Sweet darling you worry too much, my child, I see the sadness in your eyes, you are not alone in life, although you might think that you are - Our Farewell, Within Temptation

Chapter Seventeen

I'm Sorry

It was quiet inside the hellicarrier. Strange considering Tony was on board. Maybe the solemn atmosphere had finally shut him up for a change. But that silence wasn't going to last long now that Cyrus was coming to.

Sure enough his fists slammed against the unbreakable glass wall. Well, to put it bluntly, the wall had been cracked by Thor's hammer. Director Fury had finally decided to create a wall that couldn't be cut open or shot at. So try as he might, Cyrus wasn't getting out any time soon. Especially now that he had no disk to use as a weapon.

"I won't be locked in here forever!" he shouted as agents walked by. A few shot him curious, nervous looks as they returned to their jobs.

His hands dragged along the glass as he tried punching it again. The vibration that followed made his ears ring. Natasha folded her arms as she watched.

Mira and Beck were right about one thing. This 'program' was certainly psychotic. His eyes were wild with fear and hate. The circuits had finally stopped glowing, and his face was paler than ever. But he had survived.

"Does that thing have a mute button?" Tony finally asked. He was on the bridge, which in retrospect wasn't too far from the prison. "I think I liked Loki being our prisoner more than this," he added when Cyrus began throwing a few colorful words.

"He won't be in there for long," Director Fury reassured him. "Once everything is resolved, we'll be moving him to a more secure prison. One he can't get out of."

Natasha flinched at the mention of everything getting resolved. Clint had told her everything. The virus that had infected Mira was slowly killing her. Bruce and Tony had discovered it a few days ago, and it was already slowly taking over. It was the same virus that had nearly killed Cyrus.

"Ma'am, I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but shouldn't you be with your..." Natasha narrowed her eyes when agent Jemma Simmons approached her.

Jemma was new, barely out of SHIELD Academy. But she was a brilliant scientist who had graduated alongside her partner Leo Fitz. Being part of this world was like a dream job for them.

"Call be agent Romanoff," she snapped when Simmons' face paled.

In truth, she had no idea how to act around Mira - her daughter. The word just sounded too strange. Clint had accepted the truth far better than she could have.

"I'm sorry," Simmons stuttered. "I just have to say, it's a huge honor to meet you in person."

"Most agents run as soon as they see me." Natasha had to laugh when Simmons smirked. She glanced over her shoulder to see the Cyrus had finally given up. Now he was leaning against the prison, still glaring at anyone that dared walked past. "Thank you, for helping her," she added under her breath.

"Saving lives is what we were trained for," Simmons replied. The pride in her voice was obvious. "She's responding well to the serum."

Natasha thanked her once more before heading for the infirmary. The dull gray walls didn't help much with the mood. Bruce and Steve were off somewhere in the hellicarrier, while Tony continued complaining about Cyrus and his obnoxious voice.

She raised an eyebrow when she saw Beck sitting beside the bed Mira had been placed on. He had not moved since they arrived. Natasha held back a sigh when he finally looked over his shoulder.

"You should get some sleep." It was obvious that he was exhausted.

"She's going to be fine, right?" His question caught her by surprise.

Love is for children. Those words kept ringing in her mind, but suddenly she understood just how difficult it was to keep those feelings at bay. Natasha bit the bottom of her lip before joining him. From the memories she had seen, they had been together for a long time. That kind of partnership was rare to come by these days.

"She'll be fine," she replied.

"It's not fair," Beck suddenly muttered. "I'm the one that let Cyrus out."

"Beck, you need to sleep." They really were a lot alike. Blaming themselves for the mistakes they've made. "We're all keeping an eye on her," she added when he still didn't move. That was an understatement. The hidden cameras throughout the hellicarrier would be keeping an eye on all of them.

He looked like he was ready to argue when he thought better of it. Glancing one last time at Mira, Beck finally stood up and returned to the sleeping quarters. Agent Fitz took the opportunity to take a blood sample while he could. Knowing Beck he'd been watching them like a hawk.

"They really are fascinating," he commented after observing the tablet he'd taken with him. "Cyrus's disk is like nothing we've ever seen. With that technology there's no telling what we can do."

Natasha rolled her eyes as he backed out of the room, half embarrassed that he'd just said such a thing. True, technology could always lead to good things. But in the end people often used it against one another.

She glanced back at Mira once she was left alone. "I'm sorry," she sighed. "I'm not exactly trained to be a mother."

But maybe it was time to try. It was time to stop running from the past. It was time to accept that some things were meant to be.

Carefully, she leaned forward and kissed Mira on the forehead. "You're everything I ever wanted," she whispered.

AN: Not a very long chapter, but had to get it posted. Have I mentioned how much I love Within Temptation? Well, some of their music anyways. Our Farewell is a beautiful song. Highly recommend it :) Thanks to Briannajs-22, 2theSky, Sunofaia and PrincessKai317 for reviewing! You guys are awesome!

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