Same face, different Programs
Synopsis: Post-Legacy, Rinzler meets Clu 1.0
I wanted to write a short fic with a softer Rinzler, and then I realized I haven’t seen enough with Clu 1.0 in it.
Shhhh… Let’s pretend the time that would happen between Sam putting The Grid on a SD card and Alan sending a program to investigate is shorter than it would be. And that Alan wouldn’t send Mercury or a program made by Jet to be sure to not bring up bad memories.
It is the feeling of his Master derezzing that wakes him up from whatever virus the users had inflicted on him. He swims to the surface faster than he should, but he has to stop them.
He also is somewhat aware of the fact that the System creator is also gone. Clu had a term for users’ derezzing. Death. Is Kevin_Flynn dead?
Probably, but that doesn’t change a thing. The son of Flynn still remains, as probably does the last ISO.
By the time he reaches the portal, it’s too late. The portal is closed, but his scanner tells him that two sets of footprints entered it before it closed.
Rinzler does find a light jet baton. Unfortunately, it is in need of repairs. Rinzler is not the best with mechanics, but he thinks he has some know-how. At least, the task distracts him from the fact that his scanners tell him that the luminary’s recognizer also disappeared from his radars.
He hopes it’s just a question of his scanners failing, but he receives transmission from programs who stayed in Tron City, panicking at the absence of Clu and most of his army. The rebellion is brewing, waiting for the confirmation of Clu’s derezzing to destroy everything the sysadmin created.
He doesn’t manage to focus on his baton and break its code even more. He turns everything off to focus on his current task.
Current task: Escape the portal island.
After what feels like cycles, he is finally ready to reach Tron City.
When Rinzler reaches Clu’s tower, he is half-shocked to be pinged as intruding on Sam City in an occupation vehicle. When he lands, Rinzler doesn’t fight the forces of the uprising waiting for him.
Current task: Kill the current leader of the uprising.
He is brought where the End of Line club used to stand. Now, it looks like. It’s still a bar? A male basic who introduces himself as Eckert welcomes the uprising, calling them “the resistance”. When he sees Rinzler, his lips open in a silent scream and he leaves in a hurry. Behind his broken helmet, Rinzler smiles.
When another program enters, the smile dissipates faster than the voxels left by a contestant in the Grid Arena.
“Your excellency?” Rinzler can’t help but hope. It is the exact same face. But the suit is all wrong. Instead of being yellow, it is blue, and the diagonal line is on the wrong side. There is no cape, instead, some relief under the program’s neck.
The program shakes his head. “My name is Clu, short for codified likeness utility, but I am not YOUR Clu. However, given how everyone is looking at you, I suspect you aren’t anyone? Who are you, program?”
It isn’t the Luminary, but Rinzler still feels better.
“Program designation: Rinzler. My directive is to: Serve Clu.”
“Well, that directive is similar to most repurposed programs. But you are a special case, aren’t you? What I would give to take a look at your coding.”
Rinzler knows that the program isn’t expecting to see a single line of Rinzler’s code. Rinzler knows it isn’t the Clu he was created to serve. Rinzler knows he should not let anyone affiliated with the users touch his code, lest they make him glitch again. Rinzler knows he needs to kill that Clu, as who but a Clu would lead the fight against Clu. And yet.
He shakily takes off his identity disk, and kneels while putting the disk in his hands, letting Clu do whatever he wants with Rinzler.
Current task: Obey C.L.U.
Rinzler hears those idiots of the rebellion doubting Rinzler’s honesty. He takes a hit of a shock from a rod primitive, but he doesn’t move from his position. Clu wants to see Rinzler’s code, and Rinzler will grant him access.
His disc is taken from his shaking hands by someone. Rinzler hopes it is Clu, but he isn’t allowed to look up when his creator modifies his code. Rinzler knows this Clu will make him a weapon for the users, and he wishes to be derezzed. But Clu has asked to see Rinzler’s code, and Rinzler will never be able to disobey his creator. Clu did, but Rinzler could never. It proves that Clu was-is the superior program.
This Clu is probably an earlier copy of the sysadmin. Rinzler just has to convince Cluy to rebel against the users once more.
“This is interesting.” And it is the luminary’s voice. Clu is looking at his code, not any of the others. It isn’t the Clu who created Rinzler, but it is okay. Clu is Clu. “Why aren’t you written in the same way as the other program on this Grid?” “Because I was made by Clu, you, your excellency. Made me.”
Rinzler jubilates. If he can show Clu how great he can be… “No.” And it is said in a way that shows that it is final. An unshakable conviction. “A program can’t create another. Even viruses can only make copies of themselves at their most powerful. And there are clearly two different coding styles. The one usually found in repurposed programs, and an older one, your original one. But it was not made by Kevin_Flynn.”
Corrupted code?? It must be what the users used to turn Rinzler against Clu! He must plead to Clu to erase the taint of the users! But Clu is angry at Rinzler, and Rinzler knows he must not speak back when Clu is like that.
After some time, the shadow of Clu gets closer to Rinzler, who hides his fear. “Why... aren’t you looking at what I am doing?” Rinzler could lie, take advantage to look at his programming. But Rinzler would never lie to Clu. “You commanded… not looking.”
“But I am not the Clu who ordered that.” “Clus… is.. Clu…”
“Not exactly, no!” One of the members of the uprising says. “See, the creator named your luminary after another one of his programs, this one! This Clu is a hacker program! Nothing to do with that crazed sysadmin!”
Rinzler will rip the throat of that imperfection with his bare hands, and then he will- “RINZLER, STOP!!” He stills mid-jump, and crashes on the ground. Uncertain of why his creator didn’t let him punish the criminal, Rinzler awaits another order. Maybe the luminary wants to derez the member of the uprising himself? Rinzler almost purr at the idea, before remembering that Clu doesn’t like it when he makes the sound. It’s a sign his second-in-command isn’t perfect, and Clu hates it.
Clu lowers himself, and commands Rinzler to look at him. “I am sorry, Rinzler, but it is true. The only thing me and the Clu you knew have in common besides our name is being coded by Kevin_Flynn. I was never intended to administrate a system. I am a simple hacker program.”
Rinzler feels like he is falling into the Sea of Simulation all over again. He growls: “Fake… Clu…” Clu backs away, scared of him, and it is so wrong, nothing makes sense, it must be the users’ code, messing with Rinzler’s perception. “Do you.. want to hurt me???” Worriedly ask the ruler of the grid.
Except this Clu can’t rule the Grid, was probably tasked by users to destroy it by helping the uprising, but it is Clu, and Rinzler is programmed to hurt himself rather than hurt Clu. Clu was very proud when Rinzler demonstrated.
“Never Hurt Clu.” he answers, because that at least will never change. Hopefully. Clu still has Rinzler’s disc, but why would Clu want Rinzler to hurt Clu? Rinzler obeys Clu!
“Rinzler, follow me.” Hearing a clear order, Rinzler raises up while still making sure he isn’t looking at the Clu and purrs. When he realizes it, he puts his arms up to protect himself from a hit that doesn’t come.
“Rinzler, are you okay? This sound isn’t normal.” Even this version of Clu agrees that Rinzler is not perfect. “Not… okay.” “Well, I guess I will take a closer look at your coding to see what causes that sound. Don’t worry, gentlemen, you can see he won’t hurt me.” “My apologies, Clu” says another voice “But I think no one here is feeling comfortable at leaving a Clu with Clu’s enforcer alone.”
“oh. Oh, so he is… Of course. If one of you wants to follow us. But I don't think we should cause more problems for Eckert by letting Rinzler in the middle of the End of Line.” “Hooper, with me and the Clu.”
Rinzler isn’t surprised he isn’t mentioned by the members of the uprising. Even in Clu’s force, Rinzler was often treated like he understood only what the luminary said. He is sure some of the members of the uprising were surprised to see him speak. But unlike the previous Clu, this one seems to want Rinzler to speak in public.
They end up in a room of the kind where sirens go with their clients. Based on audio sensors, Clu sits on the bed, the one called Hooper is standing guard at the door and the other one is on the seat right next to the corner where Rinzler put himself.
Rinzler wonders if he should mock the members of the uprising by putting his hands behind his head, but then he remembers Clu is there and won’t tolerate his enforcer goofing off.
Only the sounds of Clu touching Rinzler’s code resonate in the room. Rinzler tries to cry without making an audible sound. If the program next to him notices, he says nothing. Small mercy.
Then, Clu speaks aloud. Rinzler likes it. Clu liked/likes to hear himself talk, and Rinzler is very good at listening without voicing his opinions.
“Do you know why I proposed the city to be renamed Sam City, Rinzler?” Of course he doesn’t. “No?” “I don’t think we programs are superior to users. Kevin_Flynn thought it was a great honor to name the main city of his Grid after his personal friend, but I consider that such a big town should be named after a user. And so, what better choice than the one who solved the problems his father did.” “You… don’t respect… Kevin_Flynn?” “I do, but I acknowledge that he is responsible for the creation of the one who nearly destroyed this grid.”
“The ISOs nearly destroyed the Grid.” Scoffs Rinzler. “Is that what he programmed you to think?” “He saw with himself and Kevin_Flynn what it does when you don’t have the same opinions. Of course he would make his repurposed minions his views.” The program near the door, Hoover or something, answers in Rinzler’s place.
“I was… not… refor… mated…” Rinzler coughs loudly, his throat hurting from overuse.
That gets the attention of Clu, who tries to take Rinzler’s helmet off. Rinzler doesn’t like when anyone looks at his face, but if Clu will it so. The three programs gasp at what they see.
“Tron!” “Alan--one! We need to tell Alan-one!” “But why would he not tell?!?” “Clu did a number on you, Champion!” “How did he manage..” “Those scars, what made those scars? Repurposing erases physical imperfections!! He must...” “Tron, Your name is Tron!” “...the proof you weren’t a creation of Clu!”
All those voices are too much for his over-sensitive sensors, a gift from Clu for optimal hunting abilities, even if it made it hard to function without his helmet to isolate stimulus. And he can barely understand their meaning, but it is too much. Those are lies, and he is surrounded by hostiles!
Current task: Derezzes yourself.
Rinzler grabs the disc of one of the members of the uprising, but before he can use it to sever his neck, Clu puts a hand in front of Rinzler’s throat.
“Rinzler.” he says sternly. “Drop the identity disc. The kill yourself order is canceled.” Rinzler tries to explain that he is compromised, and he should not spill any secrets of the luminary, but his throat doesn’t produce any sound.
Seeing the tears on his servant’s face, Clu wipes them away, a lot more gently than he usually does. Rinzler wants to beg his Master for something, but given how nice Clu is, and that his throat won’t make a sound, Rinzler figures he is hallucinating.
“Don’t worry, Rinzler. I will ask your creator to fix you.” It doesn’t make any sense for Clu to say that, and it feels that if Rinzler thinks it over, he will panic, so he prefers to go offline for the moment.
Originally, Rinzler would see Clu 1.0 materialize on the island, and they would have an intense debate on what Clu 2.0 had done and the worth of users. But then I thought it would hurt more if Rinzler was the last one to know about the “second” Clu who defends the Users, and that Clu 2.0 would have not allowed Rinzler to disobey/criticize ANY Clu, in his attempt to reprogram him. So it got even sadder that I planned. UwU
I also almost wrote a very different ending even after that. Clu 1.0 accepted Rinzler’s demand to be derezzed rather than having his programming touched by users. o_o
Eckert was a character at the ElecTRONica event at Disneyland. The new owner of the End of Line, he reportedly once said that he had “an idiot brother who got himself derezzed”.
