CHAPTER 27 — A BOND OF BLOOD AND OATH

THE GRID – FOURTH TRONCYCLE

FLYNN'S HIDEOUT

Kevin's cosmic voyage into the Grid hasn't been the same since those harrowing visions of Sam's fatal crash landing from one of the steepest cliffs of the Outlands shook him to the core, an uncharted territory even Kevin himself avoided venturing into, for the fear of getting detected by C.L.Us Recognizers one day. Despite the reassurance from the Sea God regarding Sam's safety and his valuable advice to Kevin to continue his SADHANA and connect with the Grid, the anxiety generated by the persistent yet genuine concern for Sam isn't helping to get Kevin back on track. It even went to the extent where Kevin cursed himself for breaking his promise to Sam that night. 

'The Grid is free of C.L.U, yet everything went back to square one.' 

'Why do Flynns fight till the end for anything?'

'Had I pinged him then and there to hold his horses until I figure something out here, he'd be enjoying his life out there by now!'

'Why did he even bring her into all of this? Does my struggle sound like a sci-fi soap opera to him?'

'What's Alan doing over there? Leave it, he couldn't face this reckless Flynn back then, let alone his son!'

Despite his guilty feeling for Sam's predicament, thereby cursing himself with regret, Kevin failed to recall the very fact that no one in his place, not even Jordan, could've predicted anything that fateful out of nowhere. Her invaluable contribution left a huge imprint in ENCOM's history, etching an unforgettable memory in the eyes of the beholder. 

 Trying to put Jordan's memories behind is relatively easy for Kevin, but Sam's visions are a hard one to cross due to his helplessness in the matter at hand. Observing Kevin's emotional instability with silence, the Sea of Simulation advised Kevin "SORROW AND REGRET WILL NEITHER SAVE HIM NOR HELP YOU, FLYNN. BRAHMAN IS THE ULTIMATE REALITY. ONLY BRAHMAN CAN RESTORE BALANCE TO THE GRID AND THE WHOLE COSMOS BEYOND THESE VIRTUAL BOUNDARIES. DHYANA IS THE WAY, FOUNDER." Even though Kevin's mind got the wind of what the Sea was trying to convey, the heart though, found it confusing, to say the least, but was happy to know that the Sea God acknowledged its plight at least. His mind and heart in one place, Kevin resumed DHYANA, turning a blind eye to all the negative energy weakening his resolve.

 Time flew like binaries in the Grid as Kevin showed consistency in his voyage, immersed deeply in his DHYANA like a devout single-legged aghori in the Himalayas. Pivoting all the energy in his body towards the mind, Flynn's body surrendered to the soul, pausing all the sensory temptations such as hunger, pain, procrastination, and anxiety until the goal is reached. MilliTronCycles passed through the Grid but not through Flynn's soul, failing to urge the founder into rethinking his efforts. Pleased with Kevin's dedication, the Sea of Simulation deemed it unnecessary to update on Sam's status and whereabouts, and hence didn't inform him of subsequent important events in Sam's Quest, such as his recovery under Mara's hospitality in Able's Garage, the great escape and unfortunate capture by Pavel's men. Now and then, Kevin would enquire about Sam's condition with the Sea God and would always get the same reply "EVERYTHING IS OPERATING AS PER THE BRAHMAN. KINDLY PERFORM YOUR DUTY WITHOUT ANY INHIBITIONS".

 Unconvinced, Kevin would still maintain his calm but somewhere deep inside his mind, the lingering thought of Sam being in trouble would often tempt Kevin into peeking inside Sam's vision, which Kevin would thwart successfully every time. With this, Kevin's mind became free of the temptations and attachments of the soul and unlocked yet another superpower hidden inside: Telekinesis. Although being an offspring of Kevin's former ability to manipulate his environment at will, this one is still in its infancy, limited to controlling only minute objects made of solid, nothing big that could not fit inside the palm of an average human. Despite its infancy, the objects it could control seem to float in the air forever, given that the mind is free from physical and psychological disruptions. When the Sea of Simulation appreciated Kevin for his new step in the journey, Kevin teased himself as being Professor X without the X-Men. 

 However, this joy wouldn't last longer as soon as a sudden jolt passed through Kevin's heart, causing him a near heart attack. As soon as he opened his eyes, the sight of the vast, neon-blue Sea greeted him. Surprisingly, his body rolled in another direction involuntarily, revealing the helpless and stunned Quorra, being a mute spectator to the gritty Disc Combat between two strangers, one of them seems like one of C.L.Us henchmen while the other seems to be a mysterious Samaritan, going toe-to-toe with the opponent to save those behind him. On closer look, Kevin realized that the enemy was none other than TRON himself! For the life of him, Flynn couldn't believe what he just saw. Speculations stormed his mind like a tornado: 

 "Is this the same TRON who sacrificed himself on the altar for the Users!? Why is he going after the same Users he vowed to fight for? Why his circuitry hasn't been restored to default?" 

 Kevin thought of intervening and neutralizing TRON/Rinzler, whoever was in TRON's body, and tried to move forward but his legs refused, instead guarding Quorra from the chaos they're witness to. His head didn't even bulge a bit either vertically or sideways, fixated on the fight in awe. Every expression on his face disobeyed his neural command. Not even one organ in his body acted according to his will. Even for the likes of a powerful being in the Grid like him, Kevin is distraught and strongly convinced that he's stuck in a very, very bad dream. A dream so bad that his body has a life on its own, possibly voodooed by something sinister and more powerful than him.' Could it be that deceptively calm Sea Dude?' Kevin suspected. His desperate wails at TRON and Quorra were futile as they never propagated outside the mind and would presumably remain trapped inside until the soul departed from the body. 

 As if the confusion wasn't enough, Kevin got cold feet when Quorra held his hand from the back, in an intimate manner, temporarily diverting his attention from the ruckus. Nervous, she then asked, hinting towards the ensuing battle "Who's in there, Sam? TRON or Rinzler?". Sam, himself in a dilemma, couldn't give her a satisfactory reply and thus gave her a calm blink, an unspoken yet reassuring expression that everything will be alright on his watch and all she has to do is believe him. Kevin though, on the other hand, can't wrap his head around what's going on. 'Is it really Rinzler? Did he really fake his death and chased them till here? Is TRON gone forever? Why is Quorra calling me Sam? Am I in a Sim or something? Is there something wrong in my head?'

 Brainstorming his head through a whirlpool of thoughts, Kevin's vision blacked out before his conscious could react. A few seconds later, Kevin's eyes opened involuntarily, bringing him back to his abode, his surroundings intact. Heaving a huge sigh of relief, Kevin checked his hands and legs for confirmation and then thanked the Grid for pulling him out of the nightmare. For the life of him, Kevin couldn't fathom in a million light years the very thought of having a sensual connection with Quorra. In fact, other than reuniting with Sam, if there's any other reason for Kevin to live and survive another MilliTronCycle in the Grid, then it's Quorra. Even if Kevin had a daughter, she wouldn't have been as innocent, loyal, empathetic, and intelligent as Quorra, fitting the role of Kevin's daughter perfectly despite being an AI Program. 

 Barraging his train of thoughts, the Sea of Simulation startled Kevin with his usual greeting. Although the Sea maintains its composure all the time, the commanding voice is enough to send chills down the spine of any functional being in the Grid. 

- GREETINGS, FLYNN. IS THERE SOMETHING TROUBLING YOU IN THE VOYAGE?

- You tell me, Big Guy! What is that?

- I AM UNABLE TO COMPREHEND YOUR STATEMENT, FOUNDER. REQUEST YOU TO PRESENT IN AN ALTERNATE MANNER.

- Stop being holier than thou, Big Guy! What is that voodoo shit back there?

- COULD YOU PLEASE DEFINE THE WORD 'VODOO' FOR MORE CLARITY?

- (Depressed) This isn't real. Nothing's real. Please tell me all of this is just a nightmare!

- (AFTER A BRIEF SILENCE) ARE YOU REFERRING TO THE VISIONS YOU'VE JUST ENCOUNTERED, MR. FLYNN?

- Cut some slack, dude. You know what went back there, don't ya? It's too surreal for a nightmare. Some Grid Occult, witchcraft like that? Why the hell would Quorra otherwise think of me as Sam? 

- IT IS AN ANOMALY, FLYNN. YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO WITNESS WHATEVER HAS HAPPENED. DO NOT LET THE VISIONS TROUBLE YOUR TAPASYA, FOUNDER.

- Happened? What happened to Sam? Is he in big trouble again? Is he safe?

- EVERYTHING IS OPERATING AS PER BRAHMAN, O FOUNDER. KINDLY PERFORM YOUR DUTIES WITHOUT ANY INHIBITIONS. 

- Enough with this pretentious bullshit! You tell me where Sam is or I will derezz the whole Grid from its existence.

- YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO ACT UPON YOUR WILL AND YET YOU FAILED TO DO SO, FOUNDER. 

- Yeah, maybe not from the inside. But from the outside, the difference between preservation and destruction is just a command away, Big Guy!

- YOUR PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL IDENTITY IS ENTRAPPED NOT ONLY INSIDE THE GRID BUT ALSO WITHIN THE EMOTIONALLY CHARGED AND IRRATIONAL DESIRES IT HOLDS VERY DEAR TO. THE PATH TO FREEDOM IS POSSIBLE ONLY BY REACHING YOUR TRUE SELF.

- Irrational Desire? He's my son, goddammit! I raised him until he could stand straight on his feet, not some random program in a basement!! (After a brief silence, letting out a deep sigh) I lost Jordan, I cannot lose Sam, not again. If you think that's irrational and selfish, screw you! Nothing in this Grid can hold me back from saving my son and daughter. 

- YOUR ANGER GETS THE BETTER OF YOU, FLYNN. WITHOUT REALISING YOUR TRUE SELF, YOUR RECKLESS ENDEAVOUR WILL END UP RISK NOT ONLY THE FATE OF THE GRID BUT ALSO BOTH SAM AND QUORRA.

- It was my negligence in the portal schedule and concern for Quorra's safety that trapped me inside the Grid, not fear of C.L.U or my love for Grid. Now that he's gone for good, me and my Disc are enough for these rogue punks. Sam entered the Grid once; he's clever enough not to repeat the same mistakes.

(Kevin bends forward and tries to pluck his Identity Disc from behind when suddenly his spine cracks a little, instantaneously plummeting his mood from overconfident to agony).

- YOUR CONVICTION IMPRESSES ME, FLYNN. THE ALL-POWERFUL, VISIONARY FOUNDER OF THE GRID AND CREATOR OF THE NEW 'DIGITAL FRONTIER' WILLING TO RISK EVERYTHING FOR AN ISO AND A USER. PERHAPS IN THE USER WORLD, IT IS COMMON FOR A USER TO HAVE SUCH DEEP-ROOTED AFFECTIONS FOR FELLOW USERS, OR WHAT YOU'VE BEEN EMPHASIZING FREQUENTLY AS 'SON'.

(Kevin lifts himself up, his eyes soaked with tears and heart swelling with a mixture of sorrow and surprise)

- REVEALING THE SECRETS OF THE GRID, THOSE OF PRESENT AND THE FUTURE THAT BEHOLDS, IS UNAUTHORIZED AS PER MY DUTY AS THE CONSERVATOR OF THE GRID. ALTHOUGH, IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE BALANCE OF THE GRID FOR THE TIME BEING, THE GRID HAS PERMITTED ME TO REVEAL THE INFORMATION YOU WISH FOR ONCE, FLYNN.

- (Smile replaces mystery in Flynn's face)

- YOUR SON IS ALIVE, FLYNN. SAM AND QUORRA ARE IN PROTECTIVE CUSTODY. 

- Where? And who's the protector?

- I AM NOT ALLOWED TO REVEAL THE IDENTITY OF THE PROTECTOR, FOR THAT IS BEYOND MY COUNTENANCE. MY PERMIT IS RESTRICTED TO INFORMATION REGARDING THE SAFETY OF THE COUPLE AND THE ANOMALY.

- Forgive me, Sea God! Seeing TRON remaining unchanged and Quorra calling me as 'Sam' shook me to the core at once. Absence of Sam made me abuse you. Pardon me.

- IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT, FLYNN. THE UNPRECEDENTED ARRIVAL OF THE ANOMALY CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD. USERS CANNOT COMPREHEND SUCH ANOMALIES IN THE GRID AT ONCE AND IS CONVINCING ENOUGH TO DISORIENT THEM FOR A PERIOD OF TRONCYCLES.

- Yeah, what about that? Some bug or glitch in the server? I mean, the Grid?

- PARTIALLY. 

- Does it work like the Sorcerer's eye of Dr. Strange or what?

- MY AREA OF EXPERTISE LIES IN THE PERIPHERY OF THE GRID, FOUNDER. IT IS ADVISED TO KEEP YOUR QUERIES AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE.

- (Controlling himself) Is this my new superpower? Can I see through anything and anywhere?

- YOUR VISION IS LIMITED TO THAT OF YOUR SON SAM, FOUNDER. MOREOVER, NEITHER THE PERIOD OF YOUR VISIONS NOR THE ABILITY TO SWITCH BETWEEN BOTH OF YOUR VISIONS IS PERMANENT. 

- You mean, I can see what he can see, but not for a long time. Right?

- YOUR CONCLUSION IS CORRECT, FOR THE TIME BEING.

- Then tell me how to make it permanent.

- THE SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM LIES IN YOUR SADHANA, FOUNDER. 

- Why only his visions, why not everything? And why only now?

- THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS ANOMALY HAS BEEN TRACED TO THE BLOOD OF SAM FOUND NEAR THE BANKS OF THE SEA, ABRUPTLY TRANSPORTING YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS INTO SAM'S BODY. THE GRID BELIEVES THAT THIS ANOMALY HAS CREATED AN INEXPLICABLE, INDESTRUCTIBLE BOND BETWEEN THE BOTH OF YOU.

- (Kevin understood the 'bond' that the Sea referred to and chose to keep the secret for himself)

- If I can see what he can see, then I can control what he can control, right?

- THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE AT THIS MOMENT.

- Man! Why does it have to be so long and so hard? Can't the BRAHMAN come out and fix this mess right now?

- THE BRAHMAN EXISTS IN ONE AND ALL, O FOUNDER. IT IS IN YOUR SON, IT IS IN YOU, IT IS IN THE GRID. THERE IS NOTHING IN EXISTENCE THAT IS NOT AN ABODE OF THE BRAHMAN. AND WITHOUT LEARNING THE DEEPER TRUTH OF THE BRAHMAN, NONE OF YOUR GOALS CAN BE TRANSLATED INTO REALITY, FLYNN. 

 Kevin pondered in detail over the Sea of Simulation's words. It didn't take him long to realize that brevity and aggression can only take him so far. He concluded that only TAPASYA could answer his worries. Using his telekinesis powers in its infancy, Kevin persisted and repaired his spinal structure, enabling him to revert to the proper DHYANA posture. 

 Uniting his mind and body with a singular focus, Kevin came back on track, continuing his journey. This time, he successfully convinced the father in him that the GRID would take care of everything, all the while trying hard to expand the scope of his Sorcerer's Eye. 

BOSTRUM COLONY 

 Ever since the power source growled for salvation, radioactivity levels in the Bostrum Colony grew by leaps and bounds. It is as if the source itself is punishing the Colony even more than it deserves due to the barren wasteland maintaining silence by crushing the power surge in cold blood. As if the wasted potential of the Bostrumite is not tragic enough, the violent protest of the power source is not helping the once invaluable mine regain its cultural prominence in the history of the Grid. Suffering the increasing radioactive poison with immense courage, the land held itself stronger, proving to be a tough nut to crack for the power source.

 This immense courage though, would take a death blow, as the outskirts of the Argon City trembled, shaking in fear, fear caused by the devilish nature of the portal, mysteriously activated by powers unknown to the RollerBlades, who remained indifferent to the havoc created around them by the portal. While the RollerBlades took leave from the Grid, especially Argon City, in service for their General, the power source harnessed the immense energy generated by the portal. Laughing upon the Colony's instability to handle such immense energy created by the activation of the portal, the power source deemed it the right time to prove who's the boss in the room.

 Lighting up the skies of the Bostrum Colony in a yellowish-orange hue, the power source managed to crack up the surface a little. A permanent scar on the Colony.

GENERAL'S CARRIER SHIP – ARGON

(Thunderous rumbling, lightning strikes)

"(Shouting in disgruntlement) By the server of the Grid, don't tell me its the fucker Renegade already!!"

"Sir it's the portal! Somehow it got activated from the outside!"

"What the hell those wheelie fuckers are doing up there? Skating like pussies?"

"General! Mysterious activity has been reported by our fellow RollerBlades from afar!"

"Finish immediately or I'll cut your pussy in half!"

"A bright yellow-orange light has overstayed its welcome in Bostrum Colony. The source says it happened right after the portal got activated!"

"(Speaking to himself loudly) Fuck! Nothing good has happened since the Renegade entered my life! Neither then nor now!"

"(Turning to the guard) Send those pussy skaters to Bostrum. If they return empty-handed or vanish in thin air just like Argon, tell them I'll hunt those cocksuckers to the nether layers of the Grid and melt them into voxels with my own hands! (hands glowing indefinitely)"