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"Ram won't get to hear his User's voice again" is the first thought in Tron's mind as he begins working to clean up the mess the MCP had left. He lets out a tired sigh and pushes the thought aside in favor of focusing on his task. Flynn had given him a job to do, and AlanOne had upgraded him as well. It was an honor, and far from the time to dwell on the past. Instead, Tron focuses on the future.
Ram wasn't RKleinberg's only program. Tron knew this, naturally. Ram may have been the most complex (and the one Tron cared for, but he pushes that thought aside as well), but that didn't make him the sole program to call RKleinberg his User. RKleinberg's programs were surprisingly spread out, however, making the chances of an encounter rare. When Tron walks into a building to find an obvious replacement for Ram he immediately exits, feeling sick. He tries not to think about how this replacement is the one who is able to speak with RKleinberg, and not the program who most deserves it.
Flynn tells Tron he asked about Ram one day. RKleinberg had had a backup stored, which meant now Flynn had a backup. Flynn didn't want to bring the actuarial program back, though. There were too many risks, to many variables.
"Roy says he doesn't know how old the backup is. Ram might not remember you."
Tron tells Flynn it's fine, but it's obviously not. Flynn smiles tiredly and slings his arm around Tron's shoulders.
"I know, man, I miss him too. I'll take a look at the code and see what I can do, okay?"
Tron agrees, but he's not surprised when nothing ever happens with the backup. Flynn doesn't mention it again.
Cycles pass and thoughts of his old friend start to fade. His work is demanding, but, with the support of his friends and his User, he manages. The system evolves and Flynn's visits lessen. It gets to the point where Tron is honestly surprised to see the laid-back User. He's even more surprised when Flynn tells him he's being transferred. Not to a new sector, either. Flynn explains about the Grid, about all the potential and about how Tron's going to help him shape it. Naturally, Tron agrees.
The new Grid takes some getting used to. As does the lack of his User. Tron still had plenty of work to occupy his time, but it was odd not having the ties to AlanOne. There was no pull towards an I/O tower when AlanOne had new code for him, no command buzzing in the back of his mind. Just silence. Flynn visited more and more, though, and more and more programs cropped up as well. There was enough to do that Tron didn't mind the emptiness.
While Tron worked diligently, Flynn was reckless. Well, no, not really reckless. Overconfident was better. He'd called Tron to watch him work, and Tron finds himself smiling as a familiar program forms. Still, something doesn't sit quite right with him. He finds out why when the new program's smile turns into a look of shock. Ram collapses, clutching at his head as he trembles. Flynn gapes at the actuarial program while Tron takes action, kneeling down and gently untangling Ram's fingers from his hair.
"Where is he?" Ram's voice trembles and he doesn't look up from the ground.
"He's out there. He still exists."
"Where?"
"Flynn knows. It'll be alright, Ram."
Tron's surprised to see Ram's circuits flare red- a trait found only on the Encom system. Perhaps it had something to do with Flynn and AlanOne's updates that Tron no longer shared it.
"No. No no no no no."
"Ram, you need to stand. Can you do that? We'll move someplace more comfortable so you can rest."
Ram tries to rise, pitching forwards as his legs give out again. Tron sighs, looking over at Flynn.
"Will you help?"
"Yeah, yeah, of course." Flynn nods, helping Tron carry the reformed actuarial program. When they get back to Tron's home Ram has shut down, his body untensing now that he's not panicking. They lay him down gently, Flynn following Tron out to another room to ask what happened.
"He can't hear his User."
"Sure, okay, but why is it affecting him like that? You guys had to go to I/O towers to talk to them anyways."
Tron sighs, shaking his head. "We could still feel them, though, and we always had a defined purpose connecting us to them. Programs here don't have that. I had time to adjust to the change, and knew there was a risk of being cut off when you explained this place to me. You reconstructed Ram from RKleinberg's backup, so he had memories of his User and no preparation."
"He expected noise but the radio was turned off."
"Yes." Tron nods. "I doubt he'll be quick to adjust to being cut off from his User."
"Would it have been better if I'd left him?" Flynn glances towards the room Ram was in, frowning.
"Most likely."
"I'm sorry."
"He'll forgive you, you didn't know. If you plan on bringing anyone else back, though, ask me first."
"I will." Flynn smiles. "Watch out for him, alright?"
"Of course. I'll update you on his condition."
"Thanks, man. Take it easy."
"You too, Flynn." Tron nods, watching Flynn leave. Ram is still shut down when Tron checks on him. Tron has a feeling Ram won't wake any time soon.
Tron's right, of course. The Grid changes as Flynn deems appropriate, providing Tron with more and more work. Clu is born, the ISOs arrive, and it starts to feel like the only constant is the program sleeping in his room. There were moments where Ram would wake only for his system to shut down again, the strain of being cut off too much for him.
When Ram finally comes back fully, it's obvious he's weaker. His circuits glow weakly, his smile is shaky and there's no strength to his grip when he pulls Tron into a hug. Tron wouldn't ask for anything more, though- Ram is here, awake, and he remembers. Tron only wishes he could shape the grid himself, so he could build an I/O tower just for Ram and RKleinberg.
He doesn't have those powers, though. No I/O towers are built, and Ram is left quiet and weak. He stays close to Tron when he ventures outside, mostly to greet Flynn. Sometimes he'll join Tron on patrols, walking by Tron's side and taking in the landscape of the Grid. There are times where Ram will pick up small rocks when they leave the city, running his fingers over it. The old system had never had textures like these, and Tron says nothing when a small pile of rocks appears in the room Ram was using.
It's rare when Ram speaks to Clu. There are times where Ram will ask questions, but Clu never gives him much detail. Ram absolutely ignores Clu when Flynn is around, never even greeting him. Tron mentions it to Flynn, mentions that maybe Ram should be allowed to meet his User. Flynn won't even bring AlanOne, though, so RKleinberg visiting is out of the picture. If Flynn wonders why Ram stopped meeting him at the portal, he doesn't ask.
Ram is there when Clu asks about a perfect system. He'd always joined Tron and Flynn while Tron gave Flynn his reports, so when guards start to appear Tron tells Ram to run. He's sure Ram has escaped with Flynn as he fights, glad that even if he derezzes his friends will be safe. It's only when Clu raises his disk to finish him off that Tron notices movement. Ram knocks Clu away from the security program but he's too weak to do much else. A well-aimed blow sends voxels scattering, but it gives Tron the time needed to incapacitate Clu. As he picks up Ram's disk he has a thought he hasn't had since the old system.
"Ram won't get to hear his User's voice again."