Chapter 6

Yori stood at the small window and observed Tron standing watch beneath her. While the Digitization Module had previously been just one frequent stop on Tron's seemingly ceaseless round of security patrols, recently he was an almost constant fixture. Yori sensed a growing restlessness in the Security Program – a subtle thrum of nervous energy and laser-sharp readiness that both comforted and disconcerted her. She watched him pace the verge of the module's Grid; that was new, too. Finally, the tension was too much. Yori poured a tube of fluid energy and went out to speak with Tron.

He was aware of her approach, of course. Nothing escaped Tron's heightened senses. Still, he didn't turn from his duty as she stood beside him.

"There's something coming, isn't there?" Yori said quietly.

His gaze flickered briefly to her, then away. "I think so. Alan-One told me to be ready."

Yori held out the beverage she'd brought. "If that's true, you'll need to keep your strength up."

He looked down at her again, his gaze lingering on her delicate features as he reached for the tube, lifted it to his mouth and emptied it in a single swallow. Lora saw his circuits pulse just a bit brighter and a slight smile lighten his handsome face. "Thank you," he said. She was surprised by the warmth in his eyes.

"I'm afraid the Digitization Module is getting more than our fair share of your protection – not that we don't appreciate it," Yori said.

"My User wants me to be here." Abruptly he broke eye contact and looked again toward the endless space beyond them. Then, almost too softly for her to hear, he added, "I want to be here."

Alan tossed his glasses onto his desk, squeezed his eyes closed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Behind his lids, phantom lines of code swarmed and twisted – 11 hours of squinting at little white letters on a black screen would do that to a person. Alan felt a tide of desperation rising from his gut to his throat. He'd devoted every spare minute the past two weeks to punching up Tron's code, devising ever more complex algorithms and subroutines, weaving a tauter net of programming that would permit no bit of random code or malicious software to get through the security program's defenses.

He'd pushed himself to the limit of his abilities, and now all that was left was to integrate the new code and recompile Tron. He'd promised Lora that he'd protect her program, and come hell or high water, he'd do everything in his power to keep that promise. Even if … Well, he just hoped it wouldn't come to that.

At the end of a seemingly endless cycle, Yori was glad to step through the Digitization Module's portal. Tron, of course, was at his accustomed post – but when he heard the shimmer of the portal, he turned abruptly and came toward her, his long legs covering the distance between them in an instant. Yori saw at once that he was agitated, and it scared her; she'd come to rely on his steady, measured demeanor, even as the tension increased on the Grid.

"What is it?" she asked as he approached.

"Alan-One has some new weaponry for me."

Yori smiled, glad to hear that her protector would be even stronger. "That's good, right?"

He nodded. "It's just – it means I'll be offline for a while." His mouth curved into a frown.

Yori took a deep breath. "Well, I guess that can't be helped. I'm sure it will be all right."

Tron looked down on her, a crinkle of worry forming around his eyes. "Yes. It is necessary. And Alan-One will do it quickly. It's just … " he trailed off.

"Yes?"

He hesitated, and she could feel a tremor of turbulence run through his circuitry. Then his expression resolved into stolid acceptance. "I trust my User."

"And I trust you." Yori was surprised by her own admission. She locked eyes with him for a long moment. Then abruptly his head snapped up, his eyes finding the narrow beam of the In/Out Tower in the distance.

"Alan-One is calling." He tore his gaze from the tower and back to her. "I'll be back as soon as I can." Then he placed a large, gloved hand gently on her shoulder. Yori felt a warm, lavender energy blossom under his palm and diffuse through her torso, reaching her central core.

"Be careful while I'm gone," Tron said softly. Then he stepped back, withdrew his energy rod from his belt, rezzed his light cycle and sped off. Yori suddenly felt the Grid become vaster. Emptier.