Chapter 4
Yori rolled her head from side to side, seeking to unkink circuitry strained by running endless simulations. It would be good to get home and into an energy soak. Stepping through the portal, Yori immediately spotted him. Tron. He stood on the margin between the module's gridspace and the open Grid beyond. His back was ramrod straight and his head moved back and forth as his sharp eyes scanned the landscape for threats. Tron hadn't been back inside the Digitization Module since that first time, but Yori had often seen him patrolling outside. She'd been tempted, once or twice, to bring him a mug of energy, but resisted the impulse. It was best not to become too familiar with these military types. Still … she had to walk right past him to get to her transport. It would be rude to ignore him altogether.
"Greetings, Tron."
His head swung in her direction, and to her astonishment, his face erupted in a broad smile. "Greetings, Yori," he said.
She paused beside him, noting how very tall, how really strong he looked next to her small form. Her eyes were level with his broad shoulders, and she was acutely aware of the breadth of his chest, the softly glowing T in its center enticing her fingers to trace its contours.
"You must get tired, patrolling the whole Grid," she said conversationally.
Tron clasped his hands behind his back and stood a bit straighter. "It's not so bad," he said. "I love my job."
"You do?" It was hard for Yori to imagine how tracing endless repetitive cycles over the Grid could be rewarding.
He nodded, his gaze scanning the vast Grid that stretched away into the distance. "My work is important. I serve the Users. I protect the Programs." He glanced down at her, his eyes unexpectedly warm. Then he returned his focus to the landscape around him.
"Do you really believe the Grid is in danger?" Yori asked softly.
He nodded. "Yes. I do believe. I know. Alan-One told me."
Yori wondered what it was like to be so devout. Of course she honored Lora, but had never felt the kind of connection, almost intimacy, that Tron seemed to have with his User. He was strange, this Program. Lora's transport pulled to a stop in front of them. "Goodnight, Tron," she said quietly as the transport's portal opened.
"Goodnight, Yori."
As the transport pulled away, Yori watched the Security Program fade in the distance. He was still standing tall, scanning the horizon.