Chapter Three

Information Overload

What Alan Bradley had said made no sense. SHIELD had interrogated him a few years ago back when Kevin Flynn went missing. According to him Flynn didn't go missing. He was watching their every move, waiting for the right moment to reveal the secrets he'd been hiding for so long. And of course, that only put Encom's company under SHIELD's radar.

Now Agent Hill was on her way to meet an unusual pair of strangers. From the way he described them, they sounded like extra terrestrials. She only hoped that they weren't. Otherwise SHIELD wasn't the only organization that would be interested in their sudden arrival.

She parked as close to the Encom Tower as she could. It was late, close to midnight. Most people would still be fast asleep. But Encom was releasing it's latest software. And of course in order for the release date to go well, they held a board meeting around the same time.

"Hi, welcome to Encom, are you here for the board meeting?" The receptionist looked at Agent Hill in surprise after she walked inside.

"I was told to meet someone here," she replied. Act casually and try not to give anything away. Any normal citizen would think that she was here for a meeting. She'd rather keep it that way instead of causing panic throughout the massive building.

"Very well, if you would please sign in-" Agent Hill cut her off with a wave of her hand.

The two people she had to meet were already standing in the room. She was impressed when they both turned almost at once. They already seemed to act like a team, similar to Romanoff and Barton. But that wasn't what caught Agent Hill's sharp eye.

Their suits were completely different from any outfit she had ever seen. They looked like a normal jumper suit, only streaks of white and blue stretched around their arms, legs and bodies. The girl was small compared to her companion, about five feet tall at most. And what really sent shivers down Agent Hill's arms were the scars etched along the girl's face and arms.

"Bradley told me that you'd be here," she said after approaching them. The guy folded his arms and looked like he was ready to defend himself. Where ever they came from, it must not have been an easy place. "Let me guess, Mira and Beck?" The girl raised an eyebrow in response, while her partner simply remained still as a statue.

"Yeah," Mira replied with the slightest smirks. "And you must be Maria Hill."

Agent Hill looked at the girl in surprise. Than she realized that Alan must have told them who she was.

"Yes." An awkward silence filled the room. Agent Hill could hear the receptionist typing away at her computer throughout the staring contest. Finally she couldn't stand the silence and tried to relax a bit more. "Why don't you tell me where you came from?" She caught something out of the corner of her eye.

Instinct kicked in and she grabbed her gun, only to find a kitten staring at her from behind Beck's feet. Both Mira and Beck had stiffened at the sight of her weapon. The woman at the desk let out a startled gasp when she finally took notice.

So much for keeping a low profile, Agent Hill thought angrily. She fired the stun gun at the screaming receptionist, who suddenly fell silent. The kitten that she had seen earlier jumped onto Mira's shoulder, looking rather frightened after what just happened.

"This isn't exactly the best place to explain that," Mira finally replied. Her eyes were narrowed, and Agent Hill thought she saw the girl's jaw clench with anger.

Agent Hill placed the stun gun back in it's lock. They were definitely not aliens. By now they would've likely attacked if they could. But just to play it safe, they would still need to be watched. Very carefully.

"All right then," Agent Hill folded her arms as she thought this through. "I guess I'll have to take you to HQ then."

Both Mira and Beck looked wary at that. From what Agent Hill gathered, they came from a very dangerous place. She couldn't wait to find out exactly what that place was.

"We'll go, but only if you let us use your computer system there." Agent Hill raised an eyebrow when Beck spoke for the first time. She didn't miss how muscular he was. Or the fact that he had watched her every move.

"You'll have to explain why when we get there," she replied.

And she had a feeling their story would be an interesting one at best.

. . .

Mira frowned when they reached the building that Maria Hill had mentioned. It wasn't a large building, but it was a few stories at best. But it wasn't the building itself that had given her a chance to worry.

It was everything Maria was telling them that made her worry. She had missed so much growing up on the Grid. And from what she gathered there was more that she had yet to learn. Apparently a group of superheroes known as the Avengers had made themselves known throughout the User world.

At once Mira was reminded of how much effort Tron had put in to defend the Grid. Even he could not fight against Clu's repurposing. She supposed that no one was really perfect. And that was what she found more ironic than anything else.

"Here we are." Maria got out of the car and opened the door for them.

Beck gaped at the sight when they reached the entrance. Mira had to admit that the entrance was impress. She couldn't even see what was on the inside. The windows were all black. But she had a feeling that the Users inside could easily see what was going on outside.

"Is this the main building?" Mira asked when Maria let them inside. Users were wandering about in what looked like black suits. A few looked at the new arrivals in surprise. Maria had explained that SHIELD had several buildings throughout the United States. And this was just one of them.

"No, this is the smallest sector we have," Maria explained. "There are three floors total, and each of them have a different department."

Mira's mind began to spin with confusion. Even the Grid wasn't this complex. Sure Clu had his hierarchy, but they were easy to recognize. It didn't help that this was all so new to them.

"Why do you need all of this space?" Beck asked warily.

"Let's save the questions for later, shall we?" Mira jumped when someone approached them.

"Director Fury, these are the two... unusual strangers I told you about earlier," Maria explained. Rinzler pressed himself against Mira's shoulders when he noticed how menacing the newcomer was. She wasn't intimidated by his appearance though.

In truth this 'Director Fury' User reminded Mira of Cutler. Only to any stranger he might appear more menacing.

"They don't look like much." Director Fury raised an eyebrow when Beck folded his arms in annoyance. Mira would have laughed at his expression if it wasn't for the situation. Beck wasn't one to back down from a challenge. Maria whispered something that only Director Fury could hear. After a few nanocycles Director Fury sighed in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I see your point," he muttered under his breath. "Come with me, we need to talk," he added to Mira and Beck.

She exchanged another anxious look with Beck. So far they had trusted these Users and found nothing useful. Maybe Beck had a point in asking whether or not these Users could be trusted. Mira had a feeling that if they tried running, these Users would hunt them down just like Clu's soldiers had.

Either way we'd be stuck, she thought bitterly. If we run we'll be fugitives again.

AN: I know the title seems a bit strange, but I liked it. And it took me long enough to get this posted XD But I had to think carefully as to where this chapter should be ended. Thanks to CMR Rosa, 2theSky and PrincessKai317 for reviewing! You guys are amazing people :D

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