AN: So this chapter is getting posted early, since I have three others typed up XD I've been very busy during my vacation. Big thanks to 2theSky, PrincessKai317, Sunofaia and Guest for reviewing! You guys are awesome! :D

Chapter Eleven

A Beautiful Lie

It took a while for Mira and Beck to explain everything to Steve Rodgers after they got back. The Hulk had returned in the form of someone Mira least expected to see. The infamous Dr. Bruce Banner, as she had found on the files that Natasha showed her, stood beside Steve. His mouth was nearly hanging open in shock by the time Beck finished speaking.

"Wait one moment... are you saying the Grid is... real?" Bruce finally asked.

"We're real, aren't we?" Beck countered the question, sounding more annoyed than usual. Mira couldn't help but understand why he was so annoyed.

It was getting old, having to explain where they came from. And of course everyone was so shocked that Flynn had managed to create the Grid in the first place. Mira had a feeling they'd be even more shocked if she tried to explain where the ISOs had come from.

"The Grid is a real place, believe it or not." Tony had joined them once he was finished taking off the Iron Man suit. "I've been studying the scans I made while you were fighting Cyrus," he added. "He doesn't have the same code that Beck has. His disk should've disappeared the moment he stepped foot into our world."

Mira frowned as she thought of what that meant. Cyrus had always been different from day one. Tron thought that he would become his next successor. He was proven wrong when Cyrus began to change. Maybe something had happened to him while he was part of Clu's army. Maybe Clu had put some kind of fail-safe on Cyrus cycles before he rescued Tron.

"So what does that mean?" Steve wondered out loud.

"It means that Cyrus is a bigger threat than we realized," Natasha replied.

"He's a ticking time bomb," Tony concluded.

"We need to find him before things get worse," Beck murmured. "Something tells me he won't stop until he's destroyed everything."

"You're right." Clint folded his arms while Mira held back a sigh of frustration. "But where would we even start?"

Unease crawled down Mira's arms. She had a feeling that Cyrus would be easier to find than they thought. He had a nasty habit of showing up at the worst time. And this wouldn't be the first time he had escaped unscathed.

"For now, I think it's best if you two stay with us until we get this mess sorted out." Both Steve and Bruce looked at Tony in annoyance. Mira had a feeling that this was something they hadn't planned on doing.

"So we're basically having a big sleepover?" Bruce muttered with a shake of his head.

"Ah come on big green," Tony said with a smirk. "Think of it as your new digs. You can have an entire level to yourself if you need one." Bruce narrowed his eyes at Tony's comment, but he took a deep breath and remained icily silent.

The meeting came to an abrupt end when Natasha followed Clint to the living space. It looked like Steve was still trying to grasp the idea of the Grid being real.

"Are you okay?" Beck's question took Mira by surprise when he finally looked at her arm. The cut had finally stopped bleeding, but it still stung when she held it up.

"I've been through worse," she murmured.

"That arm could get infected if you don't get it looked at," Tony said after noticing the cut as well. "Hey Banner, you got a minute?"

Bruce looked up from what he had been staring at. He simply nodded in response and joined them, eyes widening when he noticed the scars and bruises that covered Mira's hands and face.

"Do you have any bandages we can use on that?" he asked after observing the cut.

"Hang on." Tony stepped into another small room, leaving them in awkward silence. A few moments later and he returned with the bandages Bruce had asked for. Mira tried not to flinch when he wrapped the bandages around her arm. Bruce was doing his best to stay gentle until he was finished.

"Thanks," she said once Tony followed Steve into the living space.

"Looks like you've had a rough past." Mira flinched at Bruce's remark as they joined the others.

"It's not exactly easy living on the Grid," Beck said before she could reply.

She resisted the urge to glare when she realized that he was only trying to break the tension. With a sigh of frustration, she headed for the living space to see what everyone else was up to. Part of her wished they were still on the Grid. Back to before Cyrus had threatened them or escaped from his prison.

We might not ever get back, she realized. The Portals were closed, and I doubt Flynn's arcade would have easy access.

"I think after that, we all deserve a break!" Tony announced when they all reached the living space. Clint was sitting beside Natasha on the sofa, while Steve sat on one of the stools in front of the bar. Bruce smirked before approaching the small group. "How about a movie?"

Beck raised an eyebrow and glanced at Mira, who only shrugged in response. Despite everything that was happening, it would be nice to have a relaxing night. But maybe a movie wasn't the best idea she had in mind.

"We'll be outside if you need us," Mira replied before heading for the deck. Tony frowned at the comment, but she didn't give him a chance to argue. Beck was quick to follow as they headed outside.

She was surprised that no one tried stopping them. But at least she could have time to figure out what Cyrus had told her.

"Okay, what's up? You've been on the edge since we got back," Beck said once they were outside.

The cool night air didn't help as they moved as far away from the window as possible. Knowing Clint he'd be watching their every move. As far as Mira was concerned, she didn't need someone watching her make yet more mistakes.

"Do you think you can hack into SHIELD's database?" she asked after pulling out the tablet she had grabbed from her room.

"Easily," Beck replied with a smirk. "Tell me there's a good reason for this," he added before she handed him the tablet.

Mira took a deep breath before explaining what Cyrus had told her. She had a feeling that he was partly right about programs accidentally stepping through the Portals. The Portals was one thing, but the secrets that Cyrus had mentioned really caught her attention.

"What if he's right?" She rubbed her hands down her arm nervously as she looked at the buildings around them.

"Cyrus isn't one to give up on his target." Beck placed the tool that Bodhi had made on the screen. In an instant the codes were pulled apart as he went to work breaking into SHIELD's files. "But he might be right. Programs might have wandered into the Portals by accident."

Mira grinned when he handed her the tablet. All of the files she was interested in were right in front of her. She sifted through the files until she spotted the ones that had really caught her interest. Flynn's files had been kept under lock down until their arrival.

"Now we're getting somewhere," she muttered. She pulled out the file and discovered that SHIELD had known all about Flynn's adventure in Encom's system. He had created his own, almost like a replica. Only his system was bigger and more advanced. She was surprised that SHIELD had already known about programs and how human-like they were. "So they already knew about the Grid." She nearly dropped the tablet when an image of Tron and Clu appeared on the screen.

Beck's eyes widened when he recognized their faces. "What are... they doing on SHIELD's file?" he demanded.

"Don't know," Mira replied with a shrug. "From what it looks like, they tried deciding whether or not Clu and Tron were considered threats."

Cyrus was right about one thing. SHIELD did have their share of secrets. And the more files they searched through, the more they began to realize how risky this mission was.

"I think we've seen enough," Beck suddenly whispered. Mira didn't miss the worry in his eyes.

"One more thing," she said under her breath.

She finally found the files that she was looking for. SHIELD even composed a list of files on her before she had disappeared. She pulled out the file and quickly read through it, eyes scanning to find any news of her family. What she saw next made her eyes widen.

Listed under a picture of her when she was young (had her hair really been that short? Or that red?) was her full name. The tablet fell out of her shaking hands. Beck caught it and frowned when he noticed how nervous she suddenly was.

"What's wrong?" Mira finally met his startled gaze before wishing she hadn't. She looked back down at the file, and Beck's eyes widened when he realized why she was so shaken. "I think it's time we shut this thing off," he finally muttered.

"It can't be true, can it?" She was amazed at how shaken she sounded after he placed the tablet gently down. There was no reason having an angry Tony Stark going after them for breaking his toys.

"Maybe Cyrus changed the name somehow." Beck tried to sound reassuring, but that only seemed to make things worse. "Or it could be another... person with that last name."

"I sure hope so." She really did hope that he was right somehow. Knowing who her real parents were only made her feel worse.

AN: Yep, I totally went there. Couldn't resist pulling that one off, if you've already made your guesses. Like I said, I've been planning this one since Rogue was started. Please let me know what you thought of it in a review!

PS: Her hair did change color while she was on the Grid. During her travels she changed her hair color because she stood out a bit too much.

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