CHAPTER-2 — ROMANCING THE ISO
ENCOM Tower
Ten Days Later
Quorra is charmed by the clean outline of the skyscraper that is Sam's building. Although she's not yet habituated to the User World, the ENCOM Tower is a huge improvement to the overlit neon skyscrapers of the Grid, which have now become pale in comparison. User World is a dream come true for her, which promises a new life. As Sam shows Quorra the Tower and its interior architectural finesse, they finally reach the board room. Quorra reminisces the dining table in Kevin's room inside the Grid, and wonders how these users make business and other important decisions at the dining table, to which Sam wittingly remarks that not every dinner table is the same. Everything in the User World throws Quorra in awe and she wishes all her Cycles from then on are spent in this world.
As the duo slips into Sam's room, immersing themselves in the turquoise shades of the ambiance, the twilight began to work its magic in the room. Two silent souls find solace in each other's eyes. Countless doubts and anxieties about their future vanish in the brief moment of silence. Romantic tension builds up and from then on, the duo slips into oblivion, immersed in the warmth of each other's hug. It is where the two of them combine into one, physically and emotionally. This sacred moment changed Quorra into a User faster than the exterior of User World ever could. Not only is she a User of flesh and blood, but one with feelings from that moment. Even Kevin himself would've been in shock, had he known the way an ISO became a human. Free will of her ISO identity has permitted her to explore the secrets of her newly found User body. A girl was born from a digital piece of code, thanks to a mystery called Love.
Sam and Quorra displayed their shy and silent outer selves, as the candles on the table and the night sky test their restraint. It is the first candle-light dinner of these love birds. Sam had arranged the dinner to be in a restaurant, an elite yet decent one, on purpose. He wanted to make her comfortable in public places one step at a time, making her a part of this world. Alan had taught Sam many things after becoming CEO, starting from elaborate Hand Gestures to Decision-Making Capabilities, among which Table Etiquettes was a make-or-break tactic for successful business meetings, which Sam thanks Alan for in his thoughts. Quorra, on the other hand, could not figure out what to say as she was new to these events. A few hours ago, they had the most beautiful yet unprecedented moment of their lives, and neither of them had experienced such a thing before.
Sam, however, broke the silence by calling the waiter and giving the order. He then turns to Quorra and starts the talk in a fumbling manner:
- So…um….do you like our office?
- Yeah…I do (smirking).
- You should have been on my first Board Meeting, I rocked the show and everyone was silent, Dad would've been proud of me.
- Maybe (giving a polite laugh without any clue).
- Alan patted my back after the meeting and said that I got the guts of my father. Imagine hearing it from your uncle himself (stops for a moment) I'm sorry I forgot you were an ISO.
They both paused for a moment as their order arrived, and continued again while relishing the dishes.
- Yes, but you and Kevin made me a User…. sorry human (Quorra had memorized the word "human" as instructed by Sam to maintain her identity).
- You're not just a human, but the most beautiful girl…I mean woman, I've ever met, inside and outside.
- How many have you met before?
- Five, one of which is my mother(giggles). Four of them are from Grid itself, their names I don't remember though.
Sam bites his tongue to stop there, regretting he should've avoided that question in a smarter way.
- I've met many male ISOs over many cycles, but you are the only User beside Kevin I've ever met (covering her feelings with her head down).
- You should've met more men over here; we are definitely way better than those you've met.
- Better than you?
- (cursing his glib) CEOs are different. Normal rules don't apply to them.
- (Quorra laughs) Especially after today evening.
Both became silent after Quorra hinted about their intimate moment. Words became unnecessary as their looks filled the silence. Just as a kiss was imminent between the blossoming buds, Sam's locket shined through the candle-lights onto Quorra, bringing the romance to a halt:
- Sam! You really must figure out something about the Key.
- I will figure out something, Quorra! Why bring it up now?
- This is not just a Key, Sam! Your father derezzed himself not only for us, but he also protected the Grid for a cause, not just wear it like a Disc.
- I have introduced a new proposal for that in the Board Meeting, Quorra.
- Proposal! Sam, you are the only User here who knows anything about the Grid. Why do you leave it to those who don't know and don't care about it? C.L.U proposed a better world for all and see what happened. My friends and family were all derezzed in the Purge.
- (Pausing for a moment) You're right. We have to figure this out by ourselves.