Stop looking for things to worry about, Q. We're fine right here, until we find a way out. So are you good now?"

I lowered my head and nodded, trying to smile for him. We sat and talked about my ride to the city, whether I had come across anything, and we laughed. When things seemed dark, Flynn was one to try to find humor in the moment. And I began to realize just how much I cared about the Creator. In one of his books, there was a subject that permeated everything. It entailed 86.9% of the stories I had read so far, whether in minute or great amounts, and it was always the same. The emotion Love. The way humans felt about each other. And imagining life without him, I knew now, I loved Flynn.