Announcement to the Grid

[fight4theusers]

I have decided that I will be taking over management of the Games. I will be returning them to their original purpose from our Creator. They will be a place for Programs to practice their skills with no fear of deresolution, and a place for entertainment for all Programs who wish to observe

Comments

[namesram]

As Tron closed the comm channel, Ram looked at him over the console in the control unit, unable to suppress the grin creeping over his face. It wouldn't be easy to get a whole subsection of the Grid's culture under control, but if anyone could do it, he believed Tron could.

It was time to make the Games program-friendly again (even if it took cracking a few heads -- hopefully in a nonlethal manner -- to do it).

[fight4theusers]

Tron glanced over at Ram, and found that smile to be infectious. "I take it you approve?"

[namesram]

Ram nodded. "It'll be good to get this place back to what it was intended for." Turning slightly, he looked out through the partition into the vast arena area below. "Actually, I haven't been here since... before...."

[[I'm so sorry. Your icon was... distracting.~]]

[fight4theusers]

Tron moved to stand beside Ram, looking over the empty arena. "I want it to be what Flynn... what the Users intended," he said quietly. He glanced over to the other program, curious, but not surprised. "I can understand why you wouldn't want to. When you were in the Games, it... was not for recreation. And under Clu, it was much the same."

[[OOC: Fff what is thaaat...]]

[namesram]

"No." Ram chuckled quietly. "Could've been fun, though. I used to wish it was. And, you know, I did come to here once, back before the rules changed again. I still hadn't found my memory cache back then."

[[Just what Tron needs right now? *bricked* C'mon, it's the Games! There's gotta be cheap soft drinks!~]]

[fight4theusers]

"You did?" Tron smiled faintly. "Did you participate, or only observe?" He wondered if Ram had seen him fight, back then. He'd always been able to draw quite the crowd.

Or maybe... maybe he had fought him and not realized...

[[OOC: THAT'S IT, Ram is now in charge of all concessions for the arena. :|]]

[namesram]

"Just observed. Someone I knew was in the lightcycle matches that day. She won, too." Ram smiled as well, though he didn't look at Tron as he said it. Ko had survived for a long time after Clu had taken power, but eventually her luck had run out.

Turning back to his companion, he grinned a little, shaking off the past. "You were there, though. Light-fencing. I only saw one of your bouts, but it was a good one."

[[DEAL. DOES HE GET ONE OF THOSE LITTLE HATS. :D]]

[fight4theusers]

"I see." Tron didn't press that further... it was likely that whoever Ram knew, they were long gone, if they had participated in the Games. He was glad Ram had not been on the Game cycle, as it would have been a risk for him as well.

"Oh? So you did see me. Too bad your memory wasn't returned yet. I would have liked to know you then." He stared out over the arena, memories flooding back. "I... am glad that you did not watch later, though." His fights as Rinzler were always over quickly. He could almost hear the chants of Derez, Derez from the crowd, and he closed his eyes, trying to block it out.

[[OOC: YES. HE WILL WEAR ONE AND LIKE IT.]]

[namesram]

"Yeah. You were amazing, but I expected that. I wish it could've happened that way too." Folding his arms, Ram leaned on the sill and looked sideways at Tron. He could see when the memories started, and frowned in sympathy.

"Hey," he said softly. "Speaking of memories, want to make some new ones now that this sector's under control?"

[[GOOD THING HE'S NO STRANGER TO WEARING HATS NOW //SHOT]]

[fight4theusers]

Tron took a deep breath, shaking himself out of the depths of memory and opening his eyes. "Sure. I'd like that." He turned away from the window with effort, focusing on Ram. "What did you have in mind? Discs? Lightcycles?"

[namesram]

"I thought maybe..." Tron probably had bad memories of every type of game the Arena supported. It didn't really matter where they started, except that a disk game probably wasn't the way to go. And if safety protocols could be set on the Arena now....

"One-on-one lightcycles. A race."

[fight4theusers]

Tron thought a moment, then nodded. With the new controls he had in place, there was little danger of deresolution with a simple lightcycle race. "That sounds good." He smiled faintly... the lightcycle grid held a few good memories from the old system, memories of escape with Ram and Flynn.

Soon, the two were standing on the empty Game Grid, batons at the ready. Tron tapped in a few commands on a control panel, and the floor shifted, creating levels, loops, and convoluted pathways to follow. A glowing light at the opposite end signaled a goal, a single orb hovering in the air. "First one to grab the target wins," Tron stated, gesturing to the light. "Clear?" With that, he tossed his baton in front of him, rezzing his cycle into existence. He waited for Ram to be ready, however, not wanting to take him at a disadvantage.

[namesram]

Ram was right with him. One of the first things he'd done on the new Grid was to upgrade his operator's license, and he had his 'cycle rezzed almost as quickly as did Tron.

Glancing over through the clear front of his helmet, he bared his teeth in a smile that was half encouraging and half challenging. He might not beat Tron, but he was pretty sure he'd be able to make the race worthwhile. "Ready."

[fight4theusers]

Tron nodded to him, revved his cycle, then took off with a hint of a smile. This was something he did actually enjoy, before the Games became something to be feared. He had been good at them, a hero to the crowds, a champion of the programs, and, if he were honest with himself, he did like the attention it brought.

Weaving through the maze, he focused on the path in front of him, keeping his attention sharp. This track could and would change without warning, making the race far more interesting than it originally seemed. Flicking a switch on his cycle, he turned on the light trail, its power lowered in this version of the game. It could still crash a cycle or send it off-course, but not derez a program or cycle upon impact.

[namesram]

Enjoyment hadn't really been on the menu when he'd played this game in the old system, but Ram had to admit that out of all the games he'd been thrown into, lightcycles had been his least unfavorite. The split-second calculations and projections of where the walls would end up and how to structure a winning configuration for his team had been right up his alley. And here, with all the variables and potentialities, it was infinitely more exciting.

Snapping on his own lightwall, he steered through a minefield of plane reversals, weaving a sprawling pattern over and under the surface of the Grid. When the ground leveled out, apparently giving up on that trick, he couldn't resist glancing over at Tron with a gleeful smile.

[fight4theusers]

Tron was impressed by Ram's 'cycle piloting skills... the other program certainly had spent his time well. Not that Ram had ever been bad at the games; Tron had always seen potential in him, even in the old system.

But Tron had improved as well, and even the maze created by both the Grid and Ram's cycle trails were no match for his driving. Matching Ram move for move, he stayed next to him along the path, sometimes pulling ahead, sometimes barely a length behind.

When Ram flashed him a grin, Tron spared a bare second to grin back, then focused his full attention on the track ahead. A treacherous series of spirals were coming up, and he purposefully slowed slightly, knowing it would be too much to take them at full speed.