This wasn’t the first time Jalen had traveled through the Portal. It wasn’t the first time, even excluding his quest to locate Clu, and the subsequent tumble down the rabbit hole that finding this subsystem - this Free Grid, as the locals call it – had become.

In the early days, before the transit hub was brought online, Jalen had attempted the Portal along with his sister, Radia, and two other candidates.
That, unfortunately, had ended badly for him. Where the rest of the packet had gone through with no trouble at all, Jalen could only recall a terrible, splintering effect to his awareness. A moment, a split second of unbearable warmth, weight, and a bright light somewhere at the edge of his vision, and then? Nothing. Later, after he was rushed to the nearest on-site Recompilers ( a matched team of ISO, and Basic ) it was determined that he was simply too tied to the Grid. Radia had a bit of an adjustment period in changing the digital world for the physical, but her empathic abilities remained more, or less intact, if only limited to touch. Jalen ( somewhat accurately ) had felt like the Portal was trying to tear out his root code. In truth it was more the other way around, but when similar incidents occurred, though very rare, and isolated to a total of 4 other programs beyond the admin displayed similar problems, a new term was coined; ‘Grid-bound’. Some earthborn weren’t meant to leave their world for the digital, so it only made sense that a few codeborn would have similar problems leaving theirs.

And yet, when he’d had the cordon lifted on the Primary Grid’s Portal, Jalen hadn’t thought once about the experience. But now? Now, he couldn’t help a touch of trepidation at the swirling vortex of light, and wind. Maybe it was the knowledge of how unstable this connection was. Maybe it was the knowledge of what had happened to this ‘Free Grid’, and having proof that time was not as linear as previously thought. Whatever the reason, the tall ISO frowned, and kept clenching, and unclenching his hands at his sides.

Clu saw his dawdling for what it was, no doubt, but short of a gesture to wave Jalen over the last barrier between the platform, and the Portal dais, he just smiled encouragement. Jalen did, eventually, join his coadmin on the dais, and though he had to shout over the roar of wind, Clu managed to convey a fair amount of quiet empathy to his nervous friend.

“It won’t be like that. You got here just fine, and we’ll get out of here just fine.”

Jalen nodded, and squared his shoulders. He looked up, and soon both the ISO, and the Basic were mirroring each other’s stance by holding their respective disks up, over their heads, and letting Portal Control take the backup data out of their hands.

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

His fears in that, at least, were unnecessary. The connection was just as strange, loose, and unstable on carrying the information, but crossing the distance between one timeline, and another might just have that effect. Still, Jalen, and Clu were downloaded with minimal trouble to their own Primary Grid’s Portal Control.

Waiting in cache was still an odd experience for Jalen, too. He’d never heard of it from others who underwent the experience on regularly scheduled turns, but he had always had a nominal awareness of himself, even in stasis. And it was stasis. Which meant a delay. He couldn’t say how long, time had no meaning in this floating, formless place. It was…peaceful, really.

But the moment he became aware of solidity, and self again, the swirling vortex of light, and wind had given way to the Portal Complex, and the cavernous, echoing room that Portal Input Alpha occupied. Really, it was half-based on an earthborn cathedral called ‘The Pantheon’, and partially created from the angular design sense of Basics. But, it was enclosed, if bright. Jalen nearly felt himself sway with relief.

Home.

The relief stayed with him, even as he passed through the brightly lit, rising column of sectioned light to see a gathered party of programs waiting at the foot of the raised dais. Flynn was with them, and he was three steps up the stairs, grabbing Clu into a tight, shoulder-thumping embrace the moment the admin was off the Portal pad. Radia, as well, glowed so brightly that without her headdress, and dressed in less formal wear ( what time was it, anyway? Maybe they should have taken the down cycle into account ) she looked as awestruck, and overjoyed as a brand new program again. Jalen was all too happy to take both her offered hands, and brush his cheek against hers in greeting. Her joy was a bright, clarion chime in his mind, and he gave both her hands a squeeze with a please smile.

“I’m so glad you are safe! Both of you! Oh, when there was no contact again, I – we were very concerned.” She gushed, leaning up onto her toes to brush her cheek against her brother’s again. It was rare to see Radia so willing to display her affection openly, so Jalen knew that she must have been truly frightened. He leaned against her for a moment, pleased to be able to “speak” with her in their private way, again. His mouth never moved, and no strings of binary text passed between them, but the pair of alpha class ISOs had always shared a bond. Something that none could really explain, but Flynn once explained as “Hey, they’re soulmates, man. Figures they’ve got something special going.”
So, upon “hearing” his sister in mind, and code, a lot of tension melted out of Jalen. He really was home, now.

I sense disquiet in you, beloved. Something…something happened. You are not hurt, but you are so heavy with grief.

Radia’s knowing eyes turned a little worried, too, and she laced her fingers with her brother’s readily.

I wish to see.

No, he didn’t want her to see that—

Hush. I am not afraid. There is nothing you might show me that would shake my faith in you, beloved. But I am sorry that it will have to wait. The matter of your disappearance must be explained.

Jalen nodded, and glanced at the assembled programs – Yori coming through the transparent doors now that Portal Control Alpha was going through it’s shutdown sequence to join…oh.
Jalen winced at noticing several of the distinct black, and minimalist circuit design suits of Security. None moreso than Tron. He had two of his team flanking him on either side, Tac, and Theron standing with their hands clasped behind their backs in the Security force’s version of ‘at ease’. There were three teams of Recompilers on standby near the door – three matched Basic and three ISO programs in all – and Yori had to nudge her way through them as they waited, obviously nervous on the sidelines.

Clu, and Flynn came down the stairs, just as Jalen’s attention shifted away from Radia, and he could hear the Creator talking with his coadmin as they came closer. Flynn’s arm was still wrapper around Clu’s shoulders, as they paused at the base of the dais.

“—was wild, man. It’s like you two just vanished. There was nothing to track, and believe me, the search engines were out in force trying. Remind me to call Pyra Labs after I give Alan a ping, and let him know his new search wasn’t bugged, or something.”
Flynn was rambling a bit, a sure sign of nerves, since Jalen knew for certain that experimental search engines were more likely to be pleased at the challenge than worried they hadn’t found results.

Jalen also had the irrational urge to hide behind Clu, and Flynn just now.

Radia squeezed his hands in support a final time, and broke connection with a nudge toward the others. Jalen swallowed, visibly, and his circuits brightened for just a moment with a fierce blush of embarrassment. He stayed close to Radia as the little group joined Security, and Tron…well. Tron first gave Clu a sincere smile, and endured the friendly clasp to his shoulder with dignity.

“Clu. Administrator Jalen.” Tron nodded to both of them, but there was a sharp emphasis on Jalen’s title that made him fidget in place. “After a full Centicycle, I was in the midst of gathering an expedition, as well. Welcome back.”

“Has it really only been that long?” Clu asked, somewhat surprised. “I’ll have to sync with this System’s clock again, then.” That got curious looks from many of the group, but before Clu could elaborate, Jalen took a step away from Radia. All eyes turned to him as he looked Tron in the eye, and tried at first to seem dignified. He opened his mouth as though to speak….

…And couldn’t help it. For just a moment, his eyes dropped to look at the distinct ‘T’ shaped pattern of lights on Tron’s suit, and something broke inside him. In his mind’s eye, he saw the Archival files of Rinzler. He’d watched sixteen matches before he couldn’t watch the red-lit program executing fleeing strays anymore.

Without warning, Jalen took another step forward, and folded Tron in a tight hug.

Tron, at least, didn’t go for his disk straight off, but instead stiffened in shock, hands held out to his sides as the tall ISO nearly bowled him over! Tac had a goggle-eyed expression, and hands at his sides suddenly, but was still trying to process what just happened. Theron’s jaw dropped, and she just looked at the tableau with awe.
Tron recovered first, and put his hands firmly around Jalen’s shoulders, and pushed the ISO off to be held at arm’s length. Frowning in confusion, and mixed wariness, he took a step back, glanced involuntarily at the Recompilers ( all of whom were staring with mixed reactions from one dropping her medical kit, to many with gaping, or hands pressed against their mouths to stifle nervous laughter ) then back to Jalen. Then Flynn. Then Clu.
He lingered on Clu, because out of everyone here, Clu was the only one who didn’t seem shocked. In fact, he looked as though he didn’t find the gesture the least bit funny at all. Strangely? He almost looked…sad.

Tron frowned, looked at Jalen more critically, and seemed to notice the miserable way the ISO’s shoulders were drooping. Nervous silence reigned, but Tron eventually shook his head, and crossed his arms.

“You should be checked, Jalen. You aren’t accustomed to that sort of travel, and VDT’s are a risk.”

That seemed to shake the assembled programs ( and one User ) out of their respective lag, and brought the focus back to directives. Jalen glanced at the Recompiler teams, then back at Tron, and dropped his eyes to stare at Tron’s feet.

“Yes sir. I know protocol recommends a quarantine for earthborn going through their first time with digitization, and I recommend that as well.”

“…Jalen? What happened?” Radia said, concern coloring her tone as she placed a hand over his wrist.

Clu saved him from having to explain, though his tone was just as heavy with regret.

“It’s a long story. And it’s going to sound pretty farfetched. I wish I hadn’t seen what we saw, but…it would do a disservice to the Free Grid to pretend otherwise.”

At some point, Yori must have had a similar thought to Tron’s about Virtual Delirium Tremens, and waved over the Recompilers. As they clustered around the tall ISO, leading him away toward the new incoming earthborn quarantine at his own request. Radia nodded once to Flynn, and smiled at Yori as she followed her brother out the doors. But just before they closed, Jalen could hear Clu start telling the assembled Security, and Flynn about his strange trip to the Free Grid.

“Guys. The next time I ever complain about wearing earth-style suits? Just remind me of the story I’m about to tell you.”