when I rule the world

[coadminclu]

Who: Seriously AU Clu
Where: Grid Arcade or nearby. 
When: About now.  Post-labyrinth, probably.
What: It's Clu!  Only...how weird, he doesn't seem to want to kill anyone. 
Warnings: Angst.  Violence only if your characters attack; Clu doesn't want to fight with his good suit on. 

Comments

[creator_man]

"We don't get that many--"

Flynn paused, and then blinked and looked at the signal a little closer.

"Greetings." That was... neutral, right?

[coadminclu]

"Flynn!" Clu grinned in mixed relief and annoyance at his code-father. "Was this replica system your idea?" The situation did match Flynn's sense of humor. "I'd have come to look if you'd just asked, you know, you didn't have to kidnap me. I hope you warned Tron and Jalen of the delay."

Except...that tone was off. Clu paused. "Is something wrong?" They'd come in on the same laser, what could Flynn have heard in so short a time?

[creator_man]

"My idea... so to speak." Flynn paused a moment, then asked, "can you see the Portal from where you are? I think that's where any answers about this place need to start. I didn't kidnap you, you see, but the Portal may have. There are... apparently many differences between what most of us have been through and your Grid."

[coadminclu]

The avoidant answer made Clu frown, but it was the complete lack of laughter in Flynn's voice that began to frighten him. Whether Flynn was involved or not, he ought to be laughing at the success of the surprise.

Unless something was very wrong.

Clu squinted upward at the place he would have expected the Portal to be in the old Grid; with the need to accommodate constant traffic and the safeties well tested, it was much closer to Tron City in his own home.

"That is different," he agreed, not quite sure what Flynn expected him to figure out from this. "Using an outdated laser for the sake of realism would be going a little far, I suppose. If it's malfunctioning, that's certainly a problem. Did you try to build it yourself? Lora's going to yell at you again." He smiled again, but the unease had set deep and much of his usual confidence was temporarily misplaced.

[runsinpacks]

The Arcade area had been well cleaned up lately, but the only reason Wulf had been in the sector was that he'd had a housecall nearby. He was walking back along the wide avenue in the general direction of the light-rail when the oddly clothed program by the comm checkpoint turned toward the street, his face clearly visible in the ambient light.

Wulf stopped short, all of his processes frozen.

This would have been so much simpler if he hadn't left the tank back at the clinic.

As it was, the logical course of action was obvious. The momentary process lag passing, Wulf did the smart thing, turned on his heel, and ran for his life.

[[omg this au I love it ;;~]]

[coadminclu]

The sudden reverse movement caught Clu's attention instantly. People who were that eager to avoid an admin frequently knew things Clu would like to know.

The pale circuitry wasn't immediately familiar, though it was appropriate to the system's apparent period.

"No need to run," he called, striding in that direction, tone crisp. "I'm not upset. If you'll just answer a question or two for me now, I won't have to inconvenience you later."

[[I am so glad you do; it's heartbreaking and beautiful in my head and I just want to see more of it!]]

[runsinpacks]

Upset? No. Clu was seldom upset. Not at lesser programs, when he could just rewrite them with hardly a spare jot of attention. He hadn't attended to most programs personally -- it hadn't taken long to invest a surfeit of programs with rectification capabilities, each one heavily bound to Clu's purpose -- but Wulf could still feel the twist in his gut from when they'd done it to him.

He couldn't go back. He didn't ever want to go back.

A couple of speeding lightcycles cut him off, and he narrowly missed being derezzed right there. Reeling backwards to catch his balance, he glanced back to check how close the admin was, hoping he could gain enough traction to change direction in time.

[[M-me too! I just... Earth tourists and excited little ISOs and aaaah...... ;; It'd make a beautiful 'verse for ficlets if you ever felt like expanding on it that way.]]

[coadminclu]

Sheer terror of a kind Clu had very rarely seen in person twisted the fleeing man's face, eyes wide with panic. Clu ran at top speed several steps, hand outstretched to pull him out of danger, before the realization caught up that the panicked look was directed, entirely and unmistakably, at Clu himself.

He did have a reputation as a fairly strict Admin, compared to Radia or that fool Gibson, or even Jalen--but no one had ever tried to dash under lightcycles rather than answer a simple question. Not even those bitbrains who'd brought a virus in last Earth-year.

"Hey!" Clu lifted both hands, empty. "I promise no one's going to hurt you, all right?"

[[It totally would, but the inspiration's just not going that direction right now. I'm happy to feel this inspired at all, so I'm not going to push for fear of breaking it. Maybe sometime!]]

[tanks4thememory]

Clu always made a point of passing by the Arcade when he was in the area, and despite everything that had happened recently, today was no exeption to that. He kept his helmet and facemask rezzed up as a precaution, but he wasn't really expecting trouble. Things seemed to have calmed down... for the moment, anyway.

And when he turned the corner and looked up the street at the Arcade's facade, he definately wasn't expecting what he saw there. It was Flynn. No... he realized after a moment; not a younger version of Flynn. He didn't feel the pull, the gentle but persistant tugging at his code that he always felt when his User was near

[coadminclu]

Yellow circuits--Clu's first instinct was to call Security and get this one either registered properly or deported. His second instinct was to tease Tron about letting anyone in without authorization.

Then he remembered that whatever this system was, it wasn't home.

"Ah--yes, and this isn't where I expected to be," he agreed with a rueful smile. "I'm supposed to be back on the Primary Grid. Do you happen to know anything about this place?"

No viral signs visible; Clu extended a hand, a tentative offer. "What's your name?"

It didn't actually occur to him to introduce himself. It had been countless cycles and long Earth-years since anyone had met him without knowing who he was first. He was Flynn's code-son, Grid Admin, presently CEO of Encom; they'd changed the world. Even little Earth-kids knew him. New compiles and newborn Isos found out pretty quick.

[tanks4thememory]

Behind his facemask, Clu quirked an eyebrow. The 'Primary Grid'? What was he talking about? There was only one, wasn't there? Yes, there were multiple versions of the Grid, apparently, but only one of each version

[coadminclu]

The twin-like face startled a laugh out of Clu, in spite of his growing misgivings. "Flynn's hacker program! I've heard of you, or at least as much as Flynn knew from outside the screen. He'd be delighted to meet you in person, I know. Who managed to dig your code up? Are you a backup or a rewrite?" The parts of Clu's own code based on his early code-brother had come from Flynn's memory, and transmitted no knowledge or experience.

Clu grinned. "Count me delighted on my own behalf, too. I was always curious about my namesake."

And importantly at the moment, a hacker program designed to gather information was a useful source. Also not running away, a nice trait. "Please," Clu said, "I need to get home. What is this system? Whatever you can tell me."

[[But feel free to summarize or give it in small chunks. <3 ]]

[tronja307020]

For not the first -and probably not last - time, Tron contemplated moving residencies to the neighborhood around the arcade as he patrolled the area. He spent enough time there, monitoring and keeping watch. It would only make sense.

The thought stalled momentarily in his processor, however, when he turned the corner and saw the figure near the terminal, dressed in the strange clothes Flynn had so rarely worn in the old millicycles. He called out, realizing it must have been the younger Flynn he'd met before, jogging over even as he scanned for any sign of the Rinzlers, his guard instantly up.

"Flynn, greetings. It's been some time. Are you safe?"

[coadminclu]

Clu turned with a guilty start at Tron's voice. He didn't know what might have happened to Tron, any Tron, in this unhappy collection of timelines, but apparently there was very good reason for any security program to see Clu himself as a threat. Especially Tron, who'd fought for and beside Flynn since before Clu's creation.

It was the first time in memory that Tron's presence had made him feel less safe. He didn't like the feeling at all.

A brief temptation flickered to confirm the mistaken identity, but his other-self had done enough damage already.

He raised both hands in preemptive surrender, and admitted, "Not Flynn. But I've just been speaking to him, and it seems things happened very differently here than at home." He swallowed nervously. "I hope you'll give me a chance to explain."

[tronja307020]

For a single moment, the other man's reaction made his own feet hesitate in their steps, the uneasy look on his face instantly setting Tron's circuits on a crackling edge.

It only deepened when the other lifted his hands in surrender, when he spoke and looked as if Tron were about to harm him, and there was a split second of confusion before the words hit home and the expression on his face fell from open curiosity to dawning rage as he stepped forward, his hands balling into fists at his sides.

"You...it's you!"

[coadminclu]

Yes? No? Not exactly? What did one say to a furious Tron? Last time Clu had seen his friend look anything like that, a group of exploitive tourists had been very unhappy. And he was the tourist here.

"I don't mean any harm," he promised. For what good that did. Clu quite understood if Tron had no trust left for any variation on him. Not when his other-self had betrayed Flynn. Never any question which side Tron would come down on there.

He flexed his fingers, didn't draw any weapon, though that expression was making him think it might have been wiser. "I just want to go home, okay?"

[fight4theusers]

"Co-admin Clu..."

Tron did not like the sound of that transmission, especially directed toward the Security channel as it was. This Clu was obviously new in the system, but Tron had no way of knowing his intent, nor his allegiances. If Clu thought that he was simply going to take over the system again with no interference, however... well, he'd have to think again.

"This is acting system admin Tron," he replied briskly, using the same channel. "I assume that you have just arrived here and are disoriented. I regret to inform you that there is no link back to your Grid."

[coadminclu]

"Sysadmin?" Clu frowned. "Not that I'm not always happy to see you, Tron, but that seems a little out of your comfort zone. What's going on? I didn't know Alan was going to do any upgrades or new versions."

No one but Alan was authorized to experiment with Tron's code, without specific permission that went through both Clu's office and the oldest few versions of Tron for approval. Standard procedure for all registered code-born.

"You're right about the disorientation," Clu admitted, with a mild scowl. "Where am I exactly? If it isn't networked, I'll take a ride back to wherever your exit point is instead. I thought it had to be some kind of historical display."

[fight4theusers]

You have no idea... "No upgrade as of yet." He left it at that, not wanting to explain further until he knew this Clu's motives. "As for what's going on and where you are, that would take more explanation than can be given over this channel. If you'd like, you can come to the Arena, or I can meet you there."

He paused for a moment, realizing he needed to give this program at least something. "I can tell you this much. The Portal brought you in, and it can return you, if you wish."

[coadminclu]

"Sure, I'll go wherever you like," Clu said in some relief. Tron was thoroughly competent in every version, and whatever was going on here, he'd have it under control. "I do need to get home as soon as possible, though."

If the place really was based entirely on code more than two decades old, maybe Tron meant the stadium, but any number of other possibilities seemed almost as likely. "Where's this Arena exactly--or never mind, I'll pull up a system map, but where around it do you want to meet?"