Tron: Deliverance

MAINTENANCE ......IN PROGRESS

The air of Purgos had gotten progressively more noxious over the last few cycles.

That was the worst part about Purgos. The stench.

Tesler had managed to tame the city, get broad swathes of it under control. But nothing could fix that smell.

At least, nothing he could do without upsetting the Annoyance. And no matter how bad the smell got, he couldn't risk upsetting the secret behind his successes in this shattered drive of a city.

A query came from outside his command node. The structure was rough, nowhere close to the hub he had managed in Argon. Another piece of grit abrading his pride.

Tesler keyed the visitor into the room.

"You have scheduled maintenance" His Engineer said.

"Fine, work quickly" Tesler snapped. Unafraid of Tesler's obvious bad mood, the Engineer got to work, suspending the General's code and opening the options for his modified structures. The General's hands had become a marvel of engineering.

 First, he had managed to add his own enhancements, which Pavel had improved with some conniving hacks around the firewalls on his disc. Then, the Annoyance had come along with a perfect solution. Software that could blow straight through program firewalls and allow them to access their base structure. A skilled modifier could do the work of an Sysadmin, or even a User.

But that meant Tesler needed someone skilled working with code, which is where his Engineer came in.

The program worked quickly, his functions flaring to life. "You've put these things through a lot of wear and tear" He commented dryly.

Tesler scoffed "Rowdy useless programs in the lower districts. Needed correcting"

"I was there. You put your mods on overdrive too often. I'm fixing the same lines over and over" the engineer complained.

If his hands weren't powered down for maintenance Tesler would have let them flare with energy. Instead he spoke coolly "Unless you'd like me to take your code apart I suggest you spare me the lecture. I didn't ask for opinions"

The engineer snorted but fell silent.

He finished his routine repair and closed out the code, switching off the suspension.

"All done" the engineer intoned, packing up his equipment.

"You completed the mods on those new recruits?" Tesler asked.

The engineer spoke with obvious reluctance "Yes, I don't like modifying programs that don't even need it. Makes them require maintenance"

Tesler exhaled hard at the naivete "They join because they want power. Power WE provide. I see no issue with increasing the strength of our force" he danced around the very dangerous point the engineer was making. If these programs needed maintenance. Then they couldn't turn. Their mods would tear them apart eventually if they didn't have the Engineer to maintain them. The modifications ensured loyalty just as they ensured fighting power.

The Engineer sighed "I suppose". He brushed a hand against his own modified arm. The sleek lines of the machinery stark against the ragged code where it met his frame. The original arm had been violently torn off. "We do need the manpower. Saves us having to use that pathogenic code. I still cant...agree with that stuff"

Still walking a dangerous line. Tesler's processes ground with annoyance. If this program wasn't so critical to the operation Tesler would have put a fist through his chest a hundred cycles ago. He smoothed out his face and put on a pleading look.

"You know I only use the pathogen when absolutely necessary. On programs that can't function otherwise. Plus, the stronger a force we have, the less likely any more programs will turn to dissidence to begin with"

The Engineer raised an eyebrow. A bit too shrewd for Tesler's liking. "Seems to me we wouldn't have so much dissidence If I had the proper materials to stabilize the city structure. Desperate programs do desperate things"

Tesler placed a hand on the program's shoulder. The urge to pulse energy in the hand and shatter him growing ever more tempting. He kept the pleading but firm voice. A careful balance.

"Times are hard all over my friend. I'm requesting raw goods in all my status updates to CLU. But we just have to make do with what we have while the fight to stabilize the rest of the Grid goes on" Tesler left out the fact that no such data packets ever went out. And that CLU would never answer them if they did. He felt the shoulder sag under his hand.

The old program sighed "Right, right, not sure why I even bother asking"

Tesler gave the shoulder a slap and strolled to the viewing window of his command center.

"Change will come in due time. We must be patient and continue to build strength. Your mods are conducting patrols through the night-cycle?"

The Engineer grunted "The Grid bugs wandering in from the Outlands are getting worse. We stopped getting random outsiders wandering in a while back. I think we beat off the worst of them bad enough that word got around that Purgos isn't open to troublemakers. But the bugs are becoming their own force. Can't let em wander the city streets"

Tesler didn't particularly care. The bugs were yet another side effect the Annoyance was causing. -That was another program he'd punch a hole in if he could- The upside of the bugs was it gave the Mods something to practice on, hone their skills.

He needed them strong as possible for what was to come.

"Very good. You're dismissed. Algol will identify your next group of programs for modification"

The program shifted "I don't need that quack to choose my programs for me. He works with pathogen infected programs and half-crazed fanatics. I don't want that kind in my shop"

Tesler cast a fiery gaze over his shoulder, his voice dangerously smooth "I said you were dismissed. Walk out of here while you still can"

"Alright General. Alright" the program –wisely for once- retreated.

Tesler stared out at the chaotic mass of Purgos, ruined and festering. He would get out of this hole. Once he had a force strong enough to topple Dyson, he'd take Argon back. And who knew? Maybe he'd try for Sysadmin while he was at it.

Power was for those willing to take it. And he wouldn't stop. Not for anything.