FlynnOne
User
Posts: 329 | RE: A little toast
on Tuesday, January, 24, 2012 6:47 PM
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User World, 1983
Flynn's Arcade
:: Once they enter the arcade, Flynn locks the front door behind them and steps over to the breaker-box in the corner, switching on the lights ... instantly the game machines whir to life, filling the room with an ambiance of various electronic sounds, all of which sound somewhat discordant without the usual loud music drowning them out ... flipping the lid closed on the breaker-box, he turns back around to see Clu still standing by the front door, holding the motorcycle helmet and looking down at it, seemingly deep in thought ::
:: Flynn smiles and walks back over to stand by him, his voice cheerful and singsong::
” Home sweet home, buddy! ... Wasn't too breezy on the ride back was it? Still kinda chilly this time of year once the sun goes down. ”
:: Clu looks up from the helmet, gives a small polite grin, and answers simply, “No, ... it wasn't too bad.”
::but that's all he says ... and Flynn frowns slightly - come to think of it, Clu hadn't really said anything to him since they'd driven home and gotten off the bike - not that he'd had a chance to say much, really, because the whole time they'd walked to the arcade entrance Flynn had been marveling with great pride over how Clu had stepped in and saved his neck during the altercation at the gas station ... now Flynn tilts his head to the side, dips his chin slightly, looking at his doppelganger with mild concern ... he knows that facial expression well – that, plus the silence, means something is on his mind ::
You okay, buddy? ...
:: and once more the grin is back, this time somewhat more convincing than the previous grin, and Clu nods ... another second's hesitation and Flynn raises his brows, pats him on the shoulder, and turns, gesturing towards the far wall where the Tron machine is ::
Okay then, ... well, ... what-say we get back downstairs and put these helmets away? We can rest a little bit while I get the system up and running again.
:: Clu nods in agreement, then steps forward, walking beside him, and soon Flynn is pulling the Tron machine away from the wall so that they both can step through to the hallway beyond ... as the two descend the narrow staircase to the basement, Clu breathes a sigh, and once they're in the basement he sighs again, then finally starts to speak, “ Flynn, ...”
:: Flynn looks up at him and furrows his brow slightly as he sees the look on Clu's face, watches as his twin walks to stand beside him at the desk ... and then Clu continues, “ ... I know that perfection, per se, doesn't exist, but ... the User world just seems so, very ... far from ... perfect. So very much more so than the Grid.
P-shh! Buddy, you sure got that right! The User world's about as far from perfect as any world could be! “ :: Flynn chuckles, shaking his head with a wry smile :: ... “Why'dya think I like the idea of the Grid so much? ... There's like,... infinite potential on the Grid ... potential we Users lost touch with ... or ... maybe never even knew we had ... at least, not- ... yet ...
:: Flynn's gaze is hooded by a studious frown as his voice trails off ... now the wheels of thought are turning, careening into a whole new horizon he hadn't thought of before ... Clu just nods silently and looks at him, but then a moment later Flynn snaps out of the thoughts, brushes them to the back burner, his eyes softening as the broad grin returns ::
But hey, ... this place has its redeeming qualities too, huh?? ... Like, ... the ocean, .... and, the sunset, ... and- ... well, dogs are cool ... motorcycles ... and hey, pizza's not half bad either, right?
:: Clu's grin returns, then spreads, slowly matching Flynn's in intensity, and then the two of them chuckle ... just then Flynn looks surprised, snaps his fingers and reaches for a notepad and pen beside the desk::
HEY! That reminds me! And if I don't write this down, sure as all heck I'll forget ...
:: he starts to write ... with an exaggerated phonetic drawl he narrates as he writes down each word:: .... Paullll ... aa-aand ... Sherieeee's, ... dinnnn-nerrrr ... Saaa-tur-dayyy .... aa-at ... ... seven!! There! Done. Now I won't forget.
::with a triumphant grin he tacks the note onto the bulletin board, then leans over the computer desk, starts inspecting the diagnostic results and then typing a few lines of code to test it::
Mm-kayyy, ....so-ooo ,.... let's see ... yeah, well okay, looks like everything's as it should be. So ... whew! Good to know. Let's do a re-boot on the laser platform here, which ... just in case you're worrying, won't affect the Grid. Then we'll see about contacting Spark.
:: they both sit down, waiting as the process takes place ... Clu's still in thought, looking absently at the many notes stuck to the bulletin board above the desk, and Flynn decides its best to let him work through his thoughts in natural evolution ... because in fact, he's submerging into his own thoughts again too::
:: he sits back, thinks about Clu's statement, and about his world ... ... // perfection ... sure, doesn't exist // ... // theoretically // ... // but, neither should the Grid // ... // so, am I looking at it wrong? ... could there be a way to somewhat perfect things, within reason? // ... // and then perfect this world too? // ... I mean, now that I know what happened on the Grid in the future and what to steer away from, then -- // ... ...
... suddenly that thought stops abruptly ...
:: he recalls what he'd told Clu earlier about the butterfly effect and chaos theory, and right then it hits him - IF he goes forward from the now with any knowledge of the future and creates the Grid, it might really really mess things up! Really really mess things up, badly, even worse than the bad things Clu had described as having taken place on the Grid to begin with, and it might mess things up in his life in the User world too ... ... at that realization, Flynn's not sure what to do ... it's not like he can just hypnotize himself to unlearn what he's learned ... but, if he doesn't somehow unlearn it, how can he be sure that any steps in life which he takes from here forward won't be affected by what he's learned? ... how can he be sure he won't somehow create total disaster just by knowing things he shouldn't know? ::
:: the questions send him reeling into all sorts of what-if's and frightful ponderings ... then he looks over at Clu, and all at once, he thinks back to when they were on the Grid in the future, in 2011 ... ... on his back there had been a disk ... everything in his life and all his thoughts was recorded on that disk ... so, theoretically, ... if he were to boot up the time-travel game and set the parameters which caused him to accidentally land in the 2011 Grid, then return to the 2011 Grid with Clu and somehow wipe clean that disk to the point at which he'd arrived on the 2011 Grid, and THEN return to 1983, then, ... ... he thinks, calculates, theorizes ... ... // wouldn't that solve the problem?? ... couldn't it? ... yes it could // ... // and not only would it get Clu back home to his time, but with the snap-back through time-space it might also lessen any glitches caused by the time-travel rift to begin with? // ... // man! ... could it really be as simple as that ?? // ...::
:: almost as if in answer, the system beeps once, signaling that the laser has rebooted ... he sits forward, types a string of code to open a dialogue window ... then he sits back in his chair, looks at Clu ... now Flynn's the one with furrowed brow and a lot on his mind ... he speaks, and Clu looks over at him ::
I need to type a message, see if we can get it through to Spark so she won't worry. But , before I do, ... buddy, there's something I just thought of. Might solve a big problem. Couple of big problems, actually. Not just the one about how to get you home to your time, but ...
:: he pauses, drawing in a deep breath, and then sits forward, exhales, then stands up and starts pacing slowly, beginning to ramble as he does::
Okay, ... ... remember what I told you, about the butterfly effect theory? ... Well, there's another theory that says chaos isn't really chaos but order ... that it's just that we're not able to see the mathematical pattern in it to realize it's really order, right? ... so if that's true, if chaos is really order, then it can be reversed, too, just like an equation, along a predictable path, ... but - ... well, okay, ... don't know if that theory's true 'cause no one's ever proven it, but with the time-machine we have the potential- ... okay, man, wait- ... jeez I'm rambling .... how to put this simply? ...
:: he stops pacing, runs his hand through his hair, then stands and leans his hands against the back of the chair ::
Buddy, ... here's the thing ... I've seen the future, and I shouldn't have. Anything I do from now on, ... I mean, anything at all, ... may affect that future, in a way it shouldn't, or- ... or wouldn't, if I didn't know the things I know. You see what I'm saying? ...
:: he looks at Clu, his face growing more somber than it's been all day ... almost sad ::
... I'm gonna suggest something, and - ... and, ... you may not like this idea, but ... but it may be the only way to set things right on the Grid, all the programs, ... and- ... and to set things right with me, with the future - my future ... heck, yours too for all we know ...
:: he pauses, takes a deep breath, runs his hand through his already-disheveled hair again ... Clu's just staring at him, waiting for him to continue, and so he does::
... if I were to take us back to the Grid, to 2011, ... is it possible to ... to wipe my identity disk? ... just ... erase it, back to, like,...the point when I first got to the future and landed on the Grid? ... then just send me back here, and- ... and just ... let me go forward in time from now, as if none of the time-travel ever happened? ...
:: he pauses, and looks into Clu's eyes, the eyes now human, identical to his own ... he knows how heavy the request is that he's asking, knows what it means ... but from where he stands it's the only solution which might actually work to solve all the problems at once ::
... Could you do that? ... Is it possible to do that? And, if it is, ... will you ... do that? ::.
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On the other side of the screen it all looks so easy.
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FlynnOne
User
Posts: 329 | RE: A little toast
on Wednesday, March, 28, 2012 2:01 AM
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User World, 1983
Flynn's Arcade Basement
:: within a few keyboard commands Flynn's opened a dialogue platform, and set the time-travel coordinates to 2011 ... hands still poised over the keys to send a message to Spark on the Grid, he hesitates ... // this should work, right? // ... // will it? ... yeah of course it will // ... ... then with brow furrowing, he wonders how to phrase the message ... ... // what to say? ... man, yeah do I know Spark or what? ... she may not believe it's me ... even if she does, she's not gonna wanna take 'just be cool' for an answer or see that as a solution // ... // normally I wouldn't either but in this case it's the only solution ... // ... ...
... he's studied this from every angle, and, given the Butterfly effect in the equation everything he knows tells him that the time-space snap-back itself will reverse every bit of the damage done during the time-travel, because once the alternate-reality aspects are removed, the actual reality of the past will have already been repaired ... and though he can't explain this to Spark, once Clu's returned to the Grid it should begin to stabilize, the only adverse effect possibly being a slight reactive wave of discord just before the time-snapback as Flynn returns home to 1983 through the portal ... but after that, the repairs should be complete as the Grid catches up to the time-space continuum, and the only thing which could impede that would be for anyone to try to step in and solve the problem, because the problem has already been solved - the Grid simply just needs time to figure that out and reset itself ... Flynn sighs, running a hand through his hair, slightly overwhelmed for a moment just thinking through it all ... ... // man, this is all just ... freakin heavy stuff // ... ... he stands there for several more seconds, then starts typing the message, which shows on the screen in the usual dot-matrix letters ::
_SPARK. IT'S FLYNN. YEAH, IT'S REALLY ME.
_OKAY I'LL PROVE IT – I ONCE TALKED YOU INTO HAVING A BANNISTER SLIDING CONTEST IN THE ENCOM STAIRWELL AT LUNCH, AND OUT OF THE WHOLE TECH DEPT YOU WON, JUST LIKE I TOLD YA YOU PROBABLY WOULD EVEN THOUGH YOU SAID NO WAY.
_THERE. SEE? IT'S ME.
_IF YOU'VE EVER TRUSTED ME OR MY INSTINCTS A DAY IN YOUR LIFE I NEED YOU TO TRUST ME RIGHT NOW AND BELIEVE ME.
_I'M AT THE ARCADE. I'M HEADED BACK TO THE GRID.
_WHEN I DO, EVERYTHING'S GOING TO REPAIR ITSELF.
_EVERYTHING YOU'RE EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW, YOU AND TRON BOTH, ALL YOU GUYS AND THE GRID TOO, SHAZAM! REPAIRED, JUST LIKE THAT.
_GRID MAY GET DICEY FOR A LITTLE BIT FIRST, BUT THEN SHOULD BE SMOOTH SAILING.
_ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS HANG ON AND STAY COOL, OKAY KIDDO? LIKE I SAID, JUST TRUST ME.
:: another long sigh ... he's hoping he's correct ... and with that, Flynn transmits the message, then closes the dialogue box ... a few more commands and the aperture window awaits onscreen with its question – “set aperture clear? Yes or No?” ... the laser is initialized and at the ready ... the time-travel platform is set to the corresponding time and date in 2011, and his origin parameters are set to the current time and date in 1983 ... once he presses the 'Y' and hits 'enter', he and Clu will have less than a second before digitization begins ...
... just then Flynn glances around the room, trying not to feel the scary surreality of all this, and swallows back the slight lump in his throat ... so this is it, the leap of faith - he's about to go to the future, return to the Grid, unlearn what he knows and return to the now - unaware ... and then to go forward in real time, into what time remains for him in this life, just like all those lucky multitudes who've never been given the double-edged gift of knowing what the future holds ... and, will it even work? ... will he be alright? ... will Clu? ... will the Grid? ... he's never been much of a praying man but right now he has to trust in something bigger that it will work ... and just then he thinks maybe it's time he finally gives that spirituality and meditation thing a try? ... yeah, maybe so, in fact probably so, as soon as he gets back from the future ::
:: he looks over at Clu, just about to ask if he's ready, but the wordless and slightly-solemn nod from his twin answers even before he's asked ... Flynn reaches to put his arm around Clu's shoulders, looks back at the display screen, and then in a half-muttered voice he croons softly, almost to himself, somewhat nervously, his thumb and pinkie finger poised over the “Y” and 'Enter” keys respectively ::
“Well buddy, ... nooo time like the present, ... riiiight?”
:: he hits the keys, and then a second later they're awash in the aqua-white light, motionless, frozen and suspended in time, while the laser sorts row by row across their still forms, erasing them from the room and entering the digital data as it goes ::
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The Grid, 2011
Tron City, Flynn's Arcade Simulation
:: the familiar scalp-tingling static electricity rolls through him, and then the flash of light subsides ... Flynn opens his eyes ... the room is a dim glow ... same desk before him, but no dust ... in fact no keyboard or interface, just the desk ... standing there with his arm around Clu's shoulders and still momentarily dazed from the process, Flynn doesn't move just yet, but with just eyes glancing around he can tell it's a simulacrum of his arcade basement ... yet it's a much more sleek version at that, and he half-whispers, definitely impressed ::
“Faaar ouuut,...”
:: just then he turns to Clu, grasping both his shoulders ::
“Hey, ... you okay, buddy? ”
:: the familiar grin prefaces the slight nod, and the casual drawl identical to his own replies with a chuckle::
“Yes, I think so. That was ... a little odd, ... but yes, I'm ... okay.”
:: Flynn's eyebrows lift, and he gives a puzzled look as he steps back to look at Clu ... once more his codified likeness wears the familiar grid-suit with the distinctive striping, but now the lighted circuitry along his suit glows a brilliant white instead of the previous amber yellow ... Flynn breaks into an incredulous smile ::
“Hey look, buddy, ...you changed colors! ... That's- ... hm, ...well, ... man, that's ....awesome !! ... You look magnificent! Hey, but, ... 'that ever happen before? ...”
:: then Flynn corrects himself with a roll of his eyes and continues :: “...well, 'course not, ... you've never been digitized before. But, ... so, ... man, you feel okay though? I mean, everything as it should be?”
:: Clu's still staring down at the circuitry emblazoned in brilliant white across his own chest, arms, legs ... he looks back up at Flynn, definitely surprised and with a quizzical look on his face ... it's as if the wheels of thought are turning, but he still seems a bit stunned at the same time ::
“I ... I think so, .... yes, ...it's just-”
:: a flicker of the lights in the room around them startles them both, halting Clu's words mid-sentence ... he looks all around the room, then stares at his own circuitry, surprised that it hadn't dimmed when the room 's lights had ... when he looks back up at Flynn again his brow furrows ... he reaches to check for the twin light-batons at each hip ... they're there ... then he reaches to Flynn's shoulder, turns him slightly to see that his disk is there on his back once more ... and then Clu's eyes narrow somewhat, his wheels of thought still turning but his face now reflecting concern ::
“Flynn, ... I think we need to get to the portal ... quickly. Come on, follow me. ”
“...'kay, buddy, ... that's the plan, yeah, ... but ... ”
:: before Flynn can finish, Clu's already off and striding in to the main room of the arcade simulation ... Flynn follows, looking all around the room as he keeps up with Clu's quick pace towards the front doors ... in a moment they're standing outside, looking out into the darkened and deserted plaza ... the lights which trim its railways and walkways suddenly dim slightly then return to a steady glow ... Flynn's instantly worried ... this didn't happen before on the Grid ... even if it's just that slight “diceyness” he'd warned Spark might happen just before the time-shift, it's more than a little alarming to see now, and the look on Clu's face as he stares up at the fast rolling clouds overhead isn't exactly reassuring him ... he runs a hand through his hair, exhales a slow sigh, then turns to Clu::
“Man, ... buddy, this isn't cool, is it? You think somethin went wrong?”
“I don't know, Flynn. I have no frame of reference, ...but - ”
:: Clu stops abruptly, then stands thinking for several seconds as he quickly calculates possibilities ... then his blue eyes flash wider when he looks at Flynn again ... he seems somewhat heartened, brows lifting::
“I think, ... we just need to get you to the portal. The Grid will stabilize with me here, yes, ... but, with you here, time itself can't, ... and so the Grid can't. At least not completely.”
:: Flynn's eyes widen slightly as he thinks it through ... Clu's right - he's the last misplaced link in the equation ... that has to be it ... and so they have to do this, and do this now ... Clu retrieves the light batons from his holsters, glancing up at the skies as he speaks: :
“We can make it as far as the edge of the Outlands on lightcycles, ... but once there, we'll have to rezz a jet ... cycles won't handle the terrain in the Outlands. But from there it's a short flight to the portal ... :: pausing, Clu hands one of the batons to Flynn:: ”...you remember how to work these, don't you?”
::Flynn's staring at the light-baton, still mildly fascinated with where his future creations on the Grid have led ... recalling when they'd rezzed the light-jet before, he nods tentatively, holding the baton in front of him and turning it over in his hands ... noting Flynn's expression, Clu raises a brow, then decides to demonstrate, knowing that Flynn will catch on quickly once the bike is rezzed ::
“Here, I'll go first. You'll just run forward, leap, pull and click open to extend the ends, and the bike does the rest. Like this ...”
:: a moment later Clu is running on the deserted plaza, then leaping forward into the air, for a few seconds suspended in what looks like a slow-motion freeze as the lightcycle rezzes around him and the helmet forms ... the cycle glows white to match his circuitry, fused with him at the level of thought ... Flynn marvels at the vastly improved technology of the bike, much more so than the last lightcycles he'd ridden, and he watches as luminous tires touch down, a brilliant ribbon of light trailing out behind as Clu circles the bike back around then brings it to a stop a few meters ahead of Flynn, who by now is grinning ear to ear::
“Yeah, ...'think I got this one.”
:: still grinning, Flynn runs, leaps into the air, not bothering to suppress the “Woo-hoo!” he hollers as his feet leave the ground and the process holds him aloft ... and once the bright white cycle is fully formed there's another holler – “Weeeee-hawww!!!” - and then a laugh as tires make contact and he zooms the lightcycle past Clu, circling it back around to meet him ::
“Ready when you are, buddy. You take the lead, I'll stay to your right.”
:: and then two identical glowing white lightcycles accelerate forward, light-ribbons careening behind as they disappear down the deserted parkways, headed for the edge of Tron City::
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : approximately thirty microcycles later : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
:: the two lightcycles whir to a smooth stop at the edge of the city limits, glowing against a backdrop of jagged hills and mountains which begin just past where they've stopped ... in one fluid motion Clu dismounts, his helmet derezzing as the lightcycle dematerializes back into the light baton ... following suit, Flynn does the same, reaching to catch the baton and almost dropping it ... he runs a hand through his hair as he walks to stand next to Clu, still smiling and now exhaling with exhilaration as he shakes his head::
“Whoo! ... Man! ... That's just- ... you know what? ... Radical doesn't even begin to describe it! These things have sure changed!”
:: but as he glances at Clu, his smile dissipates somewhat when he sees his identical twin looking somewhat concerned, gazing all around, staring off into the distance at the portal, then looking back at him ... his expression somewhat distracted, a slight frown crosses Clu's brow as he speaks :: ”...Yes, ... I'm ... sure they have ... and, ... so has this place. Did you notice something on the way here, Flynn?”
“What's that, buddy? ... You- ... you mean, aside from that the clouds are still moving pretty fast? ... Yeah, but the lights haven't flickered again, so that's good, ... right?”
“Well, ... it could be. But, ... there wasn't a single program on the Grid. The whole way here. I mean, no one. No sentries, no Recognizers, no lightcycles, .... nothing. There was no one anywhere, ... as if it's completely deserted now, except for us. I don't know what to make of it.”
:: eyes narrowing, Flynn looks all around, then stares for a moment at the portal in the distance, the steady, brilliant light which beams upward into the heavens from the Sea of Simulation ... just then, as if in response to his gaze, the portal beam flickers very slightly before returning to its previous strong glow, and the circuitry lining the edge of the city does the same ... Flynn looks back at Clu, handing him the light baton, his own brow furrowing to match the uneasy frown of the system admin's ::
“Yeah, there they went again. Looks like I spoke too soon. What now, buddy? What do you think?”
“I think we keep going. I've got a feeling this is going to continue, maybe even worsen, until we get you out of here ...” :: Clu pauses, motioning with a nod toward the nearest ridge of hills just beyond the edge of the parkway, then begins pressing buttons on the center console of his light-baton as he speaks:: “... just beyond that ridge of hilltops there's a significant drop-off ... enough to launch the jet. From here we should reach the portal in about five micro- ... in ... about three minutes. ”
:: Clu gives a slight grin at the conversion of terminology to match the units of time in Flynn's world ... and Flynn nods, matching the grin ... but then as he follows along beside Clu, who's quiet as they walk toward the first ridge of hills, the worried feeling in the pit of his stomach grows ... something's been weighing on Clu's mind since they digitized in to the Grid, back when he'd first seen his own lightsuit ... Flynn tells himself it's just the concern over the glitches they're seeing, plus maybe a few slight nerves over all they've been through from the User world to here, but still it feels like more ... here in the Grid, he's strangely attuned to his former program's emotions, almost as if they're on the same wavelength, yet the emotions are undefined ... but soon the two of them are trudging up the slight hill to its rocky crest, and Flynn decides he's probably just worrying too much ... surely the weight of the unknowns in the situation is all he's sensing in Clu's demeanor, and if it's more, surely Clu will say, maybe when they've reached the portal, as long as nothing else goes wrong between now and then ::
:: it isn't long before they've reached the top of the ridge, rezzed the jet and taken to the skies, the familiarity of the lightjet returning as Flynn recalls how they'd taken the jet to the portal before ... so far no glitches have continued, and no dimming of the lights, which is a comfort ... after a couple of minutes pass, as the portal is growing ever nearer, Flynn looks over at Clu, a slight smile on his face, eyes compassionate::
“Looks like we're almost there ... you doin' okay, buddy?”
:: glancing at Flynn, the blue eyes which match his own seem to quickly snap out of the distracted intense thought, and a small grin warms his face ... he looks back at the controls and takes a deep breath, not from the need to respirate but from the learned reflex of having done so in the User world ... then with a sigh he answers, still smiling softly, somewhat wistfully, “Yeah ...”
... but just then as he looks at the controls, his brow furrows and the smile fades ... the jet lilts violently to the left, and Clu's frown deepens as he struggles with the throttle and engages flaps to level the craft's yaw, staring at the instrument panel before him :: “Well, I was, ... ... what's- ... ”
:: Clu's voice trails off, and Flynn's eyes widen as he watches Clu staring down the instruments, trying to control them ... the portal now looms closer, and they should be slowing down, but instead the jet screams through the rolling clouds at the same frantic pace ... Clu's jaw is set ... he's still trying to override the apparent malfunction but to no avail ... he's able to change the pitch but not the velocity, and now the jet is heading at an angle for the portal cosway itself ... he glances at Flynn, eyes wide and intense::
“Somethings wrong. I cant control it. Hang on!”
::before the equally wide-eyed Flynn can respond - not that he'd know what to say or do in his rising state of confusion and panic – the jet lurches violently and the nose dips ... he watches as Clu slams his hand onto the craft's illumined bulkhead from pure frustration, and as if in response the jet changes pitch again, the nose leveling up somewhat but still the instruments do not respond ... the same uncontrollable forces thrum the jet forward and now they're staring at the portal platform which looms ever closer up ahead ... with clenched jaw Clu yells over the engines ::
“ Flynn! There's nothing I can do! I've tried! We're either going to have to derezz the jet and jump, ... or crash !!”
:: below them the Sea of Simulation spans out in all directions, and the normally peaceful dark waters ripple with waves intermittently ... up ahead the portal platform fast approaches, the cosway bridge itself not too far below their craft's altitude ... but still it's a hell of a long jump ... talk about a leap of faith ... Flynn's mind races and then suddenly he realizes ... ... // it's about thought ... remember the Recognizer! // ... // and gravity's not the same here ... it's all about thought // ... // we can do this, we can do this, let's jump, we can do this! // ... ... and then his voice yells out the thought almost reflexively::
“Let's jump! We can do this!!”
“From here?!! ... Flynn! The cosway's not even two meters wide! Not much margin of error to land on!
" Clu!!! ... We can do this! We can! Focus your thoughts and you'll land where you want to ... like- ... like diving off a diving board, ...okay well, a ....doing a somersault- ...uh, a- ...a flip, then landing! ... We can do this!”
:: Clu stares ahead ... a flip ... he's seen Rinzler flip through the air thousands of times, defying gravity, gracefully controlling the landings ... can they do the same? ... they have to try - the window of opportunity is lurching closed, only a few seconds more ... but no, no flips for him, he's just going to jump and try to slow the landing ... he looks back at Flynn, yelling over the scream of the faulting engines and the portal winds::
“I hope you're right, Flynn!!”
“I know I'm right!! ... Let's go! ... NOW!!”
:: the jet somehow miraculously responds and derezzes when Clu hits the button ... the two of them go sailing, limbs flailing at first through the air, black silhouettes against the brash portal light ... Clu's just free-falling, struggling to get to a feet-first position ... Flynn's forcing back the instinct to scream in panic as the horizon up-ends itself in his vision ... then he somehow makes it to a dive position, remembers to tuck his legs and dip his head as he flips ... ... // Okay okay, just like the high-dive at the pool, ... now feet down! Feet down! // ... ... then stretching out his arms upward he focuses his thoughts, and ... ... ... ... slows ... ... ... not much but enough ... somehow his feet plummet right for the portal cosway, and before he knows it, he lands, unceremoniously, slamming feet first and falling over, but he lands ... then scrambles to his knees just as Clu is slowing somewhat, sailing through the air and headed for the spot just beside him ::
:: but somehow Clu's feet only glance the edge of the bridge and he misses ... he reaches out, one hand catching on to the edge of the surface, the other struggling to reach it, eyes suddenly wide with a panic he hasn't quite known before ... ...
... ... until a hand grabs his arm and holds on tight ... Flynn's voice bellows over the winds as he drops flat onto his belly against the narrow cosway floor and reaches out his other arm to Clu ::
“CLU!!! ... I'VE GOT YOU!!!... I've got you! Grab my other hand!! Not gonna let you fall! NOT gonna let you fall, buddy, grab my other hand!!!”
:: It takes a moment to overcome the unfamiliar sense of panic now flooding him, but Clu reaches, and then his hand grips Flynn's ... a strong grasp matches his, locking on, and Flynn is pulling him with all his might ... Clu focuses his thoughts and strength, manages to flip a leg over the edge, and then Flynn's able to leverage and pull Clu to safety on the surface of the cosway bridge ... both of them flop back to lay flat as the panic subsides, staring up at the clouds which have slowed over head ... a few seconds of silence pass, followed Clu's exhausted but incredulous voice::
”... Radical.”
:: after a pause, the next sound is their unified howls of exasperated laughter ... until finally after a few moments, Clu raises his head up, gathers his composure, looks around them, and speaks::
”Hey look, ... the grid seems to have settled down.”
:: they slowly get to their feet and stand ... Flynn turns, looking around at the incredible view ... the spires of Tron City far in the distance, lights now steady ... the now calmed sea of Simulation beneath them ... the strong steady portal light a few metres behind him, bathing them and the whole platform in pure white light ... even the winds have calmed considerably to just a breeze, and it's much more quiet ... is it the calm before the storm? ... no way to know ... after a moment he turns back to look at Clu again, then he scratches his head, grins, and finally speaks ::
”Yeah, ... it's calmed down quite bit. You suppose all it took was just a leap of faith?”
:: the comment brings a soft smile to Clu's face ... Flynn just chuckles softly, shaking his head and looking down at his tennis-shoe clad feet ... the bright light of the portal behind him washes out the colors in his red-and-gray jacket, silhouetting him in an almost angelic way ... when he looks up again, Clu stares at him, smile fading somewhat, face and eyes alight from the portal beam, and the wistful expression returns ... Flynn's expression softens to mirror it, his own wry smile not hiding the sadness in his eyes ... the moment is upon them and each of them knows it ::
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On the other side of the screen it all looks so easy.
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