Clu had indeed been rezzed as an independent; his function wouldn't have allowed for anything less. As a hacker, he'd needed to be able to adapt to new scenarios on the fly, to overcome the challenges of rugged terrain and increasingly hostile systems, and navigate through his missions with minimal User input most of the time. Much of the time, he wasn't able to run to the nearest I/O tower to check in and get new instructions; if there was a decision to be made while on a mission, he had to make it.
Not that Flynn had ever left him hanging. Clu had always known that his User was watching his back from somewhere in the Invisible Realm, and Flynn had always done his best to make sure he was as prepared for any mission as he could be. But once he was sent out, he was largely on his own. He couldn't really say he preferred that sort of life, living out of his tank more often than his own in-system quarters almost; having a comfortable bed and a handy defragger was definitely a good thing. But there would always be part of him that itched for the next mission, the next challenge. For the giddy energy rush of successfully evading security, of solving another puzzle. For the static buzz of danger, clambering over rugged code formations, avoiding gridbugs and recos, hiding in dark corners waiting for a security shift change.
The system had been so much wilder then. And he'd been designed to overcome whatever it could throw at him. Maybe this still new connection to his code-brother was the latest challenge thrown his way. A challenge not to overcome or evade, but to nurture and steady. To be a force for balance instead of chaos. Well... maybe a little chaos; he was still a hacker after all. But not the same sort of chaos he'd been sowing on the Grid prior to his capture.
He'd been secretly uploaded with Flynn's last monitor, rerezzed, revamped, updated, and upgraded and tasked with investigating the troubles on Grid quietly, from the shadows, the way the likes of Tron and Anon never could. Just in time to see his investigations rendered moot, and for everything to come crashing down around him. After that? After that had been disturbingly familiar territory for quite some time. Infiltrating a hostile system with a power-mad dictator at it kernel. DO everything within his power to harry and confound that dictator's efforts toward familiar destructive ends.
His current situation was a twist he never would have predicted. But all in all? He wasn't complaining.
"Oh it's certainly efficient, alright," he said regarding the room, his tone clearly implying that he didn't think the design had much else going for it. But that tone broke into a slight chuckle at the comment about linens. "Deal. Maybe we can get some other colors in here, at least; everything on the Grid is so monochrome." That was something he definitely missed about the old system; compared to the Grid, it had been a riot of glowing colors, as diverse as the programs who called it home. Everything on the Grid felt just a bit flat by comparison, even if the resolution was much higher. He wasn't sure if that had been Flynn's idea or his code brother's, but it made the whole place a bit bland and depressing, at least to his processes.
The admin processed over his other question, seemingly struggling a little to get his vocal functions to cooperate enough to properly answer the query. Clu noted the odd flicker at the notion of him being at his code-brother's mercy, filing it away to process more later. He smiled wryly at the notion that he wasn't afraid though. "Oh I was afraid," he said. "Would've been stupid not to be, at least a little bit. But I was way more angry. And definitely ready to glass you." His tone shifted to something a bit more serious for a moment. "Though really, once you've already derezzed once for what you believe in, having to do it again doesn't hold quite the same terror anymore."
He'd never told Flynn that he retained the memory files of his last moments. And probably wouldn't even if he were to have the opportunity. Flynn had seemed upset enough by the knowledge of how Clu had been lost originally the one time he'd met him in this life; there was no need to compound that unless his User specifically asked. Which he doubted he would.
The admin curled a bit closer, returning his grip and half-hiding his face against Clu's shoulder. A gentle smile crossed his face, though it was laced with just a bit of mischief. "I can handle being held," he said. "And returning the favor. Although... if you still want to do more than that, I'm gonna have to disengage for a nano here shortly. Gotta get my own disc and outfit off, you know?" Oh yes, definitely a bit of mischief in both his smile and his tone, even as he leaned his head gently against his code-brother's.
no subject
Not that Flynn had ever left him hanging. Clu had always known that his User was watching his back from somewhere in the Invisible Realm, and Flynn had always done his best to make sure he was as prepared for any mission as he could be. But once he was sent out, he was largely on his own. He couldn't really say he preferred that sort of life, living out of his tank more often than his own in-system quarters almost; having a comfortable bed and a handy defragger was definitely a good thing. But there would always be part of him that itched for the next mission, the next challenge. For the giddy energy rush of successfully evading security, of solving another puzzle. For the static buzz of danger, clambering over rugged code formations, avoiding gridbugs and recos, hiding in dark corners waiting for a security shift change.
The system had been so much wilder then. And he'd been designed to overcome whatever it could throw at him. Maybe this still new connection to his code-brother was the latest challenge thrown his way. A challenge not to overcome or evade, but to nurture and steady. To be a force for balance instead of chaos. Well... maybe a little chaos; he was still a hacker after all. But not the same sort of chaos he'd been sowing on the Grid prior to his capture.
He'd been secretly uploaded with Flynn's last monitor, rerezzed, revamped, updated, and upgraded and tasked with investigating the troubles on Grid quietly, from the shadows, the way the likes of Tron and Anon never could. Just in time to see his investigations rendered moot, and for everything to come crashing down around him. After that? After that had been disturbingly familiar territory for quite some time. Infiltrating a hostile system with a power-mad dictator at it kernel. DO everything within his power to harry and confound that dictator's efforts toward familiar destructive ends.
His current situation was a twist he never would have predicted. But all in all? He wasn't complaining.
"Oh it's certainly efficient, alright," he said regarding the room, his tone clearly implying that he didn't think the design had much else going for it. But that tone broke into a slight chuckle at the comment about linens. "Deal. Maybe we can get some other colors in here, at least; everything on the Grid is so monochrome." That was something he definitely missed about the old system; compared to the Grid, it had been a riot of glowing colors, as diverse as the programs who called it home. Everything on the Grid felt just a bit flat by comparison, even if the resolution was much higher. He wasn't sure if that had been Flynn's idea or his code brother's, but it made the whole place a bit bland and depressing, at least to his processes.
The admin processed over his other question, seemingly struggling a little to get his vocal functions to cooperate enough to properly answer the query. Clu noted the odd flicker at the notion of him being at his code-brother's mercy, filing it away to process more later. He smiled wryly at the notion that he wasn't afraid though. "Oh I was afraid," he said. "Would've been stupid not to be, at least a little bit. But I was way more angry. And definitely ready to glass you." His tone shifted to something a bit more serious for a moment. "Though really, once you've already derezzed once for what you believe in, having to do it again doesn't hold quite the same terror anymore."
He'd never told Flynn that he retained the memory files of his last moments. And probably wouldn't even if he were to have the opportunity. Flynn had seemed upset enough by the knowledge of how Clu had been lost originally the one time he'd met him in this life; there was no need to compound that unless his User specifically asked. Which he doubted he would.
The admin curled a bit closer, returning his grip and half-hiding his face against Clu's shoulder. A gentle smile crossed his face, though it was laced with just a bit of mischief. "I can handle being held," he said. "And returning the favor. Although... if you still want to do more than that, I'm gonna have to disengage for a nano here shortly. Gotta get my own disc and outfit off, you know?" Oh yes, definitely a bit of mischief in both his smile and his tone, even as he leaned his head gently against his code-brother's.