After seeing Kris to Flynn's old condo, Tron hunts down Clu to try to straighten things out.
"Clu, you treated her with absolute scorn. What is wrong with you?" he challenges.
"Flynn, himself, should have come. Why did he send a substitute?" Clu protests.
"She explained that already. Users have children and they take much time. Flynn will be back some day. He cared enough to send a User to us."
"But she's not familiar with the grid."
"And we can help her with that. Clu, she's willing to live here among us - instead of heading back to the User world for long periods like Flynn did."
"It's just that, she's..."
"Get over it, Clu. She's here for us. For the grid," Tron demands.
"I don't trust her," Clu gets into Tron's space.
Tron stands his ground, "Flynn sent her, so I do. I'd recommend you do the same."
"She's trying to take my place," Clu won't relent.
"No, she already clarified that. Flynn cared enough to send a guardian, so we wouldn't be all on our own. Clu, get it through your resistant circuits. She won't even stay in his living quarters longer than she has to. There's something different about her, more humble and sincere. I think she's what the grid needs, Clu."
...
"Sleep cycle ending," a pleasant feminine voice alerts as the lights slowly turn on. Kris pulls the pillow over her head. Milicycles later, the bed starts tipping her out. "Sleep cycle has ended. Please function now, User Kris. Resistance is futile."
"Ugh..." she groans as she's unceremoniously dumped onto the floor. "You didn't do this to Flynn, did you?" she fusses.
"I was programmed to handle less cooperation than you are showing today, User Kris," her room's AI annoyingly chimes.
"Blah. Flynn you're a jerk," she bemoans, "I have to get my own place before I come back to ring your neck for creating such a dreadful wake up system."
"Flynn isn't here Miss."
"Gah..." she throws the pillow at what she assumes is the speaker.
...
"Tron, I've got to find a place of my own. Flynn's place is driving me crazy. I did NOT appreciate being dumped out of bed. And where can I find some coffee and breakfast?" she grumps at the only program who is listening to her at the moment.
Completely deadpan Tron asks, "I know we kept you up late, but are all Users this grumpy in the early clicks of the cycle?"
She shrinks back a little abashed, "I'm sorry. What a rotten way to greet you."
He shrugs it off, "We don't have coffee, but I can show you the +O2 where you can get an energy drink before we start for the day. Flynn was experimenting with different flavors last time he was here. Strawberry or orange interest you?"
"Which one is more popular with programs?"
"Orange, but the original is still the favorite."
"I should try the original first, shouldn't I?" she looks for confirmation.
"You don't need my permission." He holds out a baton to her, "Here's your new cycle. It's a copy of mine. I didn't think you'd want anything else of Flynn's."
"Exactly. Sweet! Thanks so much!" she cradles the gift.
...
After only 30 milicycles of dealing with Clu and his obstinate attitude, she storms out of HQ with Dyson and Tron following her, trying with no avail to calm the enraged User.
"What does he have against me?" she screams at the hapless programs.
Dyson steps in to take the brunt of her fury, "He doesn't take change well. Never has. And Flynn hasn't been here for Clu as much as Clu needed."
"But I'm here to help! Why does he have to be such a jerk? I'm here for good. Cant he see that? It was so important to Flynn that I reach him," she blurts her frustration.
"Not yet, Kris. Give him time. He'll come around," Tron takes a turn to sooth.
"How can you be sure?" she slams back against the wall and crosses her arms showing her disbelief.
"I know him and I know the one who wrote him. Both are what you Users would call 'pig headed'," Tron continues.
She snorts at the phrase, and Tron's lifted eyebrow confirms he saw this plenty before.
"Well," Dyson adds, "I hesitate to tell a User what to do..."
"I could use the advice."
"Don't give up. He is angry with Flynn, but idolizes him too," Dyson tries to gently encourage her to be more like their creator, even though she's fighting it with all she has.
Unconsciously, she bites her lip as she processes what her new friends have said. She looks up to the conference room level, willing Clu to look out so she can bore a hole in him with her glare. "Understood," she concedes and blows a strand of hair from her eyes. "Thank you for hearing me out. I need some time for my emotions to catch up with what I know in my head. I've not seen much of the city, so I'm going to go for a ride. Be back later."
Tron hands her a small black disk, "Press it if you need to communicate with us. We haven't briefed you on the dangers here on the grid."
She nods and accepts it, letting it strap itself onto her upper left arm. In a flash she's off down the road.
"Give her space, but follow. Just in case, " Tron orders Dyson.
...
"I know you're there. You might as well join me," she calls back as she sits on the side of the bridge, letting her feet dangle over the water below. The lights of the bridge move in the reflection of the current. Glow from the city looks like a haze around the stark silhouettes of the buildings.
Dyson takes a seat next to her and rests an arm on his propped up knee.
"So, what's the best way to let off steam here in Tron City?" she asks.
"You mean deal with stress? Well, there's the games courts, dancing at the +O2, and programs are almost always up for a good race."
None of the ideas seem to help her out of her sulking. Dyson tries one more piece of advice. "You know he's not met his match before. Until you can stand up to him, I think he'll continue to dismiss you."
"But I hate the conflict..." she whines.
"Then he'll take advantage every time."
She pulls her knees up to her chest, "Blah. There's not even anything to throw here..."
"Aren't Users supposed to know how to deal with everything? Flynn always had a plan."
"Alas, we don't. But I'll figure something out. I've got to."
...
Back in Clu's office...
"Clu, I've burned the ships," Kris insists.
"More sayings that a program will not understand! Do you think it makes you superior when you do that?" Clu interrupts.
"It MEANS that I'm not going back. I AM HERE. Deal with it," she advances on him.
"You're not my User! I know what I need to do, so mind your own business and let me do what I was programmed to do!" he doesn't flinch as he glares down at her.
"And Flynn sent me to help you. You always wanted more help from Flynn. You always wanted him to be here and see that THIS world is important too. I'm here because he saw that need. Buy a clue!" she parries.
"What does that mean? Are you making fun of the name I was given?" he reposts.
"It means you need to actually try to understand what I'm saying. You're blocking me out, but there's nothing more counter productive that you can do!"
His glower speaks volumes of distrust.
"You don't get it, do you? I'm here for you. YOU, Clu," she pokes a finger in his chest.
His jaw is tightly clenched as he defiantly growls and swipes away her hand, "You have one chance, User. That's it."
Letting that small hard won concession sink in, she softens just a tad. "I won't let you down. Show me what your number one priority is."
"The waves of grid bugs. They're originating with the ISOs," he gives the ultimatum and denotes the hardest hit sectors. "The ISOs are likely the ones bringing this plague. They don't belong here."
Gulping, she laments to herself, 'He couldn't pick an easy one could he?'
Chapter End of Line