I'm so sorry this has taken so long to upload! I'm in France for the year and my internet access is... sporadic at best. I've finished this fic now, it's just a case of uploading the chapters. If anyone's still reading this... I hope you enjoy! Dray xx

After racing through the outlands on the two bikes, Zuse and Xia finally came to the coordinates that Kevin had sent them.

They stopped and dismounted, helmets folding back and away.

"I win, as usual." Zuse preened.

"I didn't realise it was a competition, or I'd have beaten you."

"Oh sure... You're just a sore loser."

"Loser? Who's the loser? I let you win."

"You what? Poppycock, darling. You couldn't get that pile of cyberjunk to outrun Kevin's decrepit old machine..."

"Did he just insult both of our bikes at once?" Tron's amused tones came from behind Zuse.

"Yeah, I heard that." Kevin looked amusedly dangerous.

Zuse looked like a rabbit in headlights.

"Tut tut, Zuse. Remember what happened the last time you insulted his bike?"

Zuse chuckled nervously and turned around to face the two approaching men.

"No, must've slipped my mind..."

"I'll remind you." Tron put an arm around Zuse's shoulders. "You raced him to your club, he nearly crashed trying to keep up with you, and you, not content with winning, laughed at him and called his bike... What was it, Kevin?"

"A rerezzed heap of..."

"Alright, alright," Zuse cut across him, "but I didn't mean it then and I don't mean it now..."

"And then..." Tron continued, unperturbed, "He sabotaged your club. You couldn't use the balcony for five whole millicycles because it turned you pink every time you walked thru the field."

"Yes, well... As I haven't got a club anymore, I don't see what he can do to me."

"I said I'd rebuild it for you, didn't I?"

Zuse fell silent.

"Heheh, hundreds of cycles and you still can't piss him off. Are you going to introduce us?" Tron motioned to Xia, who was watching the exchange with an amused expression.

Zuse eyed Tron warily.

"Xia, this is Tron. One of the original six, and the most powerful program on the grid. Aside from me, of course."

Tron rolled his eyes and stepped forwards. He bowed over her hand. "It's my pleasure."

"It's good to meet you, Tron. I've heard a lot about you."

"As I have about you. I always thought you were a legend, dreamed up by the more superstitious programs."

"Well, that was what I was aiming for. Keep CLU and his idiotic advisor on their toes."

"You certainly did that. And I know the legends said that you were attractive, but I never imagined you'd be so beautiful." he pointedly glanced at Zuse and winked at her. She caught on immediately.

"Thank you. You're very handsome yourself. Programs talk, but reality is definitely better than the gossip." she lowered her voice seductively, but couldn't help a smile creeping across her lips.

"That's -quite- enough of that, thank you." Zuse cut in, moving closer to Xia and raising an eyebrow at his friend. "You always were an insufferable flirt."

"Me?" spluttered Tron.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zuse feigned innocence.

Kevin joined the interchange. "Pull the other one, Zuse, I constructed you as a interpersonal interpreting program. You flirt as easily as breathing."

Zuse huffed indignantly.

"And pouting, it seems." Tron teased.

"I do not pout! Pouting is for female programs."

Tron raised an eyebrow. "Well..."

Zuse shot a glare at him before getting an idea.

"Just because you've always been attracted to me, sweetheart." he purred, fluttering his eyelashes at Tron, who rolled his eyes.

"Don't go there Zuse," Kevin warned, smiling. "He didn't talk to you for half a cycle the last time you tried that on him."

"Well I was only pulling his wires. Anyway, wasn't a great loss really. Bit of peace and quiet." he nudged Tron playfully, grinning as Tron shoved him back half-heartedly.

"Children, please." Kevin chided. "It'd be nice for you two to stay talking for at least as long as it takes to get this show on the road. Zuse, I believe you were about to reset the codes for the outlands?"

"Of course." Zuse took out a data tablet and started typing.

"Tron? Do you think you could get the fugitives from there back into Tron city?"

"Sure."

"I'll go with him, he'll need backup in case something goes wrong." Xia stepped forwards.

"But..."

Zuse looked upset for a second, before closing his mouth and feigning indifference.

"Alright, thank you." Kevin addressed Tron and Xia, who nodded.

Zuse returned his attention to his tablet, and spoke without looking up.

"I consider you my closest acquaintance, Tron, but if you let anything happen to her I'll derez you myself."

"Duly noted, my friend." Tron wore an amused smile, but his tone was serious.

"I've reset the codes, you should be able to access these sectors without any problems. I'll give you the coordinates and the codes just in case you run into any trouble." he copied the information onto a chip and handed it to Tron.

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

Zuse nodded and turned to Xia, who smiled at him.

"See you soon." she said. Zuse looked uncomfortable and Kevin took Tron aside to talk to him, turning their backs.

Xia cupped Zuse's face with her hands and kissed him firmly. Zuse pulled her close.

"Come back safely."

"I promise."

They broke apart and Zuse raised his voice enough for Tron to hear.

"And take care of that one. He can be a bit clumsy sometimes."

"Clumsy? I was the best shot in the arena and the one who's been kicking bugs out of the grid for hundreds of cycles, and you're calling me clumsy?"

"Showoff." Zuse grinned at him.

"Kevin, did you write 'hypocrite' into his coding?"

Kevin laughed as Zuse put on a mock-insulted expression.

"I think you better get going. The faster you get the fugitive programs, the faster we can get the grid back on track. Xia, you can take my bike."

"Thank you, father. I'll take good care of her."

"I'm counting on it." Kevin smiled. "Be careful out there."

"Alright, let's go." Tron nodded and his helmet clicked into place. Xia's did the same and they set off.

Zuse had stopped typing and was surreptitiously watching Xia disappear into the outlands.

"Don't worry about her, she'll be fine."

Zuse quickly started tapping at the screen again.

"Hmm? Oh, I know. I wasn't worried."

"Of course you weren't. Shall we go see about your club then?"

"Of course. After you, Mr. Flynn." Zuse gave a curt bow, motioning to his own bike.

"I'm flattered that you'd trust me to drive your bike, but I'll ride backseat. I don't feel up to much just yet, and I don't wanna crash before we've even started."

Zuse was taken aback, but nodded in understanding. He got onto the bike and clicked his helmet on. Kevin sat behind him, and Zuse felt his strong hands grip his shoulders. The program felt a strange feeling of comfort at the contact from his creator. He had spent so much of his existence running and hiding, plotting and manipulating. It was good to feel more at ease with the man who knew him almost better than he knew himself. He started up the bike and they set off for Tron city.