AUDIO \\ NO FILTER O%

[popcorngifs]

[ Here are some lines of Unix. You've probably never heard of it, more underground than the random lines of code you see in mainstream Hollywood. how does computer ]

[ After that impressive but ultimately unnecessary display of Unix, there’s momentary radio silence before whatever was trying to get into the system activates the audio function. That

Comments

[voice]

[theuserabides]

[That's not Tron, and that's not Rinzler.

If Flynn hadn't been kneeling, he'd've fallen out of his chair. As it is, he almost manages to anyway, and with a very undignified flailing motion that no one's around to see, he switches on his own wearable.]

Alan?

[voice] 1/2

[popcorngifs]

[ Alan was himself sitting down, fortunate because the sound of his own named reverberated in his spine with a ghostly chill that packed enough force to remove the option of standing.

He stared at the device, regarding it with the disbelief best reserved when seeing a UFO dance the foxtrot above your head. He open his mouth, but found no noise. ]

[voice]

[popcorngifs]

[ Finally something was pushed out, a response. Shock just kept it from being a particularly articulate one. ]

...yeah?

[video]

[theuserabides]

[Flynn gets hold of himself long enough to flip to his preferred video setting, something he would have lacked the composure to do if he hand't remapped the interface to function exactly like the Grid--something he'd had a thousand years of practice with.

It was good for keeping him from looking too stupid, at least.

So there's Flynn, wearing sleek white and not looking a day over 60.]

Turn on the video setting, Alan.

[Audio]

[fight4theusers]

[This is a voice he thought he'd never hear again. After all this time... the last he'd heard of his User was in the old System, through the garbled interface of the I/O tower. The voice has changed, slightly, but there's no mistaking it.]

Alan-1! You're... here?

[Audio]

[popcorngifs]

[ Well there's a voice he recognizes. But the possibility that it was the program he wrote back in the eighties, quite literally, in the flesh, was not the first explanation to come to mind. ]

An interactive system that mimics the user's voice?

Thought of that in '95.

[Audio]

[fight4theusers]

[How could his User not know him? Granted, it has been a very long time...]

No... no, that's not...

Alan-1, my User. It's Tron. I... I am very glad that you are here.

[Audio]

[popcorngifs]

Tron?

[ He repeats it like it will suddenly make sense. It doesn't ]

I wrote that program back in '82, hell, last I heard it wasn't even in ENCOM's system any more. And Tron- Tron is my old programming nickname, Flynn would call me that.

How do you know all this?

audio

[derezzes]

[ Well hey, that's a pretty familiar voice--only Ram's pretty sure both Tron's know how to use the wearables by this point. Also that's an unfamiliar network ID and oh boy now he's kind of curious.

And whoever it is said 'greetings programs' which totally means he's obligated to stick his nose into this, okay. ]

Hey! You're another new arrival, right?

audio

[popcorngifs]

[ His subconscious purposefully ignores the fact this voice was, as familiar as it was, undeniably younger. Too much has happened in such a short time, that he tries to keep everything conversational as a defense mechanism. ]

Roy? When in god's name- I just got off the phone with you not four hours ago.

audio

[derezzes]

Roy? [ Is there an echo in here? WHO ARE YOU AND HOW DO YOU KNOW--

Oh, wait.

There's a derpy pause on his end while it suddenly dawns that this is yet another User, and if he sounds like Tron... ]

I'm, uh, not Roy--my name's Ram. I take it you're Alan-1?

audio

[popcorngifs]

[...are you for real. ]

Are we on some kind of sensitive channel, Ro- Ram? Are we sticking to the old nicknames all of a sudden?

[no comment]

[eighttotwelve]

[But he's observing.]

[no comment]

[popcorngifs]

[ cool observation, brogram ]

[no comment]

[eighttotwelve]

[What'chu gon' do 'bout it]

audio;

[survivethesiren]

[Gem is silent for a few moments, then speaks.]

Do you mean us all, or are you looking for someone specific.

audio;

[popcorngifs]

[ That's not an organic voice. It sounds...off, synthetic but still having all the inflections a human voice would have. Advanced AI? Alan just assumes it's part of whatever system came with the device. ]

Hmm. Program- request you define, "us all."

audio;

[survivethesiren]

[You can almost hear the amused eye roll in her voice. It's a special feat of hers, really.

She hesitates in answering. Only because, well. Too much information too soon can sometimes be overwhelming to a User.]

Computer programs. And no, I do not mean within your wrist device, User.

audio;

[popcorngifs]

[ Oh, he can hear it. Call it a shared trait among Sirens and anyone with the last name Flynn, or Bradley. ]

I gathered as much with the mobile programs at the front gate that were a little too kind. Thank you, program. What else can you tell me? Do you have a designation?