Chapter Text
Tron walked fast as User Flynn tried to keep up. Usually he would be more patient with the User but the Grid was screaming at him about the Virus. The first one Anon had ever encountered since they rezzed in.
Tron was worried about them. He trusted Anon but they did not have any experience other than what he had shown them from the Encom server. The User did not seem to care that the best place he could be right now was in his world where it would be easier for him to delete the virus then fix the power and stability issues they were having.
That would fix more issues especially as the ISOs were being, maybe rightfully, blamed for it. But he could not say it.
His programming would not let him. Users were their creators. Flynn had said he did not want to hear about it, and ordered him to protect the Isos no matter what.
He wondered if Alan-one would fix the issues faster…..
ERROR
Tron shook his head acknowledging the mistake in thinking negatively against the user. He focused more of his attention on Flynn who was talking but having known him for so long Tron was certain he was hiding how nervous he was.
“Tron, you remember that protecting the Isos from the virus is important right man? They will change the world, mine and yours.”
Tron hesitated but nodded as the command registered. He hated contradicting orders.
ISOs were mostly nice, innocent and decent programs that he would usually have no issue with protecting but there were a few that were just unpleasant to be around, to put it mildly.
Jalen used to put those ones in their place but Radia seemed to refuse to acknowledge what they were doing. She was however trying to heal from the derezzing of her counterpart and fellow source code. He could not blame her for that.
He missed Jalen too. He could trust that ISO to watch his back and help him get the words he could not say through to Flynn. That ISO seemed to understand what he could not say and tried to explain it himself. Leaving Tron free to do his work without getting into trouble with the only User.
Anon liked him too and was devastated when their first non-security program friend died. Anon having a crush on his daughter however was another thing he did not want to get into. Jalen and Yori had been the ones to tell him about it. Tron decided that was between the two of them as long as Anon completed their duties.
It does not matter for as much as Tron tried to ignore or suppress the information it was clear Isos caused issues for the Grid and therefore its programs. User Flynn was aware and yet had still not fixed the issues.
“Also can you keep an eye on Clu, he's been acting weird. Asking about how he's supposed to create the perfect system and the issues about ISOs and programs with no purpose. It's strange. Maybe I should stay and help out on this side?”
“Flynn” Tron stated firmly hiding the pain as his programming tried to force him to agree. “I don't know what a virus will do to a user but I doubt it will be pleasant. You need to get out of here. Your transport is waiting for you. I don't like it when you cut it this close.”
There his words were short and sweet. Tron did not order a User, only informed him of the risks and gave the best option available to minimise the risk to the user's life.
“Will you stop worrying about it, Tron? Everything is just fine. Everything is under control.”
Tron looked at the User, who did not realise the look was full of annoyance and exasperation before it quickly changed to neutral.
Tron was tired of trying to be the bridge between this User and his systemAdmin. He respected the user, it was in his programming and personal respect for the User that helped him free himself, his home and all the programs under his care from the MCP. But he also had to protect the programs including a secretive and manipulative Clu. Everything he did was to protect this system, which became his new home.
VIRUS ON GRID. DANGER INCOMING. VIRUS ON GRID.
Tron looked sharply around and noticed Rouges surrounding them. His scans had not warned him of them.
That colour, the warm reds and oranges, reminded him of the MCP guards. Why did they have to choose those colours?
Clu had recently started wearing a yellow colour saying he wanted to stand out compared to his User.
One in particular had familiar circuits, harsh red circuits.
That one stepped forward and derezzed their helmet.
Dyson
His colleague, his friend, his second.
His face was fixed, as though it had never been injured by a stray disk.
Tron knew immediately what was going on, an ambush, and started to act.
Because that was what he was made to do. He fights for the Users.
“Flynn Go.” He pushed the User away as the Alpha Class Combat security program smiled.
“Go Flynn.”
The other Rouges attacked as Flynn started to run.
Block…dodge…strike
Counter….strike..
Take the disk…use it against opponent…
Disk deactivates drop it….
It didn't deactivate.
The disks owner derezzed but it was still active and authorising him to use?
DANGER LEFT! VIRUS ALERT!
Focus!
It did not matter he would sort it out later. Now it was fight or die.
Tron hated derezzing anyone, hated the sight of voxels but his programming as security made him too good at it, it was what he was made for. It just reminded him of the Encom server and what he had to do to survive on the Game Grid. He was designed to eliminate threats. The programs around him were threats to the users safety.
Still he kept going, and had to keep the attention on him so User Flynn could escape.
Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Dyson had grabbed User Flynn.
Great
Tron flipped over the Black guards he was derezzing and rushed to tackle Dyson.
He managed to break the hold the other security program had on the User and knocked him to the ground.
He told the User to run….
Something felt off with Dyson.
He could feel his own programming hesitate to harm him, much less derezz him. He did not even think to throw his disk at him.
As though Dyson had a higher clearance.
That was impossible. Flynn had upgraded his clearance to max. Only Clu or a User out ranked him and Anon.
But he could feel it… a hesitation in his programming. Its refusal to authorise the rezzing of his helmet.
It could not decide between protecting the User and not harming a superior.
It hurt but he had to keep going.
He had to protect the User or the Grid would fall.
Then everything he cared about would be lost.
Dyson managed to hit him on the side of the head.
It knocked him off enough that he fell onto his back right onto his disk dock.
PAIN.
WARNING DAMAGED OBTAINED: CHEST
Dyson had slashed his disk deep across his chest.
He has had worse.
Why couldn’t he get up?
“Dyson, I trusted you. Why?” He muttered sadly through the pain as he tried to stand.
“Flynn refused to see the problem. Refused to fix it. Fix me!” Dyson growled, mimicking him and Anon when angry, as he stepped onto the wounded monitor's chest. “The Rogues are right, we don't need the absent, distracted Flynn. We can control ourselves.”
Tron could not admit it but he knew Dyson was not completely wrong…
ERROR
Yeah he knows.
“You failed, User Flynn will vanish. Disappear into the Grid. He's the creator.”
“No my friend he won't. Besides it was you I was after. Without the mighty Tron the creator will fall and WE will RISE!” He raised the disk again.
“DYSON!” A familiar voice shouted.
A disk flew at the security programs head.
Then a minor explosion forced the program off him.
Tron looked upwards towards the voice of his apprentice for just over a hundred cycles. They were standing in one of the buildings with a shattered glass hole looking outwards.
Anon had their helmet rezzed but the soft growl and bright pulsing of their circuits made it clear they were angry.
“Tron you ok?” Anon demanded, not taking their eyes off Dyson just like he taught them.
Tron pinged them.
[Dyson traitor. Pain. Beware permission issues]
Anon tilted their head confused but as they shifted their legs ready to attack, likely by jumping across the area, then froze.
Likely due to the same permission issues he was experiencing.
[Situation Request]
Tron tried getting up, talking hurt, breathing hurt. His self repair was too slow.
She kept giving him alerts about the virus and constant danger.
He wondered how Anon was dealing with it. It was their first time dealing with such things outside the Rouges, Iso outbreaks and gridbugs.
So far so great…
Focus
Danger left
Tron shifted his body right just avoiding the scarlet disk aimed for his face.
[Flynn danger. Go track. Return to portal]
[Virus first priority. Rouges second. HELP Tron]
[Override Flynn Portal, Virus second. GO!]
Anon pinged him affirmative but it was clearly reluctant.
The younger Monitor hurled their disk near the traitor's feet, sending one last explosion to throw Dyson off and give him some breathing room.
Then Anon left, racing after their User.
Using his apprentice's distraction Tron had finally managed to get to his feet. Trying to ignore the pain he grabbed his disk and the newly acquired second disk that was still synced to him.
Dyson looked at him, helmet still derezzed, a mixture of shock, awe and anger.
“You just won't stay down, my old friend.”
Tron refused to acknowledge the moniker.
He took his stance modifying it to accommodate the second disk.
Dyson smirked then attacked.
Every move hurts.
Tron was hurting partially because his own programming was fighting him. Trying to go into safe mode and increase fighting abilities over his emotional capacity failed him.
He did not know why Dyson had a higher clearance than him but he would draw as much attention from Anon and the User as he could for as long as he could.
Dyson obviously knew what was happening to him. May have even caused it as he easily moved out of the path of his attacks.
Playing with him as though it was sparring as if he knew the Champion of the Grid could not harm him.
Finally either Dyson grew bored or realised he was wasting time, as he managed to slash Tron's disk dock.
Tron could barely breathe, it was not the first time he had been attacked and not even the worst injuries he had ever received but somehow he could barely move.
He knew that Dyson had medical knowledge more than most security but his talent lay more in analysing code of programmes for signs of corruption or glitches.
But could Dyson turn that knowledge into something more.
Something against his programming like malware code.
Could he have inserted something into his fellows ahead of time.
About three millicycles ago, before Flynn arrived he had given Dyson his disk while patrolling after a glitch-bug managed to bite him to fix the wound. He wanted to show that regardless of their issues he trusted the program and allowed him access to fix the wound.
Had he inserted something then?
Tron did not know, he was tired, energy was draining fast, far too fast even for his usual consumption rates.
Dyson grabbed his hair and pulled.
“I'll see you soon friend.” He purred.
Tron did not want to die here.
He had to finish his directives and …go home.
Dyson however simply placed a hand on his disk dock and seemed to activate something.
And Tron knew nothing.
_-_-__-__–__—__-
It was well known that Security programs wake from standby or sleep mode fast.
So when a security program comes to a medical centre unconscious they have to be restrained.
Especially if their last memory was of being in battle or they were in pain.
So when Tron woke in a bed restrained in pain and panicked no-one was surprised.
“Monitor Tron, you are in the City. In a hospital. You are safe.” a medic said calmly to try to calm the monitor as their fellows rushed to stabilise the Monitor.
But Tron was not able to focus, his body felt like it was tearing itself apart voxel by voxel.
“Easy Tron, go back to sleep mode. When you wake up, the pain will be gone.” A soft hand laid on his forehead and the pain eased slightly.
The voice he knew, it was safe and he could trust it.
So Tron forcibly activated his sleep mode, trusting the voice.
01010100 01110010 01101111 01101110 01010100 01110010 01101111 01101110
When Tron woke next it was not his usual instant sleep mode to active mode.
It was the slow subroutine by sub-routine methods most programs outside security had.
Tron had never experienced it himself but Yori had tried to explain it many times.
It was different to have every subroutine and skill slowly come online instead of instantly.
Still though, Tron did not like it.
Even as a Beta he went into instant action the moment he activated, feeling this way was wrong.
FOCUS!
Tron tried to force his eyes to open but the subroutine was not ready.
Memory however was as he tried to remember what happened.
Dyson.
His friend, his second and one he trusted.
Betrayed them.
He knew they were having troubles about their views on the ISOs, the power failures, and glitches. Sometimes he even agreed with Dyson privately about things other than the ISOs, some of the things he ranted about Flynn, when he thought he was not around, though he agreed on privately.
But Tron can not speak out against the Users. Only Yori knew his real thoughts although Anon might have made a guess.
And yet for all the troubles Flynn caused Tron wondered if Flynn got out safely.
Without Flynn maintaining the Grid from his world or the ‘real’ world as he called it the Grid would slowly collapse and destroy itself.
Derezzing everyone on it.
Sometimes Flynn acted as though their world was not real to him. He regularly called his world the ‘real’ one.
Therefore if they failed to do as he wanted, Tron knew Flynn could just start again without them. He did not want to think that Flynn would but that's what happened on the Encom system and it could happen here with fewer issues.
He knew there was a copy of him still on Encom; it would not take much to have another made. But Yori did not exist there anymore. Based on what he and she could tell after one of Flynn purified energy rants Yori had disappeared around the time Lora.Prime left Encom for another job. Since Flynn wanted to keep things a surprise he could not ask her for a copy.
Flynn has made save files of some programs but Tron knew he had not been keeping up with them. So much time would be lost for them.
Therefore Tron tried so hard to do what the absent minded Flynn wanted to keep him happy. to remind him of his responsibilities here and what he needed to do to keep things stable.
And he tried to protect the programs under his care from a harsh truth.
They were expendable to Users.
Clu seemed to know but not in the way he did. He had never witnessed what happened to failures. Never had to track them down and bring them to I/O towers only to watch as their Users slowly decompiled them to find the cause of the failure. He watched each one before and after the MCP. It was his duty.
Focus!
Something was wrong and he could not focus. He keeps hopping on tangents.
Trapped in darkness with only his thoughts as the subroutines slowly online. He could not see his own status or see the reboot bar.
He knows what is happening but why and how slips away from his grip.
Finally his vision subroutine online and he slowly manages to open his eyes.
To a white dimly lit ceiling.
He groaned in pain as he tried to move his head to look around. The pain was a dull ache not the blinding sharp it was previously. Not quite gone but more manageable. Not quite what was promised but it was a lot easier now to think.
He was in a medical suite, restrained on his back. Usually being restrained would trigger his fight response but right now he was calm but concerned. Probably a medical restriction code and his pain input sensitivity decreased. He waited for someone to come.
He could not hear outside the empty room or scan the area.
Usually he could but it seems his skills have been restricted while undergoing treatment.
That is fine. He had given his permissions to medical staff in case of emergencies. Especially after his last stint almost caused him to derezz a medic thinking he was still fighting energy hogs.
Thankfully the medic understood and was grateful for the apology.
He did not have to like or enjoy it though.
An alert would tell the medics he was active soon.
He just had to be patient.
He went back over his….fight with Dyson.
So many issues and questions to be answered.
First, how Dyson gained a higher clearance than him and Anon. Second, what Dyson did to him. Third….what happened to Flynn. No, what happened to Flynn had to be Tron's first priority.
Hopefully the User has gotten out and is fixing the issues now in his world.
Otherwise things will continue to go downhill even faster.
The sound of a doorway opening reaches his audio inputs.
Tron shifted enough to see it as his apprentice walked in.
Anon walked in a derezzed helmet, a soft, tired, sad smile on their face that looked so much like Flynn and yet so different. Their messy darker curls were worse than usual, especially when compared to Clus' tidiness and Flynn's mix of the two. They looked a lot like Flynn but there was always something just slightly different about them. Tron facial comparison noted changes in their nose, eyes and their hair being a few shades darker than Flynn and Clus.
They nodded towards him and sat down
beside the restrained older monitor.
Tron tried to ping them only to realise all his communication methods except verbal were restricted.
“What's…” He coughed harshly, barely able to breath.
Anon placed a hand on his shoulder, keeping a finger to their own lips.
It took a moment before Tron could breath and understood what they were trying to say.
He could not speak yet something was wrong.
The door opened again as he got his breath back.
He immediately noticed the medic and his counterpart Yori entering.
Yori sat on the bed gently running her hand through his hair. Tron always loved it when she did that.
“Hey, you had us worried for a micro.”
Something was very wrong.
Yori was never that calm and sad when he got injured. She got annoyed at his opponents, Clu, Users and anyone else, even at him.
She never was so gentle so worried like he was going to break any second and leave her. The last time she had was when the MCP had sent his fellow Intrusive Countermeasure Programs (ICP) after them. They used her to catch him, Stark himself made the offer. He went with them and she would not be harmed.
He knew they would not hurt her too bad they needed her skills but he could not stop himself from agreeing. Without her he could not stop the MCP and… he was bundled to her to protect her by their Users. He cared too much for her. He finally admitted he loved her as he was dragged away and heard her say it back.
It helped keep him going through the fighting, through the taunts and abuse by the guards and Stark.
Focus!
“We'll give you the report first then talk about what's going to happen next.” She looked at him, her blue eyes so sad and scared.
Tron knew she was trying to keep him calm. Still he was grateful for the report. It took his mind off everything else and would give him more information to work with.
“First thing you have to know Anon managed to get Flynn to the portal and out.” Tron looked towards his student and gave a small approving nod. “Both were injured but I know Flynn got out and re-digitalised on his side but no response or changes have been made yet.”
Yori was both a high clearance level simulations program and one of the SHIVA laser caretakers; she would be the first to know if something went wrong.
Anon tilted their neck towards him making sure their throat was clearly visible. Their throat had a massive patch covering most of it.
“They then managed to track and kill the virus in Arjita, however most of the Isos and programs there were infected and had to be derezzed. Radia is one of derezzed. The entire area had to be quarantined”
Tron could feel his breath catch again. There were thousands of Iso programs living there, including a few so-called Basics.
He hated that term but it was catching on. All non-Iso programs hated it as the Iso coined it but many decided to embrace it so that the term could not be used against them. Flynn always used it so freely Tron wondered if he understood why he wore basic black when Flynn was gridside and white when he was not.
Or maybe Tron was being too subtle with the User and everyone else.
Focus!
So many died and he was not there.
Yori continued trying to remain calm as she shook slightly, worrying him. It was not fear, it was rage. “However… Dyson…he… showed up just as the Virus died and he …drove his disk into Anon's throat. The Medics tried but couldn't save their voice or most of their speech processes. Until Flynn comes back or fixes things on his side Anon will be mute. The damage is to their pings and messaging systems also”.
Anon was a chatty program when they relaxed enough. It took almost 20 cycles and numerous updates for them to learn how, losing their voice to someone they both trusted, even if they disagreed with them, must have been traumatising.
Tron tried to show his student how sorry he was for not being there to help with just his sore face and eyes. But he was also so proud of the younger Monitor.
Anon smiled sadly, making it clear that he did not blame the older primary monitor.
“It got out that you got badly injured but everyone that knows how badly is aware to keep quiet for now. It's likely Dyson spread the rumours to make you look bad.”
Yori is shaking, it was hard but he could see her eyes and face were red as a byte as though she had been crying.
He tried to move a hand to comfort her that he was still here but the restraints and the medic stopped him.
“Tron if you try to touch anyone again and you will have to be derezzed.”
What?
Yori threw a disgusted look at the medic before standing up and going to the door.
She immediately requested a medic and the medics outside rushed to obey.
“Just a nano Tron and we’ll…. We will explain about your…your status. It…it's bad.” she said as she carefully ran her fingers through his hair.
The medic looked angry but Anon threw her a look that said try it. The medic clearly did not want to test the Monitor after hearing about all they had accomplished.
A program with medic green secondary lights and Iso both rushed in and saw the little group.
“Out!” The medic said, talking to the other medic.
The pulse of the other medics circuits brightened making it clear they were furious.
But they moved to leave until Anon intercepted them, their hand up requesting their disk.
Another nano hesitating but they handed over their identity. Although he could not see, Tron knew he was locking down the medic's memory of him. It was not something either of them enjoyed but if things were so bad it was properly for the best.
Their behaviour made it clear something was very wrong and the lockdown did not harm programs or destroy memories, only prevented them from being accessed by outside sources or talked about.
It was a quick but uncomfortable process and the medic left quickly.
Tron wondered if they were among the programs that felt he was not doing his job and spent too much time protecting the Isos which he did on the Users' orders and hated him for it. Tron knew he was doing his best and that it was not good enough but he still tried to keep the peace.
“Sorry about that, Tron. Just some…disagreements.” The medic tried to be reassuring but it just made him feel worse. “Anyway your counterpart asked us to explain what's happened and what are the options.”
Yori did not stop messing with his hair and Anon seemed full of nervous energy. He wanted to lean into Yoris' hand but his disk was connected to the bed and his limbs restrained.
“There was a bit of memory corruption so I'm not sure how much you remember but your chest is serenely damaged at about 23 percent integrity. Now usually with your counterpart here we can fix the damage easily but well…” He looked at his Iso colleague.
“It… seems…that you have been infected by malware. A trojan to be exact. About three millicycles before you were attacked according to your logs." The medic looked at him judging his reaction.
But Tron already guessed it. Dyson had been planning this for a while. A string of malware would be the most efficient way to weaken him.
“The malware has enhanced the sensitivity of your pain receptors and seems to have damaged both your safe mode access and your energy consumption efficiency. It's also preventing us from healing you fully.”
That is… a very strong malware, and it would destroy him if Flynn does not fix him soon.
FOCUS!
“Tron,” Yori spoke, her hand continuing its path. “I'll fix what I can for now but the malware will continue to reopen the wound and the pain will increase. But we need to talk and discuss our options.”
He nodded. As Yori detached his disk the Iso spoke up.
“I have been trying to find a way to remove the damage but your own code is having difficulty accepting unauthorised access even with Yoris help. System Admin Clu has tried to remove the malware but he has only managed to delay its progression. Thankfully it's not infectious but we worry it might evolve so we want to minimise anyone touching you.”
Tron nodded, then flinched when Yori and the medic tried to recode a particularly stubborn line.
Yori had been given the right permissions to fix him even if she was not a medic but still Alan-one was a good programmer who worried about MCP taking over his code and turning him against the Users. So he was made to be difficult to reprogram even with the right permissions.
Finally she finished, the medic double checked the work and reattached his disk.
It took a moment to resync but his chest slowly healed until it did not.
“Better dear?” Yori asked gently.
“Barely,” he choked out, Yori lifted a small vial of energy to his lips and helped him drink.
He realised just how low he was even without his internal hub.
“Yori, we know that you have the best chance and we need to keep him calm but we have to ask to minimise physical interaction. It is protocol.”
Yori sighed but agreed to remove her hand from him.
It hurt more than the injury or the malware infecting him but it was protocol for a reason. If he went viral from it and infectious the damage would be….bad. He had no will to hurt another program especially his counterpart unless they were Dyson and maybe one other if he was right.
“What are my options?” he asked softly.
“Usually as you know we would have a security program quarantine the infected until a User fixed or dealt with the issue.” Usually derezzment was the only option in those cases and Yori knew it. Anon knew the protocol but had not yet experienced it.
“However, the System Admin Clu had an idea.” Iso said he would really like a name, Tron does not think he has met this one yet. “He thinks putting you into stasis will buy enough time for User Flynn to come back and fix you. However it has been…” They winced and stopped talking as Yori kicked them.
Tron looked at her, she looked back unapologetically. For a moment it was a battle of will.
She broke only because of how injured he was. Usually she won.
“It has been two decicycles since Flynn left and he has not fixed anything.” She admitted.
Two deci-cycles, two of their weeks or seven Users hours.
The last time he had seen Flynn, Tron told to go. He knew about the attempt on his life and yet he has not dealt with Dyson or the virus or even the power issues again.
Likely too distracted by his ‘real world’ responsibilities or….
Yori looked at him, he could tell from her eyes she followed his thoughts.
If Flynn has not fixed things yet he might have decided to abandon them. They may be on borrowed time before the Grid gets shut down and reset.
Still he would hold onto even just a sliver of hope.
“What would that involve?” Tron asked, trying to remain calm and project a stoic image.
“We place you into a stasis tube one that allows us to access your disks while you remain offline. From there either we find a way to fix you or User Flynn does.”
Disks? As in multiple.
Yori knew him well enough to know what he was thinking.
“During your fight you grabbed and overwrote another program's disk. We think it's a…gift from Alan-one to give you another advantage in battle.” Yori explained calmly she knew everything about him and had never experienced something like this either.
“You have overwritten the previous program's identity with your own. It seems to actually be helping to slow the spread of the malware.” the medic said both curious and cautious.
Just another thing to force him apart from other programs. To be able to overwrite another program's identity is a scary concept.
Tron does not blame the medic….he is scared too. It's almost like a virus that takes over programs and destroys them
Everyone in the room clearly sees his fear about what he has done. The medic shakes his head.
“It doesn't seem to be related to the malware. It's…just a…quirk of your programming.” Iso explains.
Tron wonders why Alan-one would do such a thing. He is strange enough as it is. The first independent ICP capable of strange and never seen before feats and has a counterpart.
Yori grabbed his restrained hand.
“Later, think about it later. First we focus on what happens next.”
Tron knew she was right and nodded, trying to force his attention back to the present issue.
“I…I… want to go into stasis. I'll wait for User Flynn to return.” He did not want to leave Yori. She was in danger from the Rouges, from Dyson and….from Clu.
But she knew everything he did she knew and once he said the words she looked relieved. This was the only chance he had to continue to live.
“However I only want my counterpart and Anon to be able to access my disk…disks.”
The medic looked uncomfortable.
“The System admin will have to have access, he made the tube and might actually have a chance of fixing you. It's thanks to him we can even speak.”
Anon let out a sharp annoyed sound through their damaged vocaliser.
“Is that really necessary?” Yori questioned him. She knew why he wanted to restrict any unmonitored access Clu would have to him.
He rarely kept anything from her.
“Yes, of course. Why would it be an issue?.”
Yori narrowed her eyes from his words.
Tron spoke up.
“Alright do what you have to.” He cut off any arguments.
He looked towards the Flynn monitor.
“Anon I'll transfer my permissions to you. You will take command of security and,” he made sure to emphasise his next words, “Complete my investigations understood?”
Anon looked nervous before forcing a confidant nod.
Anon knew the true scope of his investigations, and was even helping when they could.
Taking full command of security while hunting Dyson, keeping the peace and investigating was going to be hard but Tron did have faith in the young Monitor and they had the team to help.
The medic and Iso left to prepare after warning the two to avoid touching him.
“This isn't a good idea, Tron. Only Clu could have altered Dyson's permissions. What if he wants you out of the way?” Yori hissed furiously.
Tron agreed with his counterpart. Clu was the only one who could have altered Dyson's coding making it difficult for him and Anon to fight him.
“I don't want to derezz and leave either of you alone. I have to maintain my hope that Flynn is coming back and he can fix me.”
He gave a crooked smile, as Flynn called it, that Yori called cute but dorky.
“Maybe he'll finally bring back the help he has been promising for cycles.”
Yori did not look even slightly convinced. But finally she sighed and nodded.
They all know they did not have much choice.
Maybe just maybe they could find an antiviral or firewall that could fix him or remove the malware code if they had more time.
Maybe Clu was not involved in this and things would get better. Maybe Flynn had not abandoned them.
Maybe they were not living on borrowed time.