A Look into the Past

[disc_warrior]

WHO: Lizor and Yori (its closed for now, but depending on what happens I might open it up!)
WHEN: Right after Lizor and Yori's conversation HERE
WHAT: Yori takes Lizor to the Archives to help him get answers.
WHERE: Central Archives of Tron City
WARNINGS: None that I can think of - other than they might witness archived material that contain violence.

Comments

[disc_warrior]

Lizor leaned in - though was mindful not to get into Yori's space, when she began the search at the terminal. He was so focused and intent - a group of Black Guard probably would have been able to walk in without him noticing.

Seeing the search for Aadi's name come up with nothing made something within him ache. His circuitry flickered as he fought to keep his expression neutral. He heard Yori's words that they would find something and he nodded. "I understand..." He whispered, his voice rough.

He watched as she did another search on the City Park. Of course! The art... A spark of hope lit in his black eyes at Yori's find - and he looked at her with another nod - barely able to keep the emotion from being visible in his eyes, though his face revealed nothing.

"It...it is a start...and more than I could hope for..." Lizor said whisper soft. "I don't know what we'll find...but...its something." He swallowed, mouth tightening into a small line. "I appreciate your help Yori...this means....a lot to me." His voice was heavy with the weight of that statement as he stood - shifting restlessly. He was willing to follow Yori wherever they needed to go.

[yorisearching]

The third level also was not quite where Yori's memory seemed to think it should be, but the signs at least were clear. She traced the path toward her goal up a lift and into wide rooms, corridors made of efficiently stored data hexes, each carrying visible record of some past event. No security, not here. There was plenty of information hidden in closed sections, and more that had left the Archive under Clu's orders, but logs of old parties were not much of a priority for most programs.

Following the incrementing numbers led her at last to the right date. Yori delicately lifted three clear hexes from their protective shielding, and offered the first to Lizor with a hopeful smile, not quite daring to speak.

There was a small projector set into the wall, which would do. They could have moved to one of the large projectors available for public use, but--it seemed better to look here, in the isolation of nearly forgotten data, away from curious eyes.

[disc_warrior]

Lizor followed Yori on silent feet - eyes always moving...always seeking out possible danger. He offered no words as she led the way to the place they needed to go. So much memories... Lizor marveled as he looked around him at all the data hexes. Are any of mine here too?

His mind was occupied - but returned to the present when Yori offered him small clear data hex. He almost reverently took it carefully between his strong hands - his fingers visibly trembling. He moved to the wall projector...sliding the Hex into the appropriate slot. Spotting the screen flash up time points...he hesitated before touching the first one.

He recognised the Park in the small two dimensional image immediately - though here it was packed with people. He saw a lot of them were wearing white. "ISO's...?" He murmured. Everyone in the moving image looked so incredibly happy. Celebratory. There were darker figures there too - in various circuitry colors. Basics. The Park looked so alive - filled with light and color. A faint trace of a smile touched Lizor's face as he watched.

There was a flicker as the scene changed - though it was still in the park. There was this crystalline sculpture that glittered as the main focus of the shot. A cluster of white dressed programs...ISO's he thought were standing by it all smiles. One had long dark brown hair that hung to her waist in a braid. Her back was too the camera but Lizor pressed hands to the wall as if he was trying to shove his face into the image, trying to get a closer look.

(( figured I'd pause LOL ))

[yorisearching]

Yori stood back from the projector, unwilling to crowd Lizor in his search. She watched the scene curiously, but without particular recognition.

They had all been so happy then.

Her mind had jumped ahead--if Aadi hadn't been at this event, or if the recorders had never gotten a close enough angle, or if Lizor very understandably just wanted more information, where could they look next?

Searching for Lizor's name would bring up a great many Games records to confuse the issue, and Yori was certain Lizor didn't want to be reminded of that any more than Yori wanted to see the names of programs who had fought Rinzler. And earlier data on Lizor, as a captured rebel, was probably a higher clearance level than these old records.

She would have to hope that Lizor remembered enough to give another lead. If not from this vid, then perhaps he would recognize another of Aadi's works from the old art catalogs, if the Archive yet kept those.

[disc_warrior]

Lizor continued to watch the scene - trying to take in as much as he could at once. Suddenly the woman with the braid turned around - her face broke into a huge beaming smile. He blinked - head jerking back as if struck...then he leaned in again.

Her face....had markings like he did. But they were white. They were unmistakable against her tan skin. The woman was waving - making a beckoning gesture while calling a name. Her ISO friends (he supposed the white dressed ones were ISO's..) were also grinning and coaxing someone to come into the shot.

Lizor watched as a broad shouldered figure all in black armor strode into the shot at a slow reluctant pace - waving hands in a never mind gesture. The posture was confident - shoulders squared. He got a weird feeling when he saw the long black hair framing the shoulders. What little circuitry he could see was blue. The woman with the braid ran over and tugged on the program's arm - bringing him into the group. The camera shifted when he was turned around....and it felt like everything within Lizor stopped.

He was staring at himself.

He almost didn't recognize himself. His face was pale but without any marks - and he was smiling, looking as if he was laughing as the ISO's clapped him on the shoulders and the woman with the braid held onto his arm.

The disc warrior was so dumbstruck - feeling like he was watching a complete stranger that he didn't even think to see if there was any sound that went with the image.

[yorisearching]

Although Lizor hadn't made a sound, Yori caught his reaction and peered more intently at its focus. The marks that matched Lizor's own, and the confident way the long-haired Iso pulled the Basic toward the group...

"Did you find her?" Yori murmured, raising a hand to brush the edge of the recording. "Is that Aadi?"

None of this was going to be easy, but she allowed herself the moment of delighted triumph--that there was still a record of the Iso artist, that she had found it for Lizor.

Yori reached for the volume controls, which she'd left low to allow a faster skim of faces. "We might be able to hear some of this," she suggested.

[disc_warrior]

Lizor's breath trembled as he sucked in a breath, despite his efforts not to. He pressed a finger to the control's - pausing it while the long haired ISO was looking up at the past version of himself. She was beaming happily, and the dark armored program was grinning back, surrounded by friends.

"I...." He began, not knowing what to say at first. "That has to be her..." His brow furrowed, his dark eyes filling with anguished frustration. "But...I look at her and I don't feel anything! Before....when I saw her signature I felt that she was the most important...being in my life and now....nothing." It....broke him inside because of it. His mouth tightened as Yori revealed the possibility of sound. He quickly touched the image to unpause it...and it flickered - changing to the next one.

This time the camera was pulled in close to an ISO he didn't recognize. It wasn't the long haired woman. Judging from the audio he could now hear - the recording program was asking questions. It appeared the gathering was to celebrate these artists works being installed in the park for the first time. Frowning...he skipped ahead, moving through quite a few more interviews before he saw a hint of the long haired ISO. He restarted the clip at the beginning.

"What is your designation?" Asked the recorder.

"Aadi...ISO." Said the woman with a huge smile. Her eyes were alight with pride and joy. Her friends were behind her...and in the shot standing a little behind everyone was a serious faced Lizor standing at attention and trying to look inconspicuous.

"What is your piece of art being installed here this microcycle?"

Aadi gestured behind her at the crystalline structure. "This sculpture I created to show my love of how light can refract in various ways. I hope basics and ISO's alike enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it." Her voice was almost musical. Lizor watching this felt like something inside him was too tight. He still couldn't 'feel' her. He ghosted a finger over her face - the screen flickering in response to his energetic current.

"Do you dedicate it to anyone special?"

Aadi paused in thought, one slender finger stroking on her cheek along a white marking. Then suddenly - she turned around, reached through her friends and pulled 'Past' Lizor from the back of the group - tugging the visibly bewildered program right into the camera's view. She laughed at his expression - and the basic smiled back, rubbing a hand on the back of his head. It was such a contrast to current cycle Lizor. The smile lit up his whole face - his dark eyes were slits. It was weird to see no markings.

"I dedicate it to Lizor...one of my most treasured friends." Aadi said to the camera, crystalline blue eyes bright. She looked to the basic beside her - who was regarding her rather stunned. "He means so very much to me." She reached out and touched the programs arm. The Past Lizor looked at her, eyes widening, something unspoken had passed between them.

"Anything to say to that?" The recorder program asked Past Lizor - sounding amused.

"I uh...." Past Lizor said, appearing flustered and touched. His gaze met the camera before looking at Aadi's face with a gentle expression. "It is an honor." He smiled. "She means much to me also." He held up his hand, palm out. Aadi immediately pressed her palm to his and they both smiled as if sharing some sort of secret. Again - some sort of unspoken communication.

Lizor watching this...suddenly felt that he had trouble drawing breath, circuits flickering. The interview changed to another ISO. In the background - Lizor and Aadi were bent close as if talking in low voices...then Lizor took her hand - and they both walked out of the shot.

Lizor raised a shaky hand - and paused the playback, bowing his head and resting it against the wall as he braced himself with his hands.

[yorisearching]

Yori twisted her hands together in a worried sympathy for which she could find no other expression. There didn't seem to be anything helpful to say--she could only hover, wordless support, and hope that her presence was a comfort and not an intrusion.

Given the extent of the damage Lizor had taken, she wasn't surprised that the pieces were not coming together as quickly as he would like. But she couldn't make assurances that his memory only needed time, not when such promises would ring too false to bear. Some things never returned, not as they had been.

She couldn't stop her mind from drawing comparisons to Tron, wondering whether there were any similarities between Lizor's struggles and what the various versions of her beloved had gone and were still going through.

Yori shook her head once, sharply, to silence those thoughts. It was Lizor who mattered right now.

"Don't push yourself too hard," Yori murmured. "Anyone could see just from that vid that Aadi wouldn't want to cause you pain."

[disc_warrior]

Lizor straightened - but still gave the impression that he had a heavy burden on his broad shoulders. He shifted so that he could look at Yori - his face flickering with both frustration and sorrow, but it was mostly his black eyes that conveyed the anguish.

"I must continue...to search....to at least try.." He said in a quiet, strained voice. "I....just can't stand looking at her...or myself...and seeing complete strangers.." He closed his eyes, bowing his head. "This...just confirms what I felt in the park when I saw her symbol.." He whispered. "Yet...I watch and it...and it eludes me. To know that something has to be very important and not feel it...." His voice trailed off faintly and a brief shudder passed through his strong frame as part of his hair came forward to partially hide his face.

[yorisearching]

"Give it time, Lizor," Yori recommended, voice gentle. "This isn't really the kind of repair work that can be hurried."

She reached to squeeze his wrist lightly. "The Archives aren't going anywhere." Not now. "If you need a little space to think about what you've already found, we can come back another millicycle."

And Yori hadn't yet had a chance to see if any of the other returning programs remembered Aadi at all, though she wouldn't mention that possibility until she knew.

[disc_warrior]

Lizor's hands clenched restlessly into fists before jerking open...than repeating the process in a tense subtle movement at his sides. He knew Yori was right...that this had to take time. But as a warrior - he was more accustomed to facing an enemy head on....breaking through the barrier that was holding him back. His instinct was to fight.

He hated being defeated by an enemy that he could not see or touch....could not cut through with his disc.....

Her touch caused a tremor to pass through his powerful shoulders - and he sank into the seat next to where he was standing. He rested his head in his free hand, face hidden by his hair as he rested his elbow on his knees.

"I...must try and continue. Even a little more...." He said softly, his voice a bit ragged. He did not intend to take up all of Yori's time. She still had a purpose...a directive to follow. He did not wish to take her away from that.

[yorisearching]

Yori wasn't going to argue, not when she understood all too well how the idea of waiting could feel worse than the thought of being derezzed. This was Lizor's quest, and insisting he stop would only leave him to search alone.

"Here," she said, moving back to the projector and tapping the side to bring up the copy function. "Select however much of this vid you want to take with you. I think I saw another source that might be useful."

If it had been overlooked, there ought to be a catalog with representations of all the display pieces accepted at several art galleries and the park. Yori remembered the struggle of how to compress the larger displays into something that was properly representative. If Lizor had an easier time recognizing Aadi's art than his own features, it might have something to recall a memory.

[disc_warrior]

Lizor nodded, standing stiffly and taking a deep ragged breath to attempt at calming the emotional subroutines running rampant in his systems. At first glance - his face held no readable expression...but if one looked closer - the turmoil was there, deep inside his dark eyes.

He walked silently over to the projector, fingers moving quickly as he saved the relevant files he wanted. Skimming through the rest. There was no other footage that focused on Aadi on the Hex...but he was able to spot her in the crowd - copying still images of her that he could see. He had even spotted one of her in the background in his arms. It was quick - but he managed to get an image of it. After gathering what he wanted - he placed it a file, ready to be transferred.

"What source..do you speak of?" His voice was rather subdued. Tired....though grateful he was able to find -this- much.

[yorisearching]

Leaving Lizor to the task and a moment's privacy, Yori ducked back into the shelving. The catalog had had a dedicated display table, but whether it was still as she remembered was anyone's guess. She glanced at the low tables in the room with a frown, and dismissed them.

Ah. Of course. In a niche between shelves, yet another heroic image of Clu was on display, whether by chance or for effect. But the image was in miniature, a hologram, and now that she was paying attention Yori remembered taking apart the original in the park.

The display table underneath opened its controls obediently to her touch, and Yori paged through several holograms that were far more aesthetically pleasing. Each had a copy of its artist's signature in a small panel, with the date of creation and where the piece had been displayed.

She walked back to Lizor, smiling. "The Archives always kept a catalog of the city's notable works...it might take a while, but I was hoping you might recognize more of Aadi's designs."

But it was hard to miss the weariness in his voice. "It'll be a place to start next time, if you need some time to process," she suggested.

[disc_warrior]

When Yori returned - Lizor was gently removing what looked like a small memory stick from the projector. He held it in his hands, looking at it with a mixed expression. It contained all the relevant data he had wanted to save - plus the still images he had captured from the files.

His narrow black eyes raised to look at Yori's face - encouraged at her smile. "I hope to recognize more of her works also..." He said finally, tones soft. He still felt a little horrible, that he could recognize Aadi's art...but not her own face and smile. It hurt him more than he could verbally express - though it was in his posture.

He was silent as he looked down at the floor - brows furrowed with indecision. He knew that...he would be perfectly capable to obsessively comb through as much data as he could to find what he wanted....but Yori did have a point to her logic. The disc warrior knew that it was best to take this in small doses....but he could not help but feel potent frustration too. He wanted to find it all.

He hated not knowing himself. It was an emptiness he couldn't run away from. No matter how far across the city he wandered.

Shifting on his feet - face hard as stone save for the pain in his eyes, Lizor nodded. "I....imagine that I took up enough of your time." He said finally. "You say...that I am free to come back....to look?" He might even linger...and allow her to go on with following her directives. He had no where else to go. Lizor looked hesitant...fists clenching and unclenching in that nervous gesture.

"I...just have one more request....." His voice was very quiet and rough. "Is...there any way that a hologram of Aadi can be formed with the data we found?" He gestured - holding up a palm to refer to the small palm sized hexagonal shaped discs that holo's could be stored on.

[yorisearching]

Yori rubbed her eyes in tired sympathy. "I don't mind the time, Lizor, but...I do think coming back later would be best. Though if you wanted to at least start looking at the catalog, that's fine too."

She had no set schedule, but there was always, always more to do. She'd made commitments to so many programs already, and had no desire to let them down. At the same time, this was a search with actual results, which looking for her own Tron was terribly short of.

"And of course we can get you a hologram," Yori agreed at once with fierce determination, searching her list of recent contacts for artisans. She could have patched together a very rough version herself, but Lizor deserved better than that--Aadi deserved better. That would take code designed for the task.

Besides, she thought the artists would be grateful for the chance to work. "Come back to the park in a couple of millicycles, with a copy of the images," she suggested. "I'll introduce you to some friends of mine."