Fic: TARA

[xita]

Ahh, you took an unexpected turn which makes the relationship more consetual, more spontaneous and free. She knew, and still went ahead. Very clever. Romance still on course!

-----------------------------------

Only 50 cents

[Artemis]

xita: Well, I haven't quite written myself out of trouble yet (I will! I hope) - there's still a lot to work out, and Tara knowing who Willow is hasn't yet solved everything. I'll be posting the next chapter in a moment, you'll see. Hopefully after this one I'll have worked through the big user/program problem in the romance.

[Artemis]

TARA



Author: Chris Cook

Rating: PG

Summary: Cycorp programmer Willow Rosenberg knows her boss is up to no good - but can she break into the impenetrable Echelon system to prove it?

Spoilers: Pretty much none.

Copyright: Based on characters from 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', created by Joss Whedon and his talented minionators, and 'Tron' created by Steven Lisberger. All original material is copyright 2003 Chris Cook.

Feedback: Please. Here, or to alia@netspace.net.au



Author's Note: God I hope this works.



--

Chapter Fifteen

--



"Wha?" said Willow, in lieu of being able to form a coherent thought. Surprise overcame anxiety, and she looked up. Tara's face was calm, peaceful. She was smiling faintly.



"But-" started Willow. 'Damn, there goes the prepared speech.' "How? When?"



"When we became unity," said Tara. "Until then I supposed you were a unique program, like me. When we merged I felt something different about you, something... more than a program. I can't describe exactly what it was. I realised later that you could only be a user. It explained everything you could do that seemed impossible. And given what you told me, you had to be my user. Willow." Tara smiled again, lifting Willow's spirits even as she remained as confused as ever.



"I... don't know what to say now," she admitted.



"Why do you have to say anything?" asked Tara. Willow shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.



"There's so much I don't understand," she said at last, "but there are things I need you to know. I'm so confused, though... Tara, I love you, I-" she caught sight of Tara's confused expression. "It's a user word," she explained, "it means... unity, I suppose. To be part of a unity with someone else. To be made complete."



"Love," said Tara, trying out the word. She smiled and nodded. Willow knew she hadn't even begun to explain it properly, but she saw understanding in Tara's eyes.



"I love you," she said again, "I didn't want to hurt you. When I remembered what you said, about being complete with me, a-and... I didn't want you to think it wasn't true. That it was just because I'm your user."



"But of course it is," said Tara calmly. "I didn't understand why I felt it then, but now I do."



"No!" insisted Willow. She could feel herself getting too agitated, but she couldn't help it. "No, that's just what I was afraid- Tara, what you told me, what I told you, as a... as one program to another, that was true! All of it, everything... I don't want you to think that you were made to feel this way, that, that I made you love me, or... you deserve so much more than that." Now it was Tara's turn to look confused.



"You didn't program me to feel this?" she asked, then without waiting for an answer: "These feelings are... are what I have become?" Willow wasn't sure she understood what Tara meant.



"Tara," she said, "you're more than what I programmed you to be... when you love it's not because you were programmed to. When I love you, it's not because I made you to be loved. I don't know how to say it, but I need you to believe that! Please, if there's nothing else I can tell you, please believe that who you are, the person, the program you have made yourself, deserves love... unity..." Willow stared at Tara, her eyes pleading for her to believe. Tara was silent for a long while.



"Willow," she said at last, haltingly, as if a lot of thoughts were moving very fast behind her words, "if you feel... love, for me..." she trailed off, catching Willow's look.



"I believe you," she started again, "I believe you love me. If I'm wrong... if I'm wrong, I could question everything I calculate is true. You love me. You love me," she repeated, and let out a short laugh, as if she couldn't contain it. She smiled widely and stared up at the sky.



"No, wait," she said, reining herself in, "you love me, and I love you, yet... I was not made to love you. Willow, I don't understand."



"What?" asked Willow gently. Tara seemed so confused.



"Why didn't you create me to love you? It happened anyway, so... why not?"



"Because it's..." Willow started quickly, and then realised she had to think about the explanation. "Love isn't something that can be manufactured, or programmed."



"But users create paired programs," said Tara. "They share unity, they... love each other."



"I know, I think," said Willow, hoping she did understand. "But you and I, I think the unity we have is different. We're not incomplete halves of something, we're... I don't know how to explain it properly, I think we, you and I, are both whole beings, and our unity is something more than just us finding a missing part of ourselves. I love you because... when I feel complete with you, I'm more than myself, a-and I hope... you are too."



"I understand," said Tara slowly. "I remember when I was first initialised... Everything was simple and... and linear. What I am now, I became over time..." She was staring off into the distance, as if experimenting with the idea, trying to see if it worked. "You created the... potential for me. What I have become... I created?"



"Yes," said Willow, "and I love you."



"Willow..." Tara said, eyes fixed on the horizon. Willow saw moisture glisten in her eyes and begin to fall over her cheeks. "I don't deserve this, I don't, I can't... I can't be what you say I am-"



Willow wanted to try to explain it rationally, but at the sight of Tara crying she lost her battle with the urge to kiss her. As she held Tara in her arms and brought their lips together, she desperately tried to open herself to Tara, to create a link that would let Tara see inside her code, her mind, her soul, let her see the truth that she couldn't find words for. She felt part of Tara pass through her, but then she also felt the familiar sensation of her own energy reaching out, trying to merge with Tara, and she pulled back. Tara took a deep, shuddering breath, and held Willow close to her, lying half on top of her, locking her arms around Willow's waist when she tried to move back further.



"Oh Willow," she breathed, "I saw... I saw love, I... felt it." She blinked and focused on Willow properly. "Why did you stop? Are... you're afraid?"



"I don't want to hurt you," said Willow, "I can't- after what I did in the maze, I was afraid that when we merged, I might accidentally hurt you, or change you... I can't do that. I won't."



"But... we already merged," said Tara.



"I didn't realise," said Willow, ashamed, "I didn't know what I was doing. It was only after... I realised what could have happened."



"But... Willow, I don't understand, you're a user."



"Yes?" said Willow, equally as confused as Tara seemed to be.



"You're a user," repeated Tara, "everything you do is according to a plan. How could you not have known?"



"What?" said Willow. "What plan?"



"The actions of users are predetermined by their internal instructions," Tara explained patiently, "so you must have known whether or not you would change me. I can understand why you can't reveal the nature of the actions you have yet to perform," she went on, seemingly oblivious to Willow's bafflement, "if future events were to be known by programs they might be altered by pre-knowledge, and that would lead to a paradox collapse, but..." she trailed off, seeing Willow's bewilderment.



"Um," said Willow, not sure where to begin.



"Your actions... haven't been defined by a plan?" asked Tara.



"No," admitted Willow, wondering what sort of monumental can of worms had just been opened.



"Did the process of being incorporated into the system somehow separate you from your instruction set, or..." Tara stopped, seeing Willow's helpless expression.



"Um, we don't have instructions," said Willow. 'Oh goddess, now what?'



"So... how do you decide what to do?" asked Tara.



"Well... we just do what seems best at the time."



"Yes, that's how it is for programs," said Tara, "but for users it's... just... the same?" Willow nodded. "Oh my user," said Tara to herself. "Sorry," she amended, seeing Willow's reaction to the phrase.



"You didn't know what was going to happen," Tara said, as if trying to make herself believe it. "You didn't know you were going to survive the Game Grid. You didn't know you could heal me. You didn't... you didn't know how I would react when you told me the truth?"



"No," said Willow, hoping Tara could cope with the notion. She seemed to be fairly shocked, but nonetheless thinking it through.



"I could have... you didn't know... you were afraid I might not have understood, or... or been like other programs, worshipped you... you didn't know?"



"I didn't know," confirmed Willow.



"I might have," said Tara, to herself. "I might have refused to believe that, that you hadn't made me to complete you... I might have just... decided it was my duty to please you, if that's what you wanted?"



"I was afraid," admitted Willow. "You deserve better than to believe that."



"And," continued Tara, "everything you felt for me... the love I saw... you might have lost it... you risked it to tell me the truth?"



"I couldn't go on lying to you," said Willow, "and I couldn't risk hurting you. I had to tell you, I had no choice."



"You risked losing me," said Tara slowly, "for me? For my sake?"



"Because I love you," said Willow, unable to hold back the tears that had been forming in her eyes. Tara lifted her hands to Willow's back and pulled her close, and without thinking Willow leaned into her kiss. Tara's lips opened instantly under hers, and Tara's hands pressed against her, urging her on. Willow felt the link between them forming again, and didn't resist when the loop between them completed, allowing her access to Tara, as well as Tara to her. But still, when her hands began to warm with energy, she hesitated. Tara sensed it, and pulled back just enough to speak - the link, amazingly, remained unbroken.



"Willow," she said, her breath hot on Willow's cheek, "do it... you won't hurt me, I'll guide you... I want it, Willow, I want- I want you to have all of me. Not because you made me, not for duty or devotion, just because... one program to another, Willow, I am *yours*... now..." she leant back just a fraction more, to stare into Willow's eyes. Too close to focus properly, but Willow could see the unfiltered need in Tara's gaze, hunger that was unbearably erotic, and burned away all of Willow's doubts in an instant.



"Do it now," groaned Tara, her voice low and husky, even as Willow began to release her power, and feel herself merge with Tara. She forgot all about the system and programs - all that existed was her and Tara, two bodies pressed against each other, two minds flowing through each other. She saw again the galaxy of Tara's soul, and from the part of her within Tara she saw her own. Pleasure flowed between and around them, pure, primal and beautiful. It was only then that Willow realised she had held back, without knowing it, before, that the doubts she had suppressed had nonetheless weighed her down. Now she was free, and she let herself and Tara coalesce completely.



She felt the sensation of the energy flow, almost lost amid the orgasmic pleasure, spread from her hands, along her arms, across her chest, down past her centre and through her legs. At the same instant Tara threw her head back and screamed at the top of her voice - if not for the bond between them Willow would have panicked completely, but she could feel everything Tara felt, and knew there was no danger. She opened her eyes, staring at Tara's beautiful, yearning face, and just for a moment she saw her and Tara's traceries, completely meshed, flowing over them and between them. Then the connection caught, reflected, and Willow screamed too, closing her eyes as Tara's energy glowed so brightly it half-blinded her. The final, complete merging travelled between them, through them, gaining momentum like a shooting star. Their lips met in a last, fierce kiss as the unity exploded within them, with such force that Willow could have sworn she felt herself and Tara lift off the deck of the Sailer.



When it passed, Willow found herself half-draped over Tara, breathing in her heavenly scent as she nestled in the hollow of her neck. Tara's chest was rising and falling, lifting Willow's embracing arm with it. Both of them were breathing like they'd just run a marathon.



"Oh!" exclaimed Tara, more a release of pent-up sensation than a word. "Oh," she repeated, "Willow... oh Willow..."



"Tara," whispered Willow. She couldn't form a proper thought, not yet, she just needed to say something, anything, to acknowledge what had happened. Tara let her head fall sideways, so that she could look at Willow. Her smile was more radiant to Willow than the blinding flash of energy had been. For a moment she just looked at Willow, as if perfectly content, then her gaze shifted, and she frowned.



"Oh my..." she trailed off. Willow lifted herself, with some difficulty, and looked. The deck beneath them was patterned with tiny, hard-edged ripples, like breaking waves, as if it had been water just for a second, and frozen over as a blast went off. Willow's eyes followed the warping away from her and Tara, seeing it in the hull around them, in the pedestal of the control console, and running several metres along the narrow walkway on top of the Sailer's long neck. Then she looked back, as Tara slowly rolled over and pushed herself up onto her elbows. As she had half-suspected, the epicentre of the distortions in the deck was right beneath where they had been at their moment of perfect unity.



"Well," said Tara, murmuring as if she had just woken up, "the Sailer doesn't seem to be damaged..." she trailed off, shrugged, then leaned close and kissed Willow again.



"Wow," said Willow muzzily. She focused on Tara. "Are you okay? Um, functioning alright?" Tara smiled.



"Yes," she said, "I'm 'okay'. Mmm!" she exclaimed, shuddering as if a chill ran through her body. "I'm perfect," she finished, ducking beneath Willow's arm and pulling Willow down to lie on top of her.



"You certainly are," said Willow, grinning.

Edited by: Artemis at: 4/7/03 12:04:56 am

[xita]

You were very much right , the relationship issues weren't over. I was surprised at Tara's view on how the users acted. I knew they had a religious sort of reverence for them but I hadn't thought it through. They of course would attribute prescience to them as most anyone would to any god.

-----------------------------------

Only 50 cents

[miss calendar]

Hi Artemis,

Great update! I confess I was anticipating angst after Willow's confession but you managed to keep a light touch without ignoring the issues and also treated us to another delightful love scene.



I liked the way Willow and Tara started out with such different assumptions and reactions to the fact of Willow being Tara's user. I guess I have a human perspective, seeing this as a major problem, sharing Willow's belief that, 'Love isn't something that can be manufactured or programmed' and anxious about the inherent power imbalances in a user/program relationship. I wasn't expecting Tara's happy acceptance that the unity they experienced was precisely because Willow was her user and had programmed Tara this way. Still it made perfect sense given that Tara's only prior experience of 'unity' was observing paired programs who were created to 'complete' each other and that, within the system, being programmed is an integral and accepted fact of life.



I liked Willow's attempt to explain why the love they shared was different, that rather than being two incomplete halves who together make a whole they are each complete beings who, when they come together, each become something more than they were. And I reckon as a definition of a healthy, loving relationship that works just as well for humans as for programs.



I love how your Tara has such innocence, such passion and is so open to new experiences and concepts. I like how quickly she considers these and then reaches her own conclusions like the idea that, 'You created the... potential for me. What I have become....I created.' The scene where Tara realises the fallibility of users is simply priceless.





"But... Willow, I don't understand, you're a user."



"Yes?" said Willow, equally as confused as Tara seemed to be.



"You're a user," repeated Tara, "everything you do is according to a plan. How could you not have known?"



"What?" said Willow. "What plan?"



then.....



"Um," said Willow, not sure where to begin.



"Your actions... haven't been defined by a plan?" asked Tara.







That had me laughing out loud but then before I knew it I was feeling moved as Tara realised that Willow had risked losing her when she confessed the truth and Willow allowed herself to feel the emotions doing this had evoked. I liked Tara saying those classic words, 'I am yours' and the love scene which followed was so intense and passionate. No need to be so reticent - you write great cyber smut which, like all the best smut, is firmly rooted in the deep emotional bond between Willow and Tara and brings them even closer together. And though I can't quite imagine canon Tara saying, 'I'm perfect' like Willow, I couldn't help agreeing.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday,
and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow :
our life is the creation of our mind. ' from The Dhammapada

[chilled monkey]

That last part was just... amazing.



The conversation was so sweet, especially when Tara realised everything Willow had risked; her life, her relationship with Tara etc (glad you managed to include your favourite Tron line). I also liked how Willow was so desperate to make sure Tara understood that they both had free will in the matter.



By the way, I remember Viper Automadons. They were beetle-like attack robots from the Star Wars comic, Dark Empire 2 (I thought something seemed familiar about the Hunter-Killers). I agree, they were very cool.

[Grimlock72]

Heh, of course Willow follows a set of instructions... everyone does (besides, Willow without a plan ?? puuleeese :-). The difference is that Willow has adapted to circumstances for the last 19 (real) years already. I'm not entirely sure how old TARA is but it stands to reason she would trust her user/parent/god to be all-knowing.



This user however, adapt her plans as the situation changes. Tara should recognize that kind of behaviour



Which begs the question; how will TARA adapt to the information that a user is not all-knowing ? Or for that matter, that she is not 'static' code but self-adapting and thus somewhat of a user herself ? Has to be confusing (to see the foundation of your world shake), which is something Tara really can't afford to be.



Let me think here... say they 'merge' anywhere near Rain.. would she like that ?? : -->



Then there is the tiny matter of TARA now having all of Willow's memories as well, how will those ever fit ? She was designed to store lots of information on Echolon so I suppose that storage might be used. Especially since it's kinda pointless for TARA to collect data now that she can't really report it to her outside-user . A (friendly) merger like that does skip over the introducing stage nicely, heh.



Hmm, TARA now also has the memory of her user creating/programming her I suppose. That has to be rather high on the weird/icky list



Willow seems like a mighty good programmer Given the proper supervision and reviewing she would do just fine over here (and yes she can bring TARA along:-). Building such self-modifying programs is not without risks of course, maybe Echolon was initially build to be just a smart network monitor ??



I wonder if TARA feels proud of herself, she should but *can* she ? For that matter, programs have a 'scent' now ?? Hopefully it's much better then smell of computer-dust I inhaled today while repairing a system... yech!



I still don't follow how TARA arrived at the "I don't deserve this" line. For starters, what does she base 'deserve' on ? And why does she think/calculate she doesn't "deserve" something ? (assuming "deserving" is a function and can be calculated of course



Open Net == internet... so TARA could go visit the Google program ? Good deal to aborb there, how to filter and apply is another problem.



This is going to be a loooong story isn't it ? It started small and innocent enough, heh... I seem to recall another story you're writing which also got unexpectedly big I like long and involved stories, don't stop on my account! Keep on those intially short stories coming, heh .



"I hope this works"... well it worked for me



Grimmy

--

She(Tara) knew that she was Willow too. If she knew that then why hadn't Willow herself? That wasn't fair. She was Willow. she should have known that first. -- Willow in _Sidestep Chronicle_ (part 80)

Edited by: Grimlock72 at: 4/7/03 11:20:49 pm

[Artemis]

Thanks all Phew, I'm glad to be past that particular unforseen angsty hurdle in the romance.



BTW - not that this is at all relevant - my eclectic collection of kick-ass female action figures now includes Mercury from Tron 2.0. I'm happy! She's not as cute as Tara, but she's interesting-looking.



xita: That particular aspect of program beliefs is something I took directly from Tron. In that case, they made it a bit of an in-joke: both the users and the programs have free will, and think the other is essentially automated. I thought it would be nice to take the concept for a ride and see what happened with it in a serious setting. Plus, it afforded me an excellent opportunity to surprise Tara with how much Willow was willing to sacrifice for her.



miss calendar: I'm always tempted to make that 'fair miss calendar' as a Midsummer reference I have no idea where that love scene came from. The earlier one I had planned, to a degree, just to see what it would be like (because it's left completely vague in Tron - Tron and Yuri are obviously a couple, like their users Alan and Lora, but when Flynn kisses Yuri (because Lora is his ex in the real world, they both think Tron is dead, and let's face it, Flynn is a bit of a sleaze) she doesn't even know what a kiss is. I always wondered: what do programs *do*, then?), but that second love scene was entirely Tara's idea.



In terms of dealing with new ideas - which she's having to do more or less constantly - Tara is turning out to be a bit of a powerhouse. That's to be expected, I suppose - she has a human's capacity for adaptive thinking, combined with a computer's ability to process information at a staggering rate. I didn't expect that when I started writing this, but it's a welcome surprise.



Okay, I'll own up to writing 'great cyber smut'. Thanks I'll admit, this is the first time the notion of cyber-sex hasn't seemed faintly comical.



I should perhaps clarify Tara saying 'I'm perfect' - she means 'I'm perfectly okay', 'I feel wonderful', that sort of thing. Maybe it's just an Australian thing, to say 'I'm perfect' meaning that. I can see how it'd seem a bit strange for Tara to declare herself perfect if she means it in the literal sense. Even though she is, of course. Not that I'm biased



chilled monkey: Free will is the thing I was working very strongly towards with this whole chapter - I don't like the idea of Willow and Tara's love being compromised, especially not if it's me who's accidentally done it, so I'm glad to have avoided that potential problem (well, I could have just declared, as the author, that Willow being Tara's user had nothing to do with their mutual attraction, but if I couldn't make that clear within the story, and more importantly have the two of them come to realise it, it would have seemed kind of hollow).



I got the Automadon out of a book I adore reading (the only Star Wars material I've ever seen outside the movies and their associated reference books - I'm not big on Expanded Universe stuff for Star Wars, for some reason), called The Complete Guide to Star Wars Droids. I can't explain why, but I find it endlessly fascinating to read about droids. You'd think re-reading the details of the R5's poor design process, or the market research behind the Lurrian Protocol series, would get boring after a while, but it never does.



Grimlock72: Not that it makes much difference - I haven't been taking it into consideration when writing - but I'm guessing Willow is about 25 here. She's risen fast in Cycorp, but it would still take a little while to get to her position within the company. Tara, for the record, has been active in the system for something like six or seven months, program-time. Given that her development from new program to her current human-like state was pretty fast, I'm treating them as if they're roughly the same age. Each is more mature than the other in some ways, but that's the case with everyone.



Tara's adaptive by nature, and also not so fervently religious as some other programs - they tend to become more fervent the more their beliefs are challenged, by Echelon undermining the users for example, because they *can't* adapt. Tara's world-view has indeed been changed a lot very rapidly, but in some ways it's helpful - she knows why she's different to other programs, for example, and no longer has to worry that she's malfunctioning. Plus she's in love - there isn't a bigger boost to self-confidence than that.



I hadn't intended to imply that their memories were shared - they weren't (it would become clear in upcoming chapters, where they still need to ask each other things, but I might as well clear it up now). Their merging was (I'm not entirely sure how to explain this) on a very deep level - what they experienced of each other was on the level of the fundamental truth of their souls (goddess that sounds pretentious), not day-to-day stuff like memories and conscious thoughts.



Echelon isn't a self-modifying program like Tara, though it was an unusually-structured program when first created, and that unusual structure has given it its own version of Tara's ability to change from her original state. I'll be revealing more about Echelon when I find the right moment for it.



Tara's can feel pride - not of her abilities, but she's proud of the choices she's made. And yes, some programs have scents (I wondered, but decided to go with it). I imagine their scent, like their physical form, is a representation of their nature. Tara, being Tara, has a delightful scent. Not all programs have it - some do, some don't, some have other features. Rain, for example, doesn't have a scent.



Tara saying she didn't deserve Willow's love was an entirely 'human' reaction - not based on a chain of reasoning, nor a rational assessment of what she may or may not deserve. She just started to comprehend the enormity of what Willow was telling her, and she processed it like a human - even when we have an intellectual basis for knowing something, we still think 'seeing is believing'. Tara couldn't bring herself to believe Willow really shared her feelings, not as user to program, but one person to another, until Willow linked with her and she saw it.



It is going to be a long story, I hope. I think it's about half-way done now, but I'm still surprising myself by discovering new things along the way.

[Artemis]

TARA



Author: Chris Cook

Rating: PG

Summary: Cycorp programmer Willow Rosenberg knows her boss is up to no good - but can she break into the impenetrable Echelon system to prove it?

Spoilers: Pretty much none.

Copyright: Based on characters from 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', created by Joss Whedon and his talented minionators, and 'Tron' created by Steven Lisberger. All original material is copyright 2003 Chris Cook.

Feedback: Please. Here, or to alia@netspace.net.au



--

Chapter Sixteen

--



Tara pointed out the I/O tower on the horizon, but then returned her attention to the Solar Sailer's controls, so it was Willow, gazing ahead in fascination, who first saw the tiny glowing lights clustered around the tower's base.



"There's other programs there," she said, half to herself.



"There are always a few," Tara said without looking up, "they're waiting for new instructions from their users." She tapped a few final commands into the console, and the Sailer's headlong rush slowed to a gentle approach, its sails folding back to thin dragonfly wings, the energy beam it had been riding flickering and vanishing.



"More than a few," observed Willow, looking over the side of the Sailer's hull as Tara steered it lower and closer. Tara glanced up at Willow's comment, then leant over the side to see for herself, keeping one hand on the controls.



"Oh erasure," she whispered, her eyes wide. Beneath the Sailer, staring up as it drifted overhead, were hundreds of programs, sheltered beneath overhangs and ledges in the uneven open system terrain and huddled in groups on the featureless expanse of flat ground around the I/O tower itself. Their traceries - orange, yellow, blue, violet, silver and gold - looked like the lights of a city at night, a living city that was slowly staggering to its feet and surging towards the tower in the wake of Willow and Tara's Sailer.



"What is it?" asked Willow, abandoning her position on the Sailer's neck to stand at Tara's side. She could see Tara's unease, though so far as Willow could tell she wasn't expecting any sort of attack. Gazing down, Willow shared her feeling - they were close enough that she could clearly see the faces of the programs directly underneath them, staring up as they stumbled forward. They looked shell-shocked - ordinary people whose spirits had been broken by a cruel world.



"I had no idea it had gotten so bad," said Tara quietly, "Holy Source, there must be programs from a hundred networks here... more, hundreds..." she trailed off as she looked up, to the terrain beyond the tower, where even now untold tiny glows were beginning to move towards them. "Thousands," she whispered.



"Tara, what's going on?" asked Willow, unsettled by the intent, hollow stares from below.



"It must have been while I was on the Game Grid," Tara said, keeping her voice low - the Sailer was barely metres off the ground now, with programs clustering as close as they could come to its destined landing zone. "Echelon must have taken all their networks... they must have escaped before Sark's armies arrived, and they came here... look over there," she said, nodding towards the other landing zones, marked out on the flat ground around the tower. Willow looked, and saw each one clustered with strange shapes, some recognisable as vehicles, similar to the tanks and recognisers she had seen, others bizarre amalgamations of forms, completely unfamiliar. They were jammed onto the landing zones any way they could fit, ground vehicles nudging up against each others' wheels, nestling beneath the wings and guidance fins of all manner of flyers.



"Stolen simulations," said Tara, "they must have packed as many programs as they could into them, and come here... they didn't know where else to go."



"Why are they looking at us like that?" asked Willow in a whisper. The Sailer was seconds from touching down, and the crowd of programs had massed at the edges of the landing zone, silent, expectant.



"This is a complex simulation," guessed Tara, "they probably haven't seen one like it before. I don't know," she finished, glancing around warily. Novelty value didn't explain the stares they were getting from the crowd, and Willow and Tara both knew it.



"Come on," said Tara resolutely, swinging her legs over the side of the Sailer as it touched ground and powered down. She offered a hand to Willow as she followed, and they walked together towards the I/O tower. The crowd parted ahead of them, programs shifting nervously back to make room, forming a corridor to the tower's entrance. Willow tried to look calm as they left the landing zone, and the masses of programs were on either side of them. Glancing briefly over her shoulder, she saw them crowding in behind as well. She felt no hostility from them, and Tara's hand was holding hers steadily, but the experience was unnerving.



Willow managed not to react visibly when she heard whispers behind her. Tara glanced at her, an gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Slowly the whispering spread, along the crowds on either side of them, close enough for Willow to make out fragments of it, as those programs closest to her murmured over their shoulders to those further back.



"...escaped from the Game Grid..." "...Tara..." "...Sark couldn't de-rez her..." "...she can defeat Sark..." "...can't be terminated..." "...come to free us..." "...other one, just like her..." "...users are protecting us..." "...sent them to free the system..." "...users haven't abandoned us..." "...created to stop Echelon..." "...to lead us..."



The desperation in their voices was starting to really frighten Willow. Trying not to be obvious, she glanced around at the clustered programs. None of them had traceries glowing as brightly as hers and Tara's. Here and there a program was almost dark, supported by those around them, lifting their heads weakly to stare at Tara and her. Many of them had patches of darkness on them, damaged limbs, wounds gouged from their torsoes, traceries broken and lifeless around their injuries. Willow edged closer to Tara as the crowd slowly moved in, some of the nearest ones shifting their arms as if they were about to reach out, to try to touch them.



Willow almost jumped as Tara's fingers slipped out of hers, and a hand gripped her shoulder firmly, but she realised in an instant it was Tara, manoeuvring Willow in front of her, subtly protecting her. She reached up to her shoulder to cover Tara's hand with her own, and felt Tara's other hand slide smoothly around her waist. The slight echo of her link to Tara, which hadn't fully dissipated since their merging on the Sailer, intensified just a fraction with the closer contact, and it calmed Willow a little.



She was glad, though, when they reached the entrance to the I/O tower. The scale of the structure distracted Willow for a brief moment from her anxiety, and she stared up at it. Aside from the great double-door entrance, the tower's walls were covered with thousands of energy streams, crossing and intertwining with each other, some thin as spider-web, barely visible, some thick and powerful, so strong that Willow could literally see the pulses of energy moving through them. From the tower's base, rising up around its central bulk, were dozens of tapering spires, linked to the tower as they stretched up and away from it by thin, elegantly-curved buttresses. Each spire was adorned with hundreds of discs, facing outwards, ranging from tiny, thin dishes barely larger than dinner plates, to huge faceted radar-like antennae three or four metres wide. One such dish had held the end of the energy beam their Sailer had travelled on - Willow tried to guess how many networks converged above her, and her mind boggled at the thought. Dominating it all, though, was the great mass of the tower itself, rising like the steeple of a giant church, tier after tier stretching up. At the top, so high it seemed to be touching the patterns in the sky, an elegant power array, like a huge steel orchid flower, projected a solid beam of white energy straight up, beyond the limits of vision.



The great doors opened ahead of Willow, and Tara gently urged her onward. Willow finally relaxed as the doors closed behind them, sealing out the whispers and desperate stares of the programs outside. Willow turned to Tara, and found her visibly relieved to be inside, where they were, for the moment, alone.



"I know now why you were afraid to tell me who you were," said Tara ruefully, catching Willow's anxious look. They both looked to the far end of the passageway as footsteps announced the approach of another program. He was old, bent beneath the weight of a wide, solid mantle resting on his shoulders, like the top of a heavy cloak set in stone. His tracery was bright, and pure white just like the tower's central beam, and as he approached the two visitors he relied on a long white staff, topped with a miniature version of the orchid-like array, to support him. He glared imperiously at Willow and Tara as he came to a halt before them, drawing himself up to his full height. Then he leaned forward, squinting at Tara, and his expression softened.



"Tara?" he said, incredulous. "Is that really you?"



"It is, Darien," Tara said, grinning slightly.



"I heard you were captured," the old program said, "put on the Grid."



"I escaped," explained Tara, "this is Willow. She helped me." Darien turned to Willow and peered at her.



"My, my," he said, as if talking to himself, "another one like you. I always said you can't have too many good versions of a good program, I'm glad to see the users agree with me."



"Something like that," said Tara softly, glancing at Willow.



"Well it's good to see both of you active and functioning well. There's damned little left that Echelon hasn't managed to tear down or corrupt. Now, what brings you to this sorry corner of the system?" Tara took Willow's hand and led her as Darien turned away from the entrance and walked slowly back the way he had come.



"We have to get to the GDI network," she explained, keeping pace at Darien's side as he shuffled along the passageway, "Echelon has a new program on its side, I can't get in with her guarding it. GDI is our only hope to find a way into Echelon's primary database. Darien, I know this is non-standard... do you know any users who could authorise our transit to GDI?"



"Hrm, that's not a simple request," Darien muttered, "especially not now. You saw all the programs outside? Every millicycle I get requests from them to contact their users, so they can communicate and receive new commands. They're just simple programs, you know, accounting routines, network relay controllers, that sort of thing, they weren't designed to be out here alone. I tell them to be patient, that the users hear them, but..." He turned to Tara, studied her for a moment, then glanced at Willow.



"She's like you?" he asked sharply. Tara nodded.



"Just like me."



"Well," said Darien slowly, "alright... if you trust her... but this mustn't go beyond these walls, acknowledge?"



"Acknowledge," said Tara. Darien took a deep breath.



"This happened while you were on the Grid," Darien said quietly, "first it was just rumours, but after a while... Echelon took them out, Tara. It shut the users out of their own networks. All the Coms, the Nets, the Edus, they're all gone. Oh, there are a few left, a handful of Gov and Mil users still communicating with networks that Echelon hasn't appropriated yet, but all the programs out there..." he waved a hand vaguely towards the closed doors, and sighed. "Their users are gone."



Tara let out a breath she had been holding all the time Darien had been talking. She looked away from his old, sad face, staring off blankly. Willow moved closer to her and gently put her free hand around Tara's waist, hugging her from the side. She almost stumbled, but seemed to draw strength from Willow's hold. Putting her arm around Willow, holding her close, she looked down. Willow, resting her head on Tara's shoulder, tried to silently convey her trust, her hope, to counter the despair in Tara's eyes. Tara blinked once, twice, then her expression hardened and she looked back at Darien.



"What's left?" she asked, her voice strong but brittle.



"This tower, a few others," said Darien, "some installations deep in the isolated memory areas, last time we heard from them. GDI is still secure, not that it's any good to us, we can't locate it without the right users, and none of the programs here know who to turn to. Some of them have even asked *me* to issue commands! As if I've got any business telling them what to do, I'm just a tower guardian... but they don't know what else to do. You two should stay inside, I think. Those outside were talking about you already, Tara, before you arrived. I wouldn't be surprised if they decide they want you to be their user now that they've seen you, and know that you escaped the Grid. Better if you stay in here for now."



"Thank you," said Tara. Willow felt her breath a sigh of relief.



"It scares me, you know," the old program observed, stopping a few metres from the end of the passageway, "how quickly we've come to this. I remember when Echelon was nothing more than a facilitator. The open system was free, data moving everywhere... it was good to be a program then. And now, look at us... so desperate for commands that we'll give up our faith in the users. I wish I could help you, Tara, I really do... but there's so little left, so few users that Echelon hasn't already locked out. I don't know who can help you."



Willow suddenly turned to look over her shoulder at Darien, clutching Tara tightly with sudden excitement.



"I do," she said, thinking frantically, dredging the user ID from her memory. "I need to communicate with user Summers-One."

[Grimlock72]

Heh, I sincerly DO hope a certain miss. Summers doesn't have authorized access to a system like GDI .



In terms of an Tower Guardian I assume it means that no users seem able to access the system anymore when it says "they're all gone". Otherwise we're talking a large-scale thermo-nuclear war scenario which would be... unpleasant .



They're probably plenty of non-networked govermant and military systems around. That doesn't Willow or Tara much good since though those systems are safe, they can't get to them either. (behold the problem of a totally 'safe' system ).



Since those programs at the tower don't know Willow, they were talking about Tara after all, it must have been weird for TARA to have so many programs trust in you. She's definitly a smart program as she picked up on that quick.



If Echolon wants to use GDI to start a war to get rid of the pesky users it might be wise to sever any connection GDI has to the outside world (like blowing up bridges). True, it does limit the options to get rid of Echolon itself but at least there will be a world to go back to. Assuming Willow *wants* to go back that is, hmm...



Grimmy

--

She(Tara) knew that she was Willow too. If she knew that then why hadn't Willow herself? That wasn't fair. She was Willow. she should have known that first. -- Willow in _Sidestep Chronicle_ (part 80)

[WebWarlock]

Great!



I think you are fulfilling the promise of Tron 2.0 right here.

And certain other promises from people whose names I refuse to speak as well.



Found this, it's Mercury.



Warlock

-----

Web Warlock

The Other Side,
home of Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks

"If this is all the gods can do, I'm over to the Darkside so fast." - Tom Servo Mystery Science Theater 3000, Episode 903 "Pumaman".

[Cindy Lou Who]

Dear Chris:



As I missed the "Big Relationship" discussion update - *and* you mentioned you were grateful to be passed the hurdle...I'll just offer this.



You allayed many of my concerns *without* resorting to easy explanations or justifications. Tara surmised Willow's nature during their first "unity." The resulting assumptions were addressed by Willow beautifully and eloquently. And I agree with those who were moved by Tara's understanding of all Willow risked in her honesty. The most telling argument for me was that Tara has changed to accommodate a broad range of emotions that Willow apparently had no hand in.



And now try not to slap me: All this *did* serve to make me wonder about the source and nature of Tara's intellectual and emotional evolution. I know you've remarked on this but I'm still not clear. Is it a product of flexible programming or of something more sublime or both or more? I don't mean to spark a big ol' metaphysical debate but it's got me scratching me noggin.'



Willow's right about love not being a progammable thing. But I wonder what this brilliant woman might have done had she really given it much thought - and known that it could result in the wonderful wonders of Tara?!

Quote:

---

"Well... we just do what seems best at the time."

---

With your characteristic succinctness - you've summed it up for me.



As to the the "Tower" update:



This entire episode really struck a chord in me (maybe in light of world events - I'm not sure). From your evocative description of the expressions and bearing of the "stripped" programs; to Tara's understanding of blind adoration; to Darien's fears:

Quote:

---

"It scares me, you know," the old program observed, stopping a few metres from the end of the passageway, "how quickly we've come to this."

---

And should I really be surprised that a few mil and gov networks would be the last remnants? Even during the high-octane action of your fic you can still give me giggles.



I actually have faith in "User" Willow's reasons for wanting to get in touch with "User" Summers - whatever they may be!



TYAsAlways~Suse p.s. I'll try to keep up so as not to throw all this out at once!S.

~Dorothy Parker (on her writing)~:



"I can't write five words but that I change seven."



"My verses, I cannot say poems...I was following in the exquisite footsteps of Miss Millay, unhappily in my own horrible sneakers."

Edited by: Cindy Lou Who at: 4/8/03 4:58:12 pm

[TemperedCynic]

Two updates waiting for me on Tuesday. Yea!



TARA's reaction to Willow's announcement was completely in character. And there's the rub - since TARA has a real human-like personality, she acts like the Tara we know. As for the fireworks? Hubba, hubba. These ladies could warp the fabric of reality if continue merging like that. Whew. It's hot in here, isn't it?



The I/O tower scenario reminds me of post-apocalypse novels showing survivors crowding around churches and government building, looking towards anyone who would tell them "it's all right, there's still hope". Your descriptions left me feeling bleak, cold, stark and unnerved. The tower guardian informing our heroines that the users are cut off. I can't help but wonder what has happened to Giles and the other users. Were they fired? Given the week off until Rain can do her dirty work unopposed? Willow hoping to contact the government via Ms. B. Summers using the GDI. A very dangerous trip - can't wait.

---

More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly. Woody Allen (1935 - )

[Artemis]

Thanks all



Grimlock72: Buffy's a responsible citizen - she works for the government, and she's part of the computer security team working with GDI. When the Guardian said all the users were gone (almost all of them, anyway), yes, he meant that the users can't access the system anymore. But the only evidence programs have of the users existing is when they access the system, so now that they're locked out they are essentially gone.



There are plenty of unconnected computers - all with their own little versions of the open system - and a lot that are only part of the open system some of the time. The geography of the place is constantly changing as parts of it appear and disappear due to us connecting and disconnecting computers. There aren't that many disconnected government and military systems, though - this is one of those situations (like Skynet in Terminator) where someone thought 'hey, wouldn't it be a good idea to link everything up?' - that somebody either wasn't paranoid enough, or hadn't read enough sci-fi.



Whether or not Willow wants to return to the real world, she'd like the real world to still be there, so stopping Echelon is a big priority (not to mention the hell it's turning the system into anyway). Cutting off GDI completely is something that the people in charge would only do if they had proof of a definite threat - trying to get that proof is what got Willow into this whole mess to start with.



WekWarlock: Thanks Though I haven't got a clue who the other people are. Mercury is along the lines of what I'm imagining programs to be like - just take away the bulky boots and gauntlets, the crest and the godlike white eyes. The 'real' Mercury's face, and the lighter shade of her body, is the kind of steely blue-grey I'm thinking of - the action figure, for some reason, gives her a dark blue body and human-coloured face.



Suse: I'm glad the relationship chapters hit their mark. As for the nature of Tara's development: it's tricky to explain properly (after all, how do you define what makes a person the way they are?) Most programs have a sort of limited sentience - they're like the really good 'fake AI' programs we're turning out there days, the ones that are good enough to fool a casual inquiry, but when you really push them you find they're not quite able to behave as flexibly as a human.



Tara's programming is such that her consciousness is structured very much like a human. She was created with pre-set thought patterns (just like a human is born with some behavioural instincts already present), but the vast majority of her mind is the product of her experiences - and she (like us) can consciously override her predetermined instincts if she has a reason to do so (seeing as her predetermined instincts consist basically of 'Echelon is bad' and a whole lot of combat techniques, she hasn't needed to).



If you're inclined to think humans have souls - some part of our being not determined either by biology or experience - then programs do as well. As for where they come from - who knows? Same place ours do, perhaps. Normal programs have limited sentience, so perhaps their souls are less complex, or something, than humans and Tara. It's like wondering if cats, for example, have souls - most of the time they behave pretty much by instinct and learned patterns, but sometimes (at least in the case of my cat Alexander the Great) I could swear there's more going on in his head than just an animal that's got used to me. Programs are closer to humans than cats, but it's the same kind of thing.



(Incidentally, when I started writing this one of the ideas I was playing with was that there would be more and less complex programs - some fully human-seeming, some seeming like soulless robots, depending on how complex their code was. But we're not seeing the system as it normally is, so there wasn't really any place I could explore that idea. All that remains of that idea is the way that Sark's minions behave fairly robotically - Echelon would have snapped up all the less-complex programs in no time, so the only ones still left outside its control are those with the initiative to resist.



In the end, my feeling is that Tara is human - composed of electrical impulses in a machine, perhaps, but then again it could be argued with equal validity that we're just biological machines.



The Tower chapter was an interesting experience to write - I knew what the tower was like, I knew there was something disturbing about it, and I knew it was somehow letting Tara see what Willow was scared of, the kind of blind worship most programs have for users. It just wasn't until a couple of days ago that I realised all the refugees had come there. This often happens when I write - as if the whole story is already in my head, and I just have to keep teasing at it until it reveals itself. When it does everything makes sense, and all the strange ideas suddenly fall into place. It's a nice feeling when it happens - disconcerting, though.



TemperedCynic: Most of the users haven't noticed that they've been cut off yet - the time difference between the system and the real world. Willow's only been gone from the real world for a couple of minutes. Giles, for example, is still trying to hotwire the lift controls to open the doors. Those users who are up in the middle of the night, or in other countries where it's daytime, have either noticed that their systems haven't been responding for the last couple of minutes - or (in most cases) haven't noticed anything at all, as their programs have been appropriated by Echelon, which is intercepting their commands and giving them whatever information it wants them to have, all without them realising it.



I had a church in mind for the I/O Tower, even before I realised it was surrounded by refugees - the building is, in program terms, a direct link between earth and god. And then I started thinking about churches in general, and how sometimes they functioned like castles - the only strong stone building in a village, so that's where everyone goes when bandits are nearby. Plus I watched Sleepy Hollow the other day, and the scene where they all hide in the church put me on that train of thought, even though it's not really the same situation. At one stage I thought of basing the tower itself on St Peters in the Vatican, but it didn't have the right kind of towering height I was after (though, and I know this from experience, the top of the dome of St Peters is *really* high up).



And I'm glad you enjoyed the fireworks

[chilled monkey]

Very powerful imagery.



Things are gearing up for a conclusion, I think. Can't wait to see what happens.

Edited by: chilled monkey at: 4/9/03 4:14:10 am

[Artemis]

chilled monkey: Thanks My stories are always big on the visuals when they arrive in my head. It makes it kind of frustrating being 99% unable to draw at all.

[Artemis]

TARA



Author: Chris Cook

Rating: PG

Summary: Cycorp programmer Willow Rosenberg knows her boss is up to no good - but can she break into the impenetrable Echelon system to prove it?

Spoilers: Pretty much none.

Copyright: Based on characters from 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', created by Joss Whedon and his talented minionators, and 'Tron' created by Steven Lisberger. All original material is copyright 2003 Chris Cook.

Feedback: Please. Here, or to alia@netspace.net.au



--

Chapter Seventeen

--



Darien busied himself at the controls of his tower. The communication chamber, the centre of the whole structure, put Willow in mind of the heart of a wizard's tower. The chamber was round, fifty metres from side to side, and stretched up the entire length of the I/O tower, right up to the massive power array at the top. The outer wall was covered in energy streams, exact duplicates of those decorating the tower's exterior. Darien shuffled from place to place, touching strands here and there, dragging them from one intersection to another with the tips of his fingers. He had warned both Willow and Tara not to touch the walls at all.



"Is this Buffy a great warrior?" asked Tara in a whisper as they both watched Darien go about his business.



"Something like that," replied Willow. "Her job is to take action against users who try to create programs like Echelon."



"A system guardian," Tara said, "she keeps the system free?"



"I guess you could say that. Um," hesitated Willow. "Do you know what actually happens here? I mean, what I'll have to do?"



"I know what I've been told," said Tara, "I never had to communicate directly with y- with my user," she quickly corrected herself, glancing at Darien a few metres away, "but I've met other programs who have. Your awareness becomes part of the beam, you don't actually leave here but part of you is at both ends of the beam at once. The other end is close to the users. I don't think you have to do anything, the connection between you and the beam means that it does what you want without you having to command it. I think it mostly depends on the user, though."



"She's probably asleep," said Willow, who had been taking a stab at calculating how much time had passed in the real world. "But I've got an idea. If this tower can let me communicate with her, it must connect me to her personal system, right? The, the part of the whole system that's closest to her?"



"Yes," said Tara hesitantly, "I think so, but if she's 'asleep'... I've heard it can take thousands of millicycles for a user to respond to an unscheduled query."



"Time moves much faster in here," said Willow in a whisper. Tara nodded in understanding. "But I don't need to communicate with Buffy herself," Willow went on, "once I'm connected to her computer, her part of the system, I should be able to get inside her files and find the authorisation to get us into GDI. It's part of her job, the codes must be in there somewhere."



"Willow, that's dangerous," Tara said, holding both of Willow's hands in hers. "Those are powerful authorisations, there's bound to be security routines guarding them, and they'll be hidden in the deepest memories of her 'computer'. And I- I've seen how it affects you when you exceed the limitations of a program. You were so weak after what you did to that Hunter-killer... Willow, I'm worried," she said, her eyes pleading. She glanced over her shoulder, ensuring Darien was far from being able to hear her.



"I know you're a user," she whispered, "but when Echelon brought you into the system, it put you in the form of a program. When you do these things that programs aren't capable of... I'm not sure how far you can push yourself, how much th-the program aspect of you can take. What you're thinking of doing is... I'm scared, Willow, I don't want to lose you. If you do this, if it's too much for you... it could make your program form collapse. You could terminate, Willow... and there's no way to get to this quantum cannon device, to send you back, until Echelon is gone." Tara's imploring gaze was too much for Willow. She hugged Tara tightly.



"I'll be alright," she said, lightly kissing the side of her neck, up along her jaw, whispering in her ear. "I know I can do this. I won't let them hurt you, not again, we're going to get to GDI and bring down Echelon. I promise. And then," she added, pulling back far enough to look into Tara's eyes, "I'm staying with you."



"Staying... but-" Tara protested. "Willow, this isn't your world, you belong outside with the other users," she finished, lowering her voice to a whisper again.



"My world doesn't have you in it," said Willow, smiling, "and I belong with you."



"But, how will the other users manage without you?" Tara asked. Willow laughed to herself.



"I'm nothing special, I'm just a programmer-" she said, until she was silenced by Tara leaning down quickly to capture her lips in a kiss that was so perfect it left her breathless.



"Willow," Tara said in a hushed, husky voice as she leaned back a fraction, "if all the users were like you, both our worlds would be so much better."



"The tower is prepared!" called Darien from the far side of the chamber.



-----



At the centre of the communications chamber was a raised dais, three steps high, where Darien instructed Willow to stand. She looked across the chamber at Tara, who smiled hopefully to her, before returning her attention to the old tower guardian.



"The lines of power are drawn," he intoned, in the manner of a high priest speaking a ritual, "the pathways between this place and that above are ready. Program Willow, you have come here to seek communication with user Summers One. The blessings of this place are upon you as you look into the eyes of those above. May they look kindly upon you."



Darien rapped the base of his staff against the hard chamber floor, the crack echoing like a gunshot. The thousands of energy strands he had carefully arranged on the walls began to flow upwards, the chamber falling into shadow as all the power gathered itself at the top of the tower. Willow looked up to see the ceiling, high above her, open like a flower, revealing the curved plates of the power array. They slid against each other, shifting to create an opening between them at the very centre, and Willow stood transfixed as the pure light of the tower's beam lanced down and enveloped her.



"May you find enlightenment," she heard Darien say, an echo on the wind from a far distant place, almost drowned out by the singing of the energy around her. She felt weightless, dizzy, disoriented - the beam was lifting her, or some part of her. Her gaze drifted around like a leaf blown on the breeze. The chamber, Darien, Tara, all were hidden from her by the blinding light. She saw herself, staring up, still as a statue, then there was a rush of movement and everything else was lost to her.



She flew through the beam, unable to tell how far she had gone or for how long she had travelled. She was aware of nothing until the light and its symphony abruptly vanished, leaving her alone in a dark, silent place.



Willow waited, alone with the sound of her rapid breathing. When nothing happened she eventually took a tentative step forwards, and rebounded off a barrier she hadn't seen. She staggered for a second to keep her balance, then calmed herself and raised a hand to feel for the barrier. Only the green glow of her tracery showed her that she could see anything at all. She felt the barrier, which gave her a tiny shock, but now that she knew to expect it the sensation didn't trouble her too much. Running both hands along it, she discovered she was encased in a cylinder, surrounded.



"This is where we find out how good I am," she said to herself, startling herself at the sound of her voice in the perfect silence. She put both hands together on the barrier in front of her and concentrated, trying to find the pattern within it. It took her a long time to find anything at all - it was distant and dark, and she almost missed it when the faint impression of structure flickered before her mind's eye for a fraction of a second. Just as it was fading she grabbed hold of it. She was prepared for a struggle, so she was already braced against the stab of pain that came from the barrier as she made contact with its code. It came once, twice, a third time, then the pain fell away and left Willow in peace. She sighed and concentrated on breaking free.



She tried looking for loopholes in the code, back-door subroutines that might let her in if she could wrestle them into accepting her, but there were none - or if there were, they were well-hidden. She realised she was starting to get frustrated, as one code segment after another turned out to be solid, and took a moment to calm herself, gather her wits. For a moment she mentally sat back and just looked at the barrier's code, and in that moment inspiration struck. Maybe she didn't have to open a doorway - maybe she just had to make the barrier permeable to her own code. Half-remembered moments from high school chemistry filtered into her mind - materials could block some substances and admit others. It all depended on their structure. The barrier's structure was laid out before her - unchangeable, but clearly visible.



Ignoring the uncooperative barrier, she concentrated on herself. She couldn't quite see her own code, but she could imagine it, and her imagination seemed to be a little more solid than usual. There had to be a connection. She studied the barrier again, carefully, trying to picture herself becoming something similar. If she could match herself to it, it wouldn't block her - she would be able to pass right through it, because she wouldn't be a foreign object to it at all. In her mind she saw the barrier begin to weaken - for a moment she wondered if it were failing for some reason of its own, then she realised she was doing it. As she changed herself, as the barrier became no barrier, so it became invisible to her - if it wasn't a barrier, it was nothing.



An uneasy feeling formed in her stomach, but she had expected something like it, and was frankly glad that it wasn't the splitting headache she had felt before. But as she continued to concentrate, as the barrier continued to fade away, the ugly, queasy feeling grew, and she began to worry. 'Lucky I haven't had anything to eat lately,' she joked to herself, trying not to panic. She felt her hand begin to slip through the barrier, physically pass through it.



The sick feeling in her stomach was beginning to become a serious problem, so Willow decided it was time to put herself to the test. She pushed forwards, feeling resistance from the barrier but still moving. She felt the plane of it, where it was intersecting with her body, tingle and crackle with tiny shocks - painful, but they distracted her from her decidedly unwell stomach, so welcome in a way. She grimaced as she felt the shocks on her face, first at the tip of her nose, then her lips, then down the sides of her face as she moved slowly through the barrier.



She had a brief panic attack as it occurred to her that she might lose concentration, and become stuck as the barrier became solid around her. Would it kill her? Or worse perhaps, leave her stuck half-way through, unable to go forward or back, locked in place for all eternity. For half a second she imagined she felt the edges of the barrier press against her skin. Fear sent a rush of adrenaline through her, and she forged ahead, pushing past the last of the resistance. Suddenly it was gone and she fell forward, tripping as her foot tugged at her, last to clear the barrier.



The sickness slowly abated, leaving her sprawled on the ground, taking deep breaths to calm herself. As the strength returned to her limbs she pushed herself to her hands and knees, and sat back on her heels, looking around. Around her were a series of obsidian blocks, towering above her, like a modern art interpretation of Stonehenge. She looked behind her, seeing the cylindrical barrier shining like glass from the outside. Cautiously she got to her feet and approached the nearest block. There were tiny patterns on it, so thin they were almost invisible, carved in silver. 'Memory?' Willow wondered.



She walked around a little, peering beyond the blocks, glancing up at the sky, examining the ground beneath her. Aside from the circle of blocks, though, there seemed to be nothing to this part of the system - the sky was black, and beyond the blocks was only shadow. Willow shrugged and turned back to the block she had first examined, reaching out to touch it.



"Return to the I/O port!" rang out an angry voice from behind her. Willow jerked her hand back and spun around - she could have sworn she was alone.



"Who's there?" she called.



"You are not authorised to access this space!" insisted the voice. Willow was about to answer when she realised she knew the voice, though she couldn't remember ever hearing it raised in anger like this.



"Buffy?" she asked.



Willow caught a glimpse of movement from behind the blocks on the other side of the circle from her. A program stepped out from the shadows, confronting Willow. She was bright blue, lean and tense. She wasn't armed, but she didn't have to be - her posture and the whole way she moved made it quite clear that she *was* a weapon. Her face was Buffy's, but her eyes were glaring and full of hostility, quite unlike the bubbly government programmer Willow knew.



"My user will not communicate with you," she said, stalking slowly closer to Willow. "Return to the I/O port *now*."



"Wh-who are you?" said Willow nervously.



"I am this partition's guardian," said the other program, "my designation is Slayer."

[justin]

I really liked your descriptions of the communication tower and the GDI computers. I wonder how Willows going to deal with the Slayer. It's probably been programmed to deal with any unauthorised programs without asking to many questions before hand.



My favourite line of the last part has to be

Quote:

---

"Willow," Tara said in a hushed, husky voice as she leaned back a fraction, "if all the users were like you, both our worlds would be so much better."

---

So true

I understand, you should be with the person you l-love


I am

[miss calendar]

Hi Artemis,

Well I found that a moving and thought provoking update. When I started reading this fic I thought it would just be a fun adventure with some Willow and Tara romance thrown in. I love the way that while it is all those things it also touches on ethical, philosophical and spiritual issues and has so much genuine feeling. I have found myself moved by the deaths of Verizen, Emdee and the unnamed, partially derezzed program as well as by the developing relationship between Willow and Tara. Now I find myself upset by the plight of all the refugee programs at the I/O tower and elsewhere within the system. The fact that you can make me feel sorry for abandoned accounting routines (and I really, really, hate accounts) is a testament to your writing.



I loved Darien reminiscing about the good old days when, ‘The open system was free, data moving everywhere…it was good to be a program then.’ However it was his comment, ‘And now look at us – so desperate for commands that we’ll give up our faith in users,’ that got me reflecting on freedom, inner/outer oppression, faith, belief and a whole bunch of Buddhist teachings. And I guess you could say that the programs, in putting their faith in the users, have chosen false gods. Now that they have effectively been abandoned by the users the programs are eager to turn to anyone they can look up to like Darien or Tara. If they find out Willow is a user no doubt they will claim her as their new god. Well at least Tara now understands why Willow was afraid to tell her who she was.



Actually there seemed a lot of religious imagery in this update, such as the I/O tower; part church, part stairway to heaven and Darien the pure white program who is clearly an angel since he acts as messenger to the users, the programs’ gods. And Willow and Tara seem set to take on this role too as well as the role of saviours who have come to protect these programs and free the system from Echelon’s control. The irony is that you could say that Echelon has freed these programs from user control. It’s interesting that although desperate for a user to tell them what to do they have chosen not to accept Echelon’s rule. However do they really want freedom or just a return to a status quo where they know their place and have the security of a set of commands to follow?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday,
and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow :
our life is the creation of our mind. ' from The Dhammapada

[justin]

Miss Calender has made some very interesting points. Especially about how the other programs see Echelon.



It seems that rather than seeing Echelon as a saviour who is liberating the programs from control by the users it is seen as being a devil like figure, whose pride has caused it rebel against it's creators.



I suppose the fact that it's killing all the programs that it captures has something to do with this.



I have to wonder how the other programs will react if they find out that users aren't all powerful. Would the more inteligent ones form a union. Maybe start demanding pay and time off. That would make for some interesting converations, "Sorry I can't send you the file because my email program is on holiday."

I understand, you should be with the person you l-love


I am

[miss calendar]

That's very funny Justin. And reading your post I found myself thinking of Echelon as a Lucifer figure, the fallen angel who becomes Satan and rules over Hell.



hey Artemis another update! I love that you post so quickly because I'm always eager to see what happens next. My favourite part was the same as Justin's though I also liked Willow promising to stay with Tara when they have defeated Echelon. I also liked Tara's concern about the risks Willow is taking going into buffy's system. Shame she can't go too - after all getting past security programs is Tara's area of expertise. Also I love the idea of buffy as a system guardian and her security program, Slayer. And poor programs having to patiently wait thousands of millicycles for users to respond to unscheduled queries!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
' What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday,
and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow :
our life is the creation of our mind. ' from The Dhammapada

[WebWarlock]

Oh hell.



I hope Willow does not get her ass kicked by Slayer! She does sound like a bad ass (gee remember when you used to cheer for buffy? sorry biterness overflow).



I am very glad to hear the Willow has decided to stay with Tara (was there even a doubt?) Why do I think things still might not work out quite that way?



I also loved Willow and Tara's walk to the I/O tower. I really could hear all of those other programs. Your universe is more colorful than Tron's. And I could not help imaginging that there was a goateed program there, designation WARLOCK, silently giggling to himself saying, "she is so going to kick Rain's ass."



Don't know if you meant to, but you are weaving quite a tale here. I am finding this to be more entertaining that Tron, and still it has the essential Willow/Tara elements I desire in a fic these days. It seems to me that Willow and Tara are very much at home in Sci-fi/Sci-fant.



Now will someone with some Poser skills please do a pic of Willow and TARA? please.



Excellent. Keep this up Chris you have me till the end!



Warlock.

-----

Web Warlock

The Other Side,
home of Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks

"If this is all the gods can do, I'm over to the Darkside so fast." - Tom Servo Mystery Science Theater 3000, Episode 903 "Pumaman".

[TemperedCynic]

Bloody hell.



Willow doesn't have time for Buffy's alter ego. But the cylinder must have weakened her. TARA was very perceptive - Willow is in danger of imploding her current structure. Or, will she morph into something else? Should be fun.



So, Willow is planning to stay with TARA. Why do I believe it won't be as simple as that? Eh, seen too many movies and read too many '80's romance novels, I guess.



The spires of Notre Dame might fit your mental picture. That, and I can't get the picture of the Hunchback out of my head when I started thinking about the I/O tower!

---

More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly. Woody Allen (1935 - )

[Artemis]

Thanks all



justin: Willow's not in GDI yet - Buffy works for the US government (GDI is international), and Willow is currently insider Buffy's computer.



And you're right in your second message as well, Echelon is not doing a good job with the PR side of its system-wide takeover. It's just terminating, de-rezzing or appropriating every program it can get its hands on.



miss calendar: Well, I thought it was just going to be a fun adventure/romance too. Sometimes my stories creep up on me like that.



In some ways programs have made false gods out of their users. But it also depends on your point of view - programs are genuinely happy carrying out the commands of their users, so is it oppression to have them do so? Or is it really that different to us having to work for a living - what most people tend to say they want out of the career side of their lives is a job where they get paid for doing something they enjoy. Most of us settle for getting paid.



Probably there are, or were, some programs who didn't resist Echelon's takeover. Simple programs wouldn't need much convincing to swap one source of commands for another. Those with amoral functions - viruses and the like - wouldn't much care. A lot would rather be miserable than dead. Many believe, genuinely or out of denial of their fears, that the users want Echelon to take over, and it's acting according to their commands.



But the ones who have escaped before Echelon took their networks are in a difficult position - nothing like this has ever happened before, and they don't know what to do. They're frightened of freedom, because they're not built for it, and they either become fanatically devout, believing that the users will save them in the face of evidence to the contrary, or they become desperate for *anyone* to give them a function - some might even give in to Echelon on that basis.



In answer to your last question, the vast majority of the 'free' programs want a return to the status quo, with users in charge - they refuse to follow Echelon because they know it's not going to bring the users back, but they're willing to believe in practically anyone at this point who will promise them they'll return things to the way they used to be. It's an interesting position, but it's not quite as depressing as when humans behave the same way (and we do, quite often) - programs, unlike us, don't need to be free to be properly happy.



The religious feel of the I/O tower was intentional, it is as you say a 'stairway to heaven'. I didn't plan on Darien being an angel - his white energy was just to show that he is unaligned, as he and his tower are available to any programs who need them - but now that you mention it, I see how it works. I guess he's a priest, and the programs outside are desperate enough to view him as being semi-divine. I often don't realise what I'm writing until later. I just have to trust that my brain's got a plan in it somewhere



And to your second message, I suppose Echelon is a bit of a Lucifer figure, in the traditional sense. Although unlike Lucifer, Echelon was just an average program before all this began (more like Hitler, there). I'm not drawing intentional parallels with Genesis though (partly because I haven't read it, partly because I have read The Dumas Club, which turns the whole thing on its head), but I guess it's just so much a part of our culture that it seeps into stories without us even realising.



The idea of programs having to wait ages for users to respond to them was just a practical one, due to the difference in time-frames. I imagine programs submit requests for communication, for whatever reason, and then go about whatever other business they have until their user is ready. Most programs returning data to their users would probably upload their data for the users to view at their convenience, rather than communicating directly.



WebWarlock: The season three finale, that was when I really cheered for Buffy - and the rest of the students. I've heard of Poser (I think - it's a CGI program specifically for generating images of people?), and if I ever get my hands on it, and a good generic CGI package, I'm going to have a go at painstakingly rendering this story as a comic. That's super-long-term thinking, though, even if I do get the programs, so don't hold your breath



TemperedCynic: What would happen if Willow pushed herself too far is an interesting question - it's never happened, so no-one knows. Basically her 'user-ness' is largely dormant, which is just as well because there's no way a program could contain that kind of power. So there's a limit she can't push herself past, because if she does she'll be risking the program form she's inhabiting completely collapsing.



As for why you (and WebWarlock) imagine things won't be as easy as Willow just deciding to stay with Tara - the course of true love never did run smooth, especially not when it's got Sark, Rain and Echelon trying to dismantle it

[Artemis]

TARA



Author: Chris Cook

Rating: PG

Summary: Cycorp programmer Willow Rosenberg knows her boss is up to no good - but can she break into the impenetrable Echelon system to prove it?

Spoilers: Pretty much none.

Copyright: Based on characters from 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', created by Joss Whedon and his talented minionators, and 'Tron' created by Steven Lisberger. All original material is copyright 2003 Chris Cook.

Feedback: Please. Here, or to alia@netspace.net.au



--

Chapter Eighteen

--



Willow did her best to keep calm and not move at all. Slayer watched her warily, but didn't seem about to attack her just yet. The other program's name had jogged her memory - Buffy had asked for her help in creating an anti-intrusion routine, and Slayer was what they had come up with together. From what she remembered of the code she had helped design, Willow guessed that Slayer would be suspicious, hostile, but with any luck, not actually aggressive if she didn't perceive a challenge. Willow had never liked coding programs that acted based on incomplete information. But she remembered that Slayer was not, even by the standards of non-AI programs, a flexible thinker.



"Slayer," Willow said, "listen to me. I know this is unauthorised, but these are extreme circumstances. You understand that, right?"



"I am not programmed to modify my behaviour based on circumstances," retorted Slayer.



"Okay," said Willow quickly, "fine, but look, I'm not touching the memory, or whatever it is, I'm not breaking the rules. Okay? Just listen to me."



"You are not permitted to leave the I/O port," insisted Slayer.



"Okay, but your user wants you to guard the memory, right? I'm not touching the memory. See? Look, I'll go over here," Willow walked slowly a few steps away from the nearest memory block and cautiously sat down, crossing her legs on the cold ground.



"See?" she asked. "Now you can get in front of me, and I won't be able to even get to the memory without going through you. So you'll be fulfilling your function, right?"



Slayer quickly moved between Willow and the memory block. She had relaxed, if only a fraction, and it seemed to Willow that her hostile gaze was now mixed with just a little uncertainty.



"That's right," she said encouragingly, "I'm not a threat. You don't want to terminate me if I'm not a threat, right?"



"Correct," said Slayer warily.



"Okay, now just listen to me. I'm going to tell you what's going on out there, and then you can decide what to do. Alright?"



Slayer nodded warily.



"Okay," said Willow, hoping she knew what she was doing. "First of all, you know what your user does, right? She keeps the system free."



"She is a guardian," said Slayer, as if automatically.



"Right," agreed Willow, "she's a guardian. Well there's a program out there called Echelon. It's taking over the open system, isolating programs from their users, appropriating their functions. Your user wouldn't want that, right?"



"Correct," said Slayer again.



"Well, I'm trying to stop that program," said Willow. "So your user and I want the same thing. Don't you think she'd want to help me?"



"Irrelevant," declared Slayer, "it is not my function to anticipate the desires of my user. My function is to prevent unauthorised programs from accessing her memory."



"Okay, unauthorised programs," said Willow quickly, "but I'm not a program. I'm a user."



"Impossible," said Slayer.



"No," argued Willow, "not impossible! I was brought into the system by the program your user and I were trying to fight. So now I have to help your user from in here. You understand?"



"Impossible," repeated Slayer. "You are providing false data." Her expression hadn't changed at all - Willow got the impression that her argument wasn't getting through.



"I'm telling the truth," she insisted. "Look, okay, I know how I can make you believe me. I was there when Buffy, your user, created you. I know your code. No program could know that, right?"



"Code cannot be read from a functioning program," admitted Slayer.



"Right, and you're still functioning," went on Willow, "so if I'm just a program, I can't possibly know your code. Right?" Slayer was silent, which Willow took for the closest to agreement she was going to get.



"Okay," she said, "definition language, you understand?" She took a deep breath. "Define program identity Slayer version one point oh, end line. Define program core source file intrusion countermeasures template version seven point five, end line. Include module government database access specifications model three point five five, end line. Include module..." Willow stopped, seeing Slayer's expression change from hostility to confused suspicion.



"You see?" Willow said. "If I'm not a user, explain that."



"I cannot," said Slayer. Her expression hardened. "But I am not programmed to alter my behaviour under any circumstances. Your identity is irrelevant."



"Okay, but this is the thing," said Willow, trying to sound convincing, "your programming didn't anticipate this situation. Buffy... Buffy gave me new programming for you, so you'd be able to alter your behaviour. Understand? If you let me give it to you, I promise then I'll do whatever you say." Remaining seated, she reached out a hand to Slayer, who regarded it with suspicion.



"If I am required to be altered, why would my user not do so herself?" she asked warily.



"Because..." Willow faltered, then regained her momentum. "Because things have gotten really bad out there. Echelon, the program we're trying to stop, is making it difficult for users to communicate with their programs. This is the only way she could get this code to you. Please, trust me, I'm..." she chose her words carefully, "I'm doing what Buffy would want me to do."



Slowly, wary for any sign of attack, Slayer reached out and took Willow's hand. Willow smiled sadly.



"I'm sorry," she said. "Lay down lazy-head."



Slayer instantly relaxed, her expression becoming completely neutral, her body easing into a restful stance. Her grip on Willow's hand became loose.



"Period of inactivity?" she said in a featureless voice.



"Um, until I leave this space," Willow guessed. She didn't want to leave Buffy's computer open to anyone who tried to get in after she had gone.



"Acknowledge," said Slayer, and closed her eyes. Willow released her hand and stood up, staring at her. She seemed perfectly alright - still breathing, still standing, her arm returning to her side as Willow let her go. She had protested Buffy's decision to leave a 'back door' for herself into her own computer, on the basis that if she could do it, someone else could too. But Buffy had insisted, confiding in Willow that she didn't entirely trust some of her superiors, and if worst came to worst she wanted a way to keep her options open. Willow couldn't decide, now, which of them had been right - both, after a fashion. She examined Slayer's now-passive face.



"Sorry," she said again, "but I have to do this, and we just didn't program you to adapt to something like this happening. I'll... I'll make sure Buffy knows you listened to me, at least. It's what she would have wanted." There was no indication that Slayer heard anything she was saying. Feeling slightly guilty, Willow turned from the inactive program and approached the monolithic memory block.



She felt a strange sluggishness as she touched the patterns of information inside the memory, as if she was moving through water, but it was nowhere near as difficult as the barrier had been - it just took a little effort to shift her gaze from one file to the next. After a few false starts, which she backed out of before she saw any detailed information - after all, Buffy had government clearance, and Willow didn't want to go trawling through everything her files contained - she began to see references to GDI in the file names, and the hazy sensations of meaning she got when she edged closer to each file. Willow set her mind on the idea of the authorisation codes to get into the GDI network, and the traces within Buffy's files acted like a trail of breadcrumbs, leading her to the information she needed.



Willow's search eventually led her to the file she needed. She mentally grabbed hold of it, and it opened up for her, spilling information into her mind. She rejoiced as she saw the series of codes she needed, then her elation turned to curiosity as she realised there was a lot more data than just passwords. She had no idea what most of it was, though she got vague impressions from it - strength, solidity. There was one part of it that didn't fit, that Willow realised after a moment wasn't part of it at all, but another stream of data attached to it. Curiosity got the better of her, and she tugged at the end of it. She jumped as she heard Buffy's voice, and spun around to look at Slayer, who was still immobile.



"Willow, I know I should kick your ass for hacking into my laptop," Buffy's disembodied voice was saying. Willow realised she had taken her hands off the memory, but the files - and Buffy's voice - was inside her now.



"But," Buffy went on, "you wouldn't be here reading this if there weren't a damn good reason - which you can tell me about over coffee, and you're buying, hacker-girl. I assume the whole Cycorp situation is looking grim and for some reason you can't just ring my mobile. This package has everything I've put together to counter an incursion into GDI's network from Cycorp - I don't know if it'll work, but it might help hold the fort until those Global Defence airheads get their butts into gear. There's passwords here that'll get you limited access to GDI, enough that you can get these countermeasures to them. It'll be up to their people to lock down the whole system tight, but there's nothing I can give you to help there. I know, this isn't exactly authorised- okay, I'll be honest, if I did this under normal circumstances I'd get kind of fired, but I'm guessing circumstances aren't normal. So you get these subroutines to GDI, get proof of what Cycorp's doing to Riley or whoever's working late at my office, and we can take Cycorp down officially and I won't have to move into your spare bedroom until I get another job. Now stop reading and go do it. Shoo! And call me, I promise I won't bite your head off for waking me up."



Buffy's voice faded, and Willow smiled at her best friend's unfailingly cutesy manner in the face of a crisis. She reached behind her back and ran the tips of her fingers over the data disc embedded there, shivering as she felt the defensive data stored inside the disc. Stepping gingerly around Slayer, Willow returned to the cylinder she had emerged from and tentatively put her hand out to touch it. Her fingers passed through it without effort, and with two steps she was back within the dark, silent I/O port, glad that she hadn't had to struggle through the barrier again - evidently it only worked one way.



"Okay," she said to no-one, "I'm ready to go-"



-----



"-back," Willow finished, as the communications chamber of the I/O tower suddenly blinked into being. She was too stunned to move for a second, as Darien seemed to relax, and Tara hurried over to her, clearing the steps up to the dais in a single jump and hugging her.



"You're okay," she murmured into Willow's neck, still saying the unfamiliar word with an odd rhythm. Willow hugged her back.



"I'm fine," she said reassuringly, "it was a bit difficult but I got through it. I'm okay."



Tara remained with her arms wrapped around Willow for a moment, until Darien cleared his throat theatrically. Tara and Willow separated, except for each keeping an arm around each other's waist. With her other hand Willow retrieved her data disc and showed it to Tara.



"Buffy guessed something like this would happen," she said, "she left all sorts of defences and things for GDI for me, along with the access codes."



"Darien," said Tara, "can you create a high-speed transit beam to the GDI network with these codes?" She handed the disc to Darien, who ran his fingertips over the concentric rings of light on its surface.



"I think so," he said, looking from Tara to Willow, "my word, you have powerful users watching over you. Maybe we'll come out of this functioning after all." He smiled to himself, and handed the disc back to Willow.



"Go back to your simulation," he told her and Tara, "I'll have your codes converted into a beam by the time you're ready to leave."



"Thank you Darien," said Tara sincerely.



"Oh, don't thank me," Darien said, turning to shuffle across the chamber, "I'm just an old tower guardian, it's my function. Just make sure you get that data of yours to GDI, so they can get rid of Echelon, and we can all get back to fulfilling our functions in peace." Willow waved goodbye to the likeable old program as Tara took her hand and led her out of the chamber.



"Are you sure you're alright?" asked Tara as they hurried along the long entrance corridor.



"I'm fine," said Willow again, "I just had to get through a barrier, and it didn't feel as difficult as that Hunter-killers was. And there was a security program, but I was there when Buffy created her, so I knew a code," she suddenly realised what she was saying, and dropped her gaze to the floor. "I had to deactivate her," she admitted. Tara gave her a reassuring squeeze around the waist.



"It's alright," she said gently, "I understand."



"She'll be active again now," Willow said quickly, "I made sure she'd come back as soon as I left-"



"Willow," interrupted Tara, stopping and turning to face her, "it's alright. Really. I don't like deactivating programs either, but most of us just aren't flexible. Sometimes there isn't a choice. I understand." Willow allowed herself to feel better as Tara led her to the huge double doors of the tower.



The nearest of the huddled programs outside turned as the doors opened, getting to their feet and approaching Willow and Tara with an odd mix of fear and hope.



"Tara," one of them called out, "we saw the tower function, what do the users want us to do?"



"Did they give you commands for us?" asked another.



"Are we supposed to follow you?"



"Are there more of your kind?"



"What are our functions?"



"Wait," said Tara loudly, halting the rising tide of questions before it got out of hand. She stood slightly in front of Willow.



"We're just fulfilling our function," she said, "nothing more. I can't tell you what to do-"



"But you're Tara!" pleaded one of the programs. "The users sent you to guide us!"



"I'm not here to command you-" began Tara.



"But you are the voice of the users! You defeated Sark!"



"I didn't defeat him, I just escaped from the Game Grid-"



"Where you could not be de-rezzed!" insisted another program. "Please, protect us! Lead us! We have no-one else to turn to!"



"They didn't try to de-rez me, I-"



"Tara?" said Willow quietly. Tara picked up the urgency in her voice and looked over her shoulder. Willow was staring past her, up at the jagged hills of the open system surrounding the I/O tower. Tara followed her gaze, and tensed as she saw red shapes moving there.



"Oh no," she whispered. The refugee programs began to turn, and there were screams of panic from the crowd as they saw the distant tanks and recognisers approaching.

[chilled monkey]

Sorry I missed the last few updates.

This is very good. I can easily imagine this being made into a movie. It would be amazing!

[Grimlock72]

Hmm... flight or fight.... it's a bit unfair only Tara and Willow can "flight" really. Assuming Darien does get the connection setup, don't know if they need the tower to be active during the entire transfer.



I doubt Willow could heal enough programs to fight the incoming force (the outbound connection to Summers01 was kinda like waving a HUGE flag ). If they're going to be defeated anyway it's probably best if the other programs delay them as long as possible so Tara and Willow at least can get to GDI. The programs probably would do that gladly for them, question is do either Willow or Tara want them to ?



Shame on Buffy for leaving a backdoor in a firewall, though she made up for that by leaving that nice "hack your way into GDI" package for Willow . It was nice to see Tara concerned about Willow. She's right too, they don't know Willow's limits. At least Tara knows her own "physical" limits to some extend, which prevents her from trying something she can't do anyway. Willow might overextend herself and crash if she isn't carefull.



Surprising I/O traffic is still fast seeing the elaborate protcol Darien uses to contact Summer01 . Tara's line about users taking "several thousand milliseconds to respond to unscheduled queries" was fun as well. It's even worse early in the morning I can tell you btw. :-)



What's so special about that Poser program anyway ? I guess I'm to impatient to read it's entire manual, thats probably why I didn't get much done with it :-). Behold my amount of patience, heh.... reading large's manual is sooooo boring. Hmm... you can 'age' people with it, imagine Tara and Willow as babies... or as 100 year old couple .



Grimmy

--

She(Tara) knew that she was Willow too. If she knew that then why hadn't Willow herself? That wasn't fair. She was Willow. she should have known that first. -- Willow in _Sidestep Chronicle_ (part 80)

[Cindy Lou Who]

Chris:



A quick "thanks" for the "sentience" overview. If A. the G. is anything like Rowdy the Fat and Unfathomable then the query of cat's having souls should be finally put to rest!



I think you effectively encapsulate the dichotomy of Buffy V.S. in one quote

Quote:

---

"Irrelevant," declared the Slayer, "it is not my function to anticipate the desires of my user. My function is to prevent unauthorised programs from accessing her memory."

---

Buffy's desires are often at odds with the single-minded purpose of the Slayer. Well *I* liked this anyway.



I totally dug the "cyberspace hypnosis." ("Lay down lazy-head" ) The Slayer might not have heard Willow's disclaimers...but then again "Post-Hypnotic Suggestion" and all...



Oh...and THANKS for lulling me into complacency. Thinking that since Buffy "anticipated" and Willow "acquired" - that all could go smoothly from here!



~Suse

[TemperedCynic]

Artemis has spoken, as follows:

Quote:

---

As for why you (and WebWarlock) imagine things won't be as easy as Willow just deciding to stay with Tara - the course of true love never did run smooth, especially not when it's got Sark, Rain and Echelon trying to dismantle it

---

Ahh, but we believe that you will keep our girls together in the end. And, if not, it will be a transition to another Artemis fic! We trust you with their pain as well as their happiness.



Now Willow has deactivated a program and feels guilty for doing so. Most users never think twice about programs in this manner. Willow has TARA now, and Willow's world view has changed because of her lover. TARA understands Willow's need, and forgives her.



Now another battle looms on the horizon, with defenseless programs in the middle. How did Sark find them and organize this attack so swiftly? I believe we'll see how ruthless Sark, Rain and Echelon can be achieving their goals. Always darkest before the dawn.

---

More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly. Woody Allen (1935 - )

[Artemis]

Thanks all



chilled monkey: Thanks I keep imagining camera movements for each scene.



Grimlock72: The tower has to project the beam long enough for the simulation using it to merge and ride it. Once a simulation is moving along the beam, the tower can switch it off - the simulation would be moving at the same speed as the beam is collapsing behind it, so they'd reach their destination before it vanished. It's not 100% safe - if they get held up by an energy pulse (as happens in Tron), the beam collapse would catch up, and they'd be dumped in the middle of nowhere, but it's not lethal.



All of Darien's fussing around would happen in the blink of an eye to a user. In the same way, when a user tries to contact a program, the message would have to go out to wherever the program is, and then they'd have to travel to the nearest I/O tower to answer - but that takes half a second so far as we're concerned.



What's special about Poser is that it's designed to generate fairly realistic CGI humans - which would make up for my near-complete inability to draw. I'm looking into getting the program.



Suse: Yeah, it was intentional that Buffy and Slayer are two separate parts of the 'normal' Buffy. Though I didn't really think of it in terms of reflecting on the TV show, it just seemed like a cool thing to do at the time



'Lay down lazy-head' is the start of the chorus of one of my favourite songs by Alisha's Attic. It's a sort of pop-song lullaby, so it seemed appropriate.



TemperedCynic: It's not so much deactivating Slayer that Willow feels guilty about - I mean, she and Tara have been knocking out Sark's programs all over the place - it's that Slayer was doing what she was supposed to be doing. Even though Slayer will, by now, have come back online (and not felt bad about being defeated - after all, deactivating when she's given her password is part of what she's supposed to do as well), Willow's still not comfortable with the idea of making sacrifices for the greater good.



The circumstances of the attacking force will be dealt with briefly in the next chapter.