AN: New chapter, yay! Super excited about this one as you can see. And it's my longest yet :P Hopefully they'll stay this way. Special thanks to PrincessKai317 and 2theSky for reviewing! You guys are awesome!

Chapter Five

The Training Room

Mira was surprised she had slept at all. Rinzler was curled up beside her after she found him scratching at the door. The few agents that were still awake had avoided him completely, staring at him with mixtures of fear and suspicion. She tried to ignore them after letting Rinzler inside.

She woke up shortly after hearing an alarm sounding throughout the small room. Already her thoughts churned with anxiety as she remembered what had happened.

With a sigh she got out of the comfortable bed and ruffled the back of her messy hair. Throughout her life on the Grid she had never had to care about the way she looked. But after seeing the strange looks other Users gave her, she suddenly felt self-conscious about her appearance.

I don't even know where to start, she thought when she finally saw her reflection for the first time.

Like the SHIELD agents, she was lean and had well toned muscles from her fighting days on the Grid. But that wasn't what made her skin crawl with both fear and anger. The scars that she had received from long ago were suddenly more visible. All of the patchwork the medics had used suddenly disappeared. Her fists clenched when she realized that these scars were probably the reason everyone had given her strange looks.

Her suit really did look just like Natasha's suit now that she got a good look at it. The only difference was the gloves that ran along her arms. Halfway up they were cut, revealing bare skin. She blinked in surprise when she realized how different she looked now.

"Let's see what everyone else is up to," she sighed after pulling back her short hair as much as she could. She had kept it cut short thanks to her disk, but now she would have to find another way to do so. Rinzler barely noticed her as she quietly slipped out of the door. She didn't get very far without bumping into Natasha. Her eyes widened when Natasha suddenly wheeled around. The agent was about to strike her down when she realized how had bumped into her. "Sorry!" Mira flinched when her voice came out in a squeak.

"It's just a reflex," Natasha replied. Her cold expression didn't falter as she relaxed. "You're up earlier than I expected," she added when Mira shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"An alarm sounded in my room," Mira explained warily. "I'm used to getting up at random times of the... day." She still found it difficult adjusting from cycles to days.

Mira couldn't help but smirk when Beck finally emerged from his room. He didn't look nearly as exhausted as she was expecting. Natasha placed her hands on her hips when Beck joined them.

"Director Fury wants to see just how skills you are a defending yourselves," she explained. "We have a training room for new recruits."

"Since when have we become new recruits?" Beck demanded. He frowned when Natasha glared at him. Mira would have laughed at her expression if it wasn't for the situation. Beck was right to ask what Natasha meant by that.

"We'll explain everything later," Natasha replied. "Follow me."

Frustration swelled within Mira's chest as she followed the redhead. Natasha seemed determined to make them feel unwelcome. In a way she couldn't blame Natasha for her unease. They knew more about Cyrus than SHIELD did. If Natasha or Director Fury were anything like Tron, trust would be difficult to come by.

Well two could play at that game, Mira thought as she narrowed her eyes.

She found it difficult to trust anyone after everything that had happened. On the Grid it was follow the rules or be killed. Life seemed to work differently for Users.

Natasha soon led them up a flight of stairs, than turned towards the right. Mira raised an eyebrow when they reached what looked like a large room. The windows were clear, giving her a good view of the strangely empty room.

"I hope you both had a good night sleep." Mira jumped when she heard Director Fury's voice. She whirled around, grabbing her light staff in a form of self defense. "You have good reflexes. Those will come in handy for the test."

"What test?" Beck asked warily.

"Every stranger that walks through these doors must take a test," Director Fury explained. "We create a file that fits your personalities. After that, we decide whether or not you are capable of joining SHIELD."

"And what makes you think we want to join SHIELD?" Mira demanded.

Despite the fear that slowly wormed it's way through her, she couldn't help being curious. What made SHIELD any different from the Grid? They defended Users just like Tron and the Revolutionists had defended programs.

"Look, for your own protection it's best you keep a low profile," Natasha replied. She glanced at Director Fury, as if seeking his approval. When he remained silent, she continued, "SHIELD not only keeps the Earth safe from threats the FBI or other organizations can't stop. They sanction people like you."

What in the world does that mean? Mira wished she could ask the question. But so far she was already so confused that it would only make things worse.

"And as such, we need to find out just how capable you two are at defending yourselves," Director Fury added. "Which is why I've asked Agent Barton to join us." Natasha stiffened at the name. Mira raised an eyebrow, but before she could ask who that was, the door slid open with a loud hiss.

Standing in the middle of the room was a tall, very muscular looking man. Mira couldn't help but be taken in by his appearance. He had short, spiky blonde hair, and the suit he had on was very different from Natasha's.

"Please tell me this is some kind of joke," he scoffed when Mira followed the others inside.

"Save it," Director Fury snapped. "They know more about the attacker than we realized."

"Hawkeye." Natasha folded her arms when the man looked at her with a smirk.

"Widow. It's been a while." There was an edge to his voice. Tension soon filled the room when Director Fury headed for the sidelines. "You can't seriously expect a couple of kids to take down this new threat," he added under his breath.

Natasha glanced over at Mira and Beck. Beck's expression was almost priceless. It seemed like both Natasha and Barton had several names.

"We'll start with you Beck," Natasha said. Barton frowned when she completely ignored his comment. "Clint, you think you can take him?" She glanced at him with a knowing look.

"With my eyes closed," Clint replied with a grin.

Beck didn't seem too pleased with the idea of fighting a User. Mira couldn't help but share his unease as she stood beside Natasha. Tron fought for the Users. He had never mentioned actually fighting them.

The two watched each other carefully. Clint was waiting for Beck to make the first move. Nanocycles of awkward silence filled the room until Clint finally threw the first punch. Beck's eyes lit up as he dodged the oncoming attack. He quickly moved from side to side as Clint tried to knock him out. When Clint finally did manage to leave a mark, Beck caught his fist and twisted to the side.

Frustration was evident in Clint's eyes as he threw his legs out to trip Beck. But he saw the move coming and jumped, only to feel another fist slam into his cheek. Beck was sent flying across the room, but he quickly landed on his feet, momentarily stunned.

Users he's fast! Mira thought as she watched the scene with awe. Clint made Clu's soldiers look like a bunch of children as he threw a few more punches. Each blow seemed to block Beck's attempt at fighting back. But Mira knew that Beck was only warming up. This was nothing compared to the drills Tron had put them through.

Mira smirked when Beck caught Clint by the fist once more. Without warning Beck sent Clint flying with a good kick in the chest. Clint landed on the floor with a skidding halt.

"Not bad for a rookie," Clint grunted. He looked at Beck in surprise when he helped him up. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"We'd be dead if we couldn't defend ourselves," he explained warily.

Another awkward silence filled the room. Mira held back a laugh when she saw the look of pride in Beck's eyes. The fight could have gotten worse. Somehow Clint managed to hold back tackling Beck to the ground after the fight was over.

"All right kid, time to see what you're capable of," Natasha said once Director Fury was finished working on the notes he had gathered.

She frowned at the statement. Beck had already proven he could easily hold his own in a fight. But this was something she had been dreading since they reached the room. Natasha was obviously more skilled at fighting than she let on.

Beck suddenly grabbed her by the wrist before she followed Natasha. "Be careful," he whispered. There was a mark on his cheek where Clint had punched him. But he didn't seem to notice the pain until she hugged him.

"You know me," she whispered back. "I'm always careful."

"That's what worries me." Mira smirked at the chagrin in his voice.

"Bitbrain," she muttered.

"Cut the slack lovebirds," Clint groaned as he pulled Beck away. Mira was surprised to find herself grinning at the comment. She had a feeling Tron would have said the same thing.

She finally joined Natasha in the center of the room. That same cold expression sent shivers down Mira's arms. It reminded her too much of the way Rinzler would always stare down at her. His disk would be raised, ready for the final strike that never came. She was left trembling in the prison cell, wishing that he would actually end the torture.

Panic gripped at her chest when she realized that everyone was staring at her. Natasha finally struck her in the arm, and Mira jumped at the sudden attack. Instinct quickly took over. Mira reeled to the left and jabbed her foot into Natasha's back.

Natasha moved like the wind and grabbed her right elbow. Mira gasped at the sudden pain that followed. She managed to pull away and throw a fist into Natasha's left cheek. Mira found herself dodging each of Natasha's attacks. She struck back with just as much force as Natasha had.

Mira hardly noticed that Natasha was fighting like Rinzler had. The redhead managed to pin Mira to the floor, holding her by the arms as she tried wriggling free. Mira suddenly kicked up her legs, pushing them into Natasha's stomach with as much force as she could muster. Natasha finally staggered back, choking in surprise at the sudden impact.

"I think we've seen enough," Director Fury announced once Natasha recovered from the attack. "You both fought well, considering your opponents. Romanoff and Barton are my top agents. The best of the best." Mira rolled her eyes when Clint smirked at the compliment.

Someone's a bit of an airhead, she thought.

"Okay, now I'm really curious to find out who taught you those moves." Clint folded his arms and looked between Beck and Mira.

Mira exchanged a wary look with Beck. Sooner or later SHIELD would find out where they came from. Telling the truth now might actually be a wise choice. Beck's shrug told her that he wasn't too sure of what to say either.

"Most of what I've learned is self-taught," Mira explained. "As for you..." She glanced at Beck, whose eyes were narrowed as he thought of what to say.

"Tron taught me everything I know," he added.

All three Users looked at them in disbelief. Suddenly the tension that had filled the room earlier returned. And Mira wished that they had kept their mouths shut.

AN: Yep, Hawkeye is definitely my favorite Avenger. Mostly cause he's so loveable :P More chapters will be posted soon, so please let me know what you thought of this one!

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