"Lead me with strong hands, stand up when I can't, don't leave me hungry for love, chasing dreams, what about us? Show me you're willing to fight, that I'm still the love of Your life, I know we call this, our home, but I still feel alone..." - LEAD ME, Sanctus Real

Chapter Eighteen

Waking Up

Three days. It had been three days since they'd arrived at the hellicarrier. Three days since the virus took it's hold on Mira. And she still had not recovered. Simmons had said that it would take time for her system to respond, whatever that meant.

It was like watching a video in slow motion. She hadn't even moved since they arrived. According to Fitz she was in some kind of coma.

"I wish there was more I could for you," Beck sighed as he watched her. He never felt more helpless. If he could he would go through a hundred black guards to bring her back.

He brushed his hands across her hair, careful not to disturb her. Streaks of red were beginning to show through her mousy brown hair. Beck's eyes widened when he realized that she really did look just like Natasha. Same facial features and all. She looked... beautiful.

"I love you." The words had come out as a whisper. He didn't expect her to hear them. At that moment, he realized that he had no regrets following her through that Portal. No matter what happened, he would always love her.

. . .

Familiar faces appeared before Mira as she finally opened her eyes. The brilliant lights of the Grid stretched around her, illuminating them. She blinked several times to get a better view of each program. To her surprise, and alarm, they were programs from her past, or programs that Clu had derezzed.

But surrounding them were programs she assumed still lived.

"Am I back on the Grid?" She was surprised how quiet her voice was.

"No... not quite." Mira jumped when she heard an unfamiliar voice. She whirled around to see a dark figure standing behind her. The figure was wearing a cloak, similar to the one Cyrus had worn. Instinctively she reached for her disk, only to find that it was gone. "Don't worry, I'm not a threat."

"Who are you?" The voice sounded strangely familiar.

"Just call me the Creator." Mira felt her blood run cold. Kevin Flynn. Speaking to her in person? How was that even possible? From what she had heard, Flynn had either died or vanished into the User world. "I've been watching you for some time now... how you've helped all of those programs, even when they turned their backs on you. That took courage to fight back."

"Running away from my problems isn't exactly courage," she muttered crossly. Maybe if she had stayed, they could have fought back. Maybe they could have saved Tron and the rest of the Grid from Clu's reign.

"It never would have worked out," Flynn replied in a gentle voice. "You were meant to return and close those Portals. I wasn't strong enough to finish the task I had started." He paused to let this sink in. Mira raised an eyebrow to see where this was going. "I wanted to thank you, for saving the real world from Clu. If he had gotten through those Portals, there's no telling what would have happened."

I think I know what would have happened, Mira suddenly thought. Clu couldn't stand perfection. What world was more imperfect than the User world? He would have destroyed everything. And the world would not have been ready for the attack, even with the Avengers there to defend it.

"I'm glad to have helped," she murmured.

For the first time since reaching the User world, she finally felt at peace. All of the faces she had seen from her past began to dissolve. Only one face was left in the darkness, reminding her why she had left the Grid in the first place.

"I love you." Suddenly everything stopped moving. Mira blinked when she recognized the voice. The lights of the Grid suddenly vanished, and she realized that this was just a dream.

Wake up, she told herself. Wake up!

. . .

"Every moment is a chance, to let Your light break through..."

"She's coming to!" Pain stabbed at Mira's chest when she struggled to rise from whatever she was laying on. "Take it easy kid, you're not out of the dark just yet." Tony's voice. Typical.

"This life (oh oh oh oh), this life was meant to shine..."

"What happened?" she groaned.

"You were out cold for four days." Steve's voice. Mira began to wonder if the entire crew aboard the hellicarrier had stopped by. She cringed and opened her eyes.

To her surprise, Tony, Steve and Bruce had stepped in to keep an eye on her. Clint and Natasha were standing on the other side of the room, looking more than relieved.

"The pain's only temporary," Bruce explained when Mira struggled to straighten up again. "We managed to create a serum that took care of the virus that took hold of you." Mira raised an eyebrow as she wondered what he meant by 'we'.

"Tell us, are you feeling sadistic or psychotic?" Tony's question made her glare at him for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Of course not," she snapped. Unless he considers snapping his head off for his attitude, she added silently.

She yelped in surprise when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. It took her a few seconds to realize that despite the little training they had received on being parents, Clint and Natasha were finally hugging her.

"I'm so thankful that you're alright." Her eyes widened when Natasha whispered that.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with the Black Widow?" Since when did Natasha ever share feelings with anyone?

"That's what we've been wondering," Tony laughed when Natasha shot him an icy glare.

"Wait... where's Beck?" That voice she had heard in her dreams sounded familiar.

I hope he didn't worry about me, she thought.

She couldn't imagine how much panic he must have felt. The attack had happened so quickly. No one was prepared for it when they arrived at the hellicarrier. And now that she thought about it, she hadn't even noticed until now that was where she was.

"We kind of forced him to get some sleep," Steve replied after rubbing the back of his neck. "He wouldn't leave the room, not even to eat or drink."

Beck... he really did care too much. He had sacrificed everything by becoming the Renegade. And he knew the cost of choosing that life.

"What about Cyrus?" Mira frowned when she remembered that he was the one who carried the cure. Surely he wouldn't have been taken down without a fight?

"You can thank Romanoff for that one," Tony replied with a smirk. "Took him down like he was nothing."

Something told Mira that Cyrus wouldn't give up that easily. The fact that his disk had been modified to become a bomb showed just how determined he was. The memories before she had blacked out suddenly came rushing back.

Cyrus had somehow gotten himself injured in more ways than one. A program had offered to help him, but with a great cost. Since that encounter, Cyrus had begun to change. The code the mysterious program had given him was the very virus that had almost killed him.

"Will I be allowed to walk any time soon?" she asked after gripping her stomach to keep down the pain.

"Try resting a bit for the next couple of days," Bruce replied. "We'll run another test to make sure your blood is cleared of the virus cells that were infecting you."

Mira held back a groan of frustration. She had a feeling that by that time she'd be going stir-crazy. But Bruce was the doctor. She'd get out of here sooner if she actually listened to his advice.

"Thank you, for finding the cure," she murmured.

"Well I didn't exactly find the serum on my own," he admitted sheepishly. "Just make sure you get some rest, and you'll be back to your old self in no time."

"Can I have a radio or something if I'm going to be stuck here?" she asked.

"I'll see what we can pull out," Clint replied after stepping beside Natasha.

Mira thanked them as they headed out. Once she was alone she fell back onto the not-so-soft pillow. Even that motion caused a jolt of pain to course down her stomach. She couldn't wait for this pain to go away. And maybe find out whether or not she had heard right earlier.

AN: So that's the next chapter. I know the little blurb about the 'Creator' was rather random, but it plays an important roll later on. So big thanks to PrincessKai317 for reviewing! You're awesome :D

Lyrics came from This Life by MercyMe.

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