The idea of Quorra meeting Clu was too fun to leave alone. It's not a very lengthy introduction...but it's kinda funny how it happens. Quorra's a little older, not much, maybe the equivalent of a 3 or 4 year old. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 3

Signs and Portents

Quorra looked wide-eyed at the city around her as she followed both her parents and their entourage to the meeting hall. Jalen had taken her to see the capital…but it was still quite massive.

The young ISO looked up and saw the entourage leaving her behind and she trotted a bit faster until she was to the left and behind her mother.

Radia looked fondly down at her daughter, gently stroking her head before looking forwards again. Jalen smirked and ruffled Quorra's hair, messing it up and eliciting an annoyed whine from the Child ISO…and an unamused glare from his wife.

As soon as the group stopped in the main chamber, Radia knelt next to her daughter.

"I need you to stay out of sight, little one," she said gently, "Clu is very cold towards our kind, I do not know how he will react to you,"

Quorra gave a slow nod before reaching for her mother. Radia embraced the girl before shooing her off towards one of the pillars, which she hid behind.

"I still don't see why we have to do this," Jalen grumbled, "Clu hates us…it's always been this way,"

"We're trying to keep the peace between Basic and ISO," Radia reminded him, "And if meeting with Clu will keep that peace, then so be it,"

"Still doesn't mean I like it," Jalen growled darkly to himself.

"Jalennnn!"

He gave a wry smirk…which rapidly devolved into an emotionless mask as his ice-blue eyes focused on something else. Radia turned to see Flynn coming towards them followed by Tron…and Clu.

[Be nice] Radia pinged Jalen.

[Aren't I always?]

"Hey, glad to see you could make it," Flynn beamed as he got closer, clapping Jalen on the back while giving a tiny bow of the head to Radia.

"To keep the peace, we'd be glad to make the trip," Jalen said, making Radia smile inwardly as he recited her words.

01010011 01101001 01100111 01101110 01110011 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01010000 01101111 01110010 01110100 01100101 01101110 01110100 01110011

Quorra looked out behind the pillar, seeing the Creator, the Administrator…and…wait…was that…?

Her eyes lit up.

It was!

Uncle Tron!

Quorra gave a shy smile as she remembered the day Giles told her she was saying Tron's name wrong…she had felt so bad…

And then he laughed, which made it worse…

So she kicked him in the shin.

Her daddy started roaring with laughter while her mommy tried her best to look unamused. Which didn't make sense to Quorra, who had always been told that Giles liked to pester Mommy all the time.

Quorra peeked out a bit further, watching her parents and the Creator and the Administrator talk…

While Tron stood off to the side, watching just like her!

Maybe he would play with her? Every time she saw him he'd play with her, so why not now?

Quorra carefully snuck around the room, getting close to the Monitor. Maybe this time she'd actually sneak up on him?

She got behind him…and charged.

The Monitor had sensed Quorra coming…and stepped out of the way. Tron had meant to grab her as she zipped by, but he underestimated how fast she was going.

The Child ISO shot past Tron's hands…and crashed right into Clu, who fell flat on the floor with a yelp and with Quorra sitting, quite stunned, on his back.

"Quorra!" Radia gasped, picking the girl up, "I thought…Clu, forgive me, I had no idea…"

Clu sat up, rubbing his head as he looked at the ISO girl, who had pulled the hem of her little white cloak up to cover her face. He was trying to look dignified…

It wasn't helping that Jalen, Flynn and Tron were dying with laughter.

Radia gently whacked her husband on the shoulder, making him swallow the laughter…although a few snickers left every once in a while.

Tron came up and helped Clu up, laughing softly while Flynn was doubled over.

"I meant to catch her, Clu, it's my fault," the Monitor chuckled as Clu brushed himself off.

"Who?" Clu demanded, sky-blue gaze annoyed.

Radia gave a slight sigh and looked at her daughter, who was lowering her cloak's hem to look at Clu.

"Clu, this is mine and Jalen's daughter, Quorra," Radia sighed, jostling her arms just a little bit and getting Quorra's attention, "Quorra, what do you say?"

The ISO child's eyes flicked to Clu, who was still dusting himself off.

"Your hair is awl messed up," Quorra stated.

Clu's face darkened slightly as he flattened the unruly mess while Tron gave a crooked grin.

"Quorra…" Radia warned.

"An' you sound funny when you hit da gwound,"

Now Flynn was falling into hysterics again while Tron started chuckling. Jalen wasn't helping matters as he was trying to bite down his own laughter.

"Quorra!"

"I sowwy," Quorra mumbled.

"I can't hear you…" Radia said.

"I said I sorry!" Quorra cried, throwing her tiny arms out in exasperation.

She lowered her voice.

"That you didn't get out of da way,"

Jalen lost it.

Clu didn't understand why the Monitor, his User, and Jalen were all in hysterics. Radia was unamused, but she somehow didn't hear Quorra's last statement.

"Radia, I'll take her," Tron offered, "I'll keep her out of trouble, I swear,"

"Please Mommy?" Quorra begged, "I be good!"

Radia closed a honey colored eye before looking at Flynn, who was finally starting to calm down, and Jalen who was trying to disguise his laughter as coughs.

She sighed and handed Quorra to Tron.

"You and I are going to have a long talk when we get home," Radia promised, making Quorra duck her head and then bury it in Tron's broad, white shoulder.

Tron gave a soft laugh and lifted Quorra up to his shoulder, looking up at her.

"Now, let's get you away from here, alright?" he asked.

"Otay!"

01010011 01101001 01100111 01101110 01110011 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01010000 01101111 01110010 01110100 01100101 01101110 01110100 01110011

"That meeting didn't go as bad as I thought it would," Jalen said.

"We completely embarrassed Clu!" Radia hissed.

"Like I said, it went rather well,"

Radia rolled her eyes.

"And you wonder why he doesn't like you," she deadpanned, "Jalen, we have to stay on the Basics' good side. Otherwise things will get very difficult for us,"

Jalen stopped, turning around and putting his hands on Radia's shoulders.

"You saw something…didn't you?" he asked.

Radia turned away.

"Radia…"

She kept her silence.

"Ophelia, what did you see?" Jalen demanded.

Radia didn't look at him, she closed her eyes, remembering.

A black and sickly yellow hand.

"Greetings…"

A shattered Disk.

"I think you would have preferred death to this…"

Gold circuits.

"Am I still to create the perfect system?"

Two Disks.

"FLYNN! GO!"

The little lights in Flynn's shoes fleeing down an alley.

A System Monitor on the ground, not Tron…silenced.

ISOs screaming as red Programs killed them in the streets.

A shattered Disk ramming into her chest.

Yori with her head in her hands, sobbing deeply.

Flynn looking at the Portal as it winked out, pulling up his hood as he walks into the Oulands.

Quorra standing alone in the Outlands, Arjia in flames, the ISO towers destroyed.

Hellish red circuits, a soft deadly purr.

"Nothing good," Radia murmured.

"Your visions all come true," Jalen stated, "We could all be in serious trouble,"

"If we stay on the Basics' good side, we won't," Radia said, "Which means no more tormenting Clu,"

Jalen closed an eye but he sighed.

"Fine," he said, "But I make no promises about Quorra,"

Radia shook her head, the coded crystals on her headdress clinking as they moved.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with that girl," she sighed, "She's more like you than anything,"

Jalen shrugged.

"I can't help that her coding relates more to me than you," he stated, "Just how she chose to be,"

"Higher!" Quorra's voice trilled…along with the high-pitched whirr of a Disk.

Something flickered up into the air and a tiny white flash thudded into it before zipping back towards the ground.

"Good!" came Tron's baritone, "Very good!"

"Your turn!"

A lower pitched hum entered the air and the target flicked upwards…a larger white object shot from lower down and shattered the target before zipping back to its master's hand.

Quorra's laughter and applause warmed the core of the two ISOs as they turned the corner, watching as Quorra had her tiny Disk in her hand, watching as Tron flicked his up in the air and sent it whirling towards another target before changing direction and shattering another.

And that's when Quorra noticed her parents watching.

"Mommy! Daddy! Watch this!" she chirped, taking her Disk and throwing it at a target, watching as it plinked off the edge and clattered to the ground, rolling to her feet.

The Child ISO's face fell as she picked up her Disk and reattached it to her dock without a word.

"It was a good try, Quorra," Tron said gently, kneeling down and putting a hand on the girl's shoulder, "You'll get it,"

"I did get it," Quorra huffed, kicking the ground, "Stupid Disk,"

Jalen gave a laugh and picked up his daughter.

"You'll get the hang of it…when you're bigger," he told her.

"Promise?" Quorra asked.

"Promise," Jalen nodded.

"Pinkie promise?" Quorra started, holding out her pinky.

Jalen stared at it for a second, trying to remember that one lesson Flynn had…

"Pinkie promise," Radia said, coming to Jalen's rescue as she hooked her darker pinky around her daughter's much smaller one.

So Quorra's dislike for Clu has come early in her life. Why isn't that surprising? Next up, Quorra's a bit older...quite a bit older actually...and its one of those chapters that ties in a little with Evolution. Can you guess what's gonna happen?

Anyway, hope you liked it. If you did, please R&R! :)

Qui vállë tóquetë, ván tecë (If no review comes from y'all; no story comes from me)

Máriessë ar mára tecië

Farewell and fair writing

Elhini Prime signing off.