An Old Friend (open to all)

[ram]

Ram had been put through the whole introduction to the Grid via alluring sirens that gave him new armor, with a white base and his usual blue circuitry. They had tried to give him the usual black but he had been through so many upgrades and other changes lately, he insisted. Well, at least the coloring he was in would be familiar. He smiled to himself as he inspected his new identity disk. "Stylish, but...not that good as a shield with that big hole in the middle," he commented to himself in an amused tone.

He was currently in one of the many rooms inside the building where security operations were decided and carried out. Ram finally set the disk back into place and plopped down on the couch in the room, putting his feet up on the table in front of him. He had been told that Tron was notified of his presence, and even a newer secruity program was on his way to get him. The older program would've rathered seen Tron, or maybe even Kevin - the first user he had ever seen - but it'd work for now to learn about his situation more. His laid-back personality hadn't changed one bit.

[TRAM]

Tram maneuvered quickly down the corridors of the Security Building, his posture so erect as to appear entirely uncomfortable. He ignored the confused, questioning and flat-out amused looks of the Programs he passed, entirely intent on reaching his destination as fast as possible. Well, not as fast as possible exactly; he still had a reputation to upkeep as a Security Program, so he couldn't go running headlong down through the halls. He'd resigned himself to a very brisk walk. Very brisk. If he could somehow teleport there instantly he would have done so. His lips were pressed together in a flat line, as he was aware of his circuits flickering in anticipation already.

At last, after what had seemed like cycles upon cycles, he had reached his destination. And stopped. Now that he'd arrived... he had no idea what to do. This was Ram they were talking about! Ram, who had fought alongside Tron and Flynn to free the ECNCOM system from the clutches of Sark and the MCP. Ram, who had given his life to free the system. Ram, who despite being an Actuarial Program, had done what so many of he and his fellow monitors were programmed to do. Ram... who had, in some ways, given him a name. And a place. And a being.

How was one supposed to approach a Program whom they had dreamed so long of meeting? Much as he'd approached Tron, he supposed. Ooh, now that was a disaster... Well, nothing for it. Nodding to himself in determination, he opened the door and stepped into the room, trying desperately to keep his circuits from imitating a strobe light as he laid eyes on Ram.

"G-Greetings Program," Tram began uncertainly, really rather despising the way his voice cracked even in the simple greeting. He stood at his full height, which was already rather tall--the Bradleys were tall people, weren't they?--trying to maintain his composure. "My designation is Tram. I'm a Security Program here on The Grid and will be your guide and companion for the foreseeable future."

Oh, Users. Oh, Users. He was going to lose it! He was definitely going to lose it, Users, please no...! Not in front of Ram!

[ram]

Ram blinked and looked at Tram to see the security program. He grinned widely with his crooked smile, and at least took his feet off the table. "Greetings to you too, Program." He then decided to stand and went over towards the jittery program. What was wrong with his guide? "I'm sure you already know, but my name is Ram, an actuarial program. Well, I haven't done any of that in a while, but...there it is. So! Someone told me that this is Tron City? Is that true?" He asked with a laugh.

He then pulled paused. "So a security program... You wouldn't happen to know a user by the name of Flynn do you? I was told by the sirens that they show up here now. I'll bet Flynn had something to do with that." He was excited at the thought of seeing more users, almost being gods to him. And it'd be the best thing in the world to hang out like old times.

[TRAM]

Tram nodded eagerly, unable to help his circuits glowing as Ram spoke.

"Yes, this is indeed Tron City. Back when The Grid was first created and Kevin Flynn brought Tron over from the old system to protect it, he named this city in honor of him," he recited happily. He loved talking about Tron in almost any capacity, really. "The city has really flourished since then, there are really so many things for a Program to do here. I'll be sure to let you know what all the best spots are; the End of Line Club, the Arena... those are some fun places."

There were so many places he couldn't wait to show Ram. He had a feeling the Actuarial Program might really enjoy the End of Line Club. Castor was a very entertaining Program to be around and he;d be sure to show Ram a good time. The Arena, well... that one might be a little trickier. It was fun if you enjoyed friendly games, but given that Ram had been captured and forced to participate in The Games by the MCP, Tram wasn't sure if he'd take to that one so readily. But there were certainly many other things to do.

He couldn't help but let his circuits dim reflexively in response to Ram's latter query. That's right. He wouldn't have known. It didn't bode well on him to be the bearer of bad news, but he couldn't lie about it either.

"Yes, that's very true. Users come here very frequently now. In fact, my own User is due for a visit and I know that he'd like to meet you very much," Tram said honestly. "As for Kevin Flynn..."

How could he begin to explain? Flexing his hands into fists and back again, he lowered his eyes to the floor, a frown working its way onto his features.

"The story is a very long one, but I'm... afraid that Kevin Flynn is gone. He was... derezzed, or... died... passed away... I'm not really certain how to phrase it. I'm not sure if Users can be derezzed," Tram admitted solemnly, his exuberance dampened by the thoughts. "But he's gone now. He did it to protect his son, Sam Flynn. Sam is the one who rebuilt the Grid, the one who runs it now. I'm... I'm sorry, that you had to find out like this. I know you were his friend."

[ram]

Ram felt a surge of pride for both of his old friends. Of course! Only Flynn would be able to create a system like this. And Tron! Well, it seemed the security program had moved quite far up in the world. "How very good for them," he grinned. "And I'd like to meet your user, Tram."

The happiness, however, was short-lived. As Tram's recounting of what fate had befallen his friend was sounded, Ram stepped back, looking as if Tram had slapped him across the face. "D-derezzed!? A user!? H-how? That can't be possible..." he commented, his voice quickly dropping to almost a whisper. The blue in his circuits dimmed in both shock and grief. Ram was an easy-going program but...this was more than he could comprehend at the moment. After all, how could 'God' die? His shoulders drooped. "His...son...I see... I guess at least he's still among us..."

Over all, aside from the little he spoke, the actuarial program was speechless.

[TRAM]

Tram adopted a reverential, if momentary, silence. Ram's circuits had reacted in much the same way his own had. It was never easy learning that you'd lost a friend, but he imagined it must be especially difficult for Ram. He'd really only just been rerezzed and one of the first things he had to learn was that Flynn was gone.

"I'm sorry. I know it's not what you wanted to hear. It was just that... the re-integration process was... too much for him. I never knew him myself, he was before my time, but Sam and Tron always speak of him fondly. So... I wish I knew him," Tram said quietly, his hands folded behind his back. "But sometimes, I really wonder, you know, if he's actually gone. I've never heard of a User derezzing or... or dying on The Grid, so I wonder what happens to them. I feel like maybe he might still be here somewhere. Not perhaps the same Kevin Flynn that you all knew, but still Kevin Flynn in some approximation. Because... even when we derezz, we're not ever really, truly lost. You're proof of that. So maybe..."

He cut off his rambling with an uncomfortable clearing of his throat. He hadn't meant to go on like that, but he felt he'd needed to say something to end the matter on a less depressing note. Or to try to, anyway. He offered a small smile at the mention of Sam. The Son of Flynn really was an extraordinary man; The Grid was lucky to have him.

"Oh, you'll love Sam. He's a lot like Kevin Flynn, according to Tron. And... Ben says that Alan says the same thing. Oh, by Alan I'm referring to who you might recall as being Alan-One, Tron's User!"Tram said with a nod. "I know I may have just bogged you down with some very upsetting information. Would you prefer some time alone? I would understand if you did."