Chapter Text
Tron takes the news as stoically as he takes everything, but his mind reels at Flynn’s brief message: “Opening the Portal shortly. Guests tonight—Alan and Lora. See you soon.” Alan—he can only mean Alan_1. Coming here, to the Grid. It’s something beyond Tron’s wildest imaginings—and yet also one of his greatest fears. He’s seen firsthand Clu’s growing disillusionment with Flynn, and he doesn’t want to become equally disappointed with Alan_1. And yet… everything Flynn has said of Alan_1 has been with respect and esteem. Maybe things will go well tonight.
But on the other hand, there’s Clu, who reacts to the message with a glower as dark as a storm cloud. “I swear I understand him less and less,” he says. “The system isn’t ready for guests. And with Flynn showing these Users around, he won’t be helping with any of the problems we’ve had this cycle.”
Tron keeps his expression neutral, and remarks carefully, “I can make excuses for you if you’re busy, Clu.”
“No need,” Clu growls. “I’ll let Flynn know exactly why I won’t be at his beck and call. If he’s even willing to listen.”
“I’ll… get the lightrunner to the Portal output ready, then,” Tron says, which gives him a chance to excuse himself gracefully. Clu waves him off with a scowl.
By the time they leave the admin tower, Clu has managed to calm himself a little, which can only be a good thing. Tron drives to the Portal output in silence, trying not to think of Alan_1, and what it will be like to meet his User face-to-face. He glances at Clu occasionally; he is stony-faced and equally silent, but puts on an expression of genial neutrality as they reach their destination.
Tron stops the lightrunner outside the “Flynn’s” façade. There’s no sign yet of Flynn (or the other Users), but he climbs out anyway, with Clu following suit. They wait in silence, and Tron desperately hopes that this millicycle will not end in disaster.
Alan’s been having a strange night ever since Flynn brought him and Lora into the arcade basement, and he has a feeling it’s only going to get stranger. Lora has been peppering Flynn with questions for the last twenty minutes, asking about what exactly he’s been using her laser for. The round of questions had opened with Lora slapping Flynn, which has been somewhat gratifying to watch. Flynn was the one who had killed the laser as an Encom Technologies product, after setting Lora the daunting task of miniaturizing the damn thing in six months. At least he hadn’t tried to make excuses after the slap.
But then Flynn revealed he’d been using the laser to digitize himself, and Lora went from angry to confused to horrified to intensely interested. She’s sitting on Flynn’s futon now, taking notes on a legal pad Flynn handed her, while he explains what he’s been doing inside his private, closed-off system. Alan is standing to her right, his arms folded as he listens, but if he’s being honest, he’s still stuck on being confused. He glances between the miniaturized laser and the Encom console against the wall, trying to fit them together in his mind. Flynn’s been… entering the system? And from the sounds of it, he hasn’t exactly been alone. He keeps mentioning programs like they’re people, but that can’t be possible… can it?
He's still staring at the console when Flynn says his name. “Earth to Alan?”
And he’s so unused to hearing his name from Flynn that it takes a moment to register. “I—what?”
Flynn chuckles. “I think we lost your husband, Lora.”
“He’s used to being lost when I talk about my work,” Lora remarks slyly. “You okay, honey? I know we’re getting a little esoteric, but…”
“I’m fine,” Alan says, though he isn’t really. “But—Flynn, how is this—how is what you’re saying even possible?”
“You mean why didn’t I turn into a fine red mist the second Master Control fired that laser at me?”
“…Yeah.”
Flynn spreads his hands out and shrugs. “Beats the hell out of me, man. But I’m doing a shit job explaining what it’s like in there. Why don’t you guys come with me?” He swivels his chair around and wakes up the console. “I’ll let ‘em know I’ve got guests, it’ll be fine.”
Lora’s expression has turned to one of barely contained excitement, and Alan suddenly feels like someone has to be the voice of reason here. He says, a little annoyed, “Flynn, do we even have time to do this, I mean—”
“You’ve got ten minutes, right?” Flynn glances over his shoulder, grinning. “Time runs differently in there; it’s like an hour there for every minute out here. We’ve got plenty of time, trust me.”
Alan sees Lora scribbling this down, and has to bite back a sigh. “I just—is this really a good idea? What if something goes wrong?”
“If Flynn’s been doing this for four years without incident, I think we’re probably in the clear,” Lora says, setting down the legal pad and standing to take his hand. “Come on, hon. Aren’t you even a little curious?”
He wants to say that no, he isn’t, but that would be an outright lie. He is curious, if still a little confused. Flynn’s been talking about changing the world for months now; what is it he’s discovered that’s so earth-shattering?
His silence is telling on him. Lora grins and says to Flynn, “Oh, he’s coming with us.” She pulls Alan along to stand behind Flynn at the console. “What do we need to do?”
“Uh, make sure one of you is in front of the laser, and keep holding hands. And put a hand on my shoulder. It’ll probably be easier if we all go together.” He inputs something on the console, and there’s a lurching noise behind them; the laser is warming up. Alan glances back at it briefly, then puts his other hand over Lora’s on Flynn’s shoulder. Better safe than sorry.
“We ready to go?” Flynn asks.
“Sure,” Alan says, as Lora replies, “Ready when you are.”
“Okay, then. Three… two… one.” He taps a key on the console, and then—
For a terrifying moment, Alan is certain he’s falling apart, as though every part of him, every atom, is flying away from the others. But then he feels Lora’s hand in his own, and his other hand atop hers, and Flynn’s cotton t-shirt just beneath his fingertips. He’s still alive, still real, and the panic in his chest subsides, and—
Alan staggers; Lora half-stumbles into him, and it’s suddenly a struggle to stay upright. With an effort, he manages to get his knees under him, and Lora sags into his chest, laughing. Alan finds himself chuckling as well, out of relief more than anything else. They’re alive—or something like it. He looks around.
They’re in a semi-dark room, roughly the same shape and size as the arcade basement, but barely furnished at all. Flynn is sitting in front of them, at a desk that resembles the Encom console, but there is no laser, no futon, no detritus of human existence. It’s just a room, and Alan frowns as he takes it in.
“Y’all okay?” Flynn asks, getting to his feet. “That first trip can pack a wallop.”
“We’re fine,” Lora says, patting Alan on the chest. “We’re here, right? On your grid? So what are you going to show us first, Flynn?”
“Well, first we gotta meet a couple friends,” he says, clapping them both on the shoulders. “And then we can get some transport and I’ll give you the grand tour. Come on.” He walks past them to the doors on the far end of the room, and Lora follows, tugging on Alan’s arm until he trails behind her. “Tron and Clu should be waiting for us outside. You’re gonna get a kick out of this.” He holds open the door and waves them through.
Alan’s about to say that he’s right here, and he wishes Flynn would give the nickname a rest for once, but then he and Lora step outside and see who, exactly, is waiting for them.
One of them is Flynn—but isn’t Flynn behind them? Alan turns to look over his shoulder, and then the face of the other person registers, and he turns back and stares, open-mouthed.
The other person (program?) has Alan’s face.
“Holy shit,” he whispers.
Tron isn’t sure how he expected Alan_1 to react to him, but perhaps it’s fitting that they’re both stunned into silence at the sight of each other. He stares at Alan_1 silently, his face betraying no shock, though he is a little unnerved by how closely they resemble one another. No wonder Flynn kept calling him by Alan_1’s name, early on; they look similar enough.
Now Flynn’s walking out to greet him and Clu, and Alan_1 and the other User, Lora, follow. (She resembles Yori, Tron realizes as he glances at her, so much so it’s disconcerting.) Flynn smiles at them and say, “Alan, Lora, I’d like you to meet Clu and Tron. They’re my partners in here; basically they keep things running smoothly when I’m busy back home.”
“A pleasure to meet you both,” Clu says in his warmest voice, extending his hand to Lora. She shakes his hand immediately, but Alan_1 doesn’t notice when Clu turns to him. Instead, he’s looking between Clu and Flynn, as if in disbelief.
“Flynn,” he says slowly, “how did you—do this?”
Flynn at least is smiling, and he replies, “You’re gonna have to be a little more specific, Alan.”
“Why does he… look like…” Alan_1 turns back to Clu, and notices Clu’s offered hand. “Sorry,” he says. He shakes Clu’s hand, and then looks back at Flynn. “What the hell is going on?”
Flynn chuckles, then answers, “Clu looks like me because I made him that way; I programmed him within the system to act in my stead. As for Tron… far as I can tell, he looks like you because you programmed him.”
Alan_1 blinks several times, his mouth hanging open for half a nano before he slowly closes it. Tron watches him, then finally steps forward and says something. “Alan_1.” Their eyes meet, and Tron dares to hold his gaze. “It’s an honor to meet you. Truly.” He holds out his hand, knowing that the worst that can happen is Alan_1 ignoring the gesture.
But he reaches out and takes Tron’s hand, gripping it firmly, though Tron can feel him shaking a little. “It’s, uh. It’s nice to meet you, too.” They stand there for another half-micro, staring at each other with a handshake between them.
Tron sees Lora sidle over to Flynn. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
Flynn shakes his head “Who, me? Nah.” Lora tilts her head skeptically (looking so much like Yori in that gesture that she must be—), and he says sheepishly, “Okay. Maybe a little.”
She elbows him, then steps over to stand beside Alan_1. “It’s nice to meet you, Tron,” she says. Alan_1 startles a little at her voice, and disentangles his hand from Tron’s. Tron manages to keep a neutral expression, and offers Lora his hand. She shakes it twice, smiling at him, and he smiles back.
“It’s an honor to meet you as well,” he says, and then, before he can think better of it, he adds, “I—apologize if this is an impertinent question, but—are you Lora_B? I knew a program on another system, and she—resembled you, and—”
Lora’s smile fades, and she turns to Flynn, who sighs and says, “Oh, hell. I can’t believe I forgot about Yori. Sorry, Tron, I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s all right, Flynn,” he replies. “I was only surprised—”
“Yori?” Alan_1 looks at Lora. “Wasn’t that the utility you wrote at Encom for the laser?”
“Not at Encom,” Lora says. “I wrote Yori on my own time, at home. Which is why, when I got the job at Cal Tech, I—”
“You took her off the Encom system?!” Flynn exclaims. “But then—oh my god, that explains everything!”
“What do you mean?” she asks, frowning a little.
“It was right after you’d left Encom that I transferred Tron here. I meant to bring Yori, too, but I couldn’t find her in your archive. And when I talked to Tron in here, he just said—”
“That Yori had been called back to her sector,” Tron says slowly. “But does that mean she’s—she’s all right?”
“I saved all my personal data to floppy disks. They’re in my office at home.” Lora looks between Flynn and Tron, the smile gradually returning to her face. “I can dig through them when we get back, if you want. Bring Yori here…?”
Flynn whoops. “Yes! Hell yes!” He laughs, shaking his head. “I knew this was a good idea!”
Tron finds himself smiling again, but Alan_1 still looks bewildered. “I’m confused,” he says. “What just happened?”
“You’re not gonna be the only one with a doppelganger in here,” Lora replies, nudging him with her elbow. “Once we get back, we’ve gotta go through my Encom stuff at home, all right?”
“Okay, but—”
“Roll with it, Bradley,” Flynn says cheerfully, clapping Alan_1 on the shoulder.
“Not that this isn’t fascinating…” Clu says, and they all turn. In all the conversation, even Tron has forgotten he’s still here. “I do have other business to attend to this cycle. Flynn, could I have a word…?” He stalks down the street a few paces, and Flynn, excusing himself, follows quickly.
Lora and Alan_1 exchange a look. “I know that voice,” Alan_1 remarks darkly.
“A little too well,” Lora agrees.
Now it’s Tron’s turn to be confused. “How would you know Clu’s voice?”
“He’s just a copy of Flynn, right?” Lora asks. Tron nods. “They sound just alike, too, and when I heard that tone from Flynn? It usually meant he was about to be the Bad Boss.”
“And that means?”
“It means, he’s about to tell you in the nicest possible terms that you’re screwing something up,” Alan_1 says grimly. “He doesn’t do it all that often anymore, but four, five years ago?” He shakes his head.
“I heard more of it when I cared to, my last year at Encom.” Lora folds her arms. “But thank god Flynn’s gotten over it. Between Jordan and Sam, he’s mellowed out a lot.”
“I see.” Tron isn’t sure that he does, but he understands the gist of what they’re saying. “Clu is… very goal-oriented, at times. And I think he’s troubled by the lengths of Flynn’s absences lately.”
“Hence the Bad Boss voice,” Lora observes. “‘I understand why you haven’t done the impossible yet, but you really need to step it up if we’re going to make our quarterly goals.’” She deepens her voice in a fair imitation of Clu and Flynn both, and Tron has to chuckle.
“That does sound familiar,” he admits. Lora laughs, and Alan_1, at least, is smiling a little.
Tron looks past them both, down the street to where Flynn and Clu are talking. They’re far enough away that their voices aren’t carrying back, but Tron can see by the set of Clu’s shoulders that he’s not feeling charitable towards his User. Flynn reaches up, trying to put a hand on Clu’s shoulder, but Clu turns away from him. Flynn holds up both hands, backing away half a step. He holds out one hand, and after half a micro, Clu finally responds. He shakes Flynn’s offered hand, then turns around and heads down the street, while Flynn begins making his way back to them.
Alan_1 has turned to watch as well, and when Flynn’s within earshot, says, “That looks like it went well.” There’s a sarcastic edge to his voice, and Flynn shakes his head.
“It did not, thanks for asking. Anyway.” He puts his arms around Alan_1 and Lora’s shoulders. “What d’you say we get this show on the road, kids? We’ve got about eight hours to see the wonders of the Grid, so we better get started.”
“Yeah, this empty street hasn’t been much to look at,” Lora says, grinning.
“Oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet,” Flynn quips. “You brought a lightrunner, right, Tron?”
“I did,” Tron replies, turning towards the street corner where he parked. “With the extra row of seats in the back, since you said you were bringing guests.”
“Excellent! Let’s hit the road, then!” He links his arms with Alan_1 and Lora, and nods to Tron. “Lead on, program!”
Tron nods back, and leads them down the street to where the lightrunner sits. Behind him, Lora says to Flynn, “By the way, I think we figured out who Clu is.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah,” Alan_1 says. “He’s you, when you’re being an asshole.”
“You mean I’m not charming one hundred percent of the time?” Flynn asks, laughing. “You wound me, Alan.”
Tron smiles to himself as he opens the lightrunner’s interior. He’s not sure even Clu could put a damper on these Users, Flynn included, and he’s glad Alan_1 seems to be getting used to things. With any luck, this will be a millicycle worth remembering.