Give me strength, reserve control, Give me heart and give me soul, Wounds that heal and cracks that fix, Tell me your own politik, Open up your eyes, And give me love over, love over this - Politik, Coldplay

Chapter Twenty Six

Tron Lives

Did that really just happen? Mira finally opened her eyes, too nervous to even think of the possibilities of what had just happened. But the more she did think about it, the happier she was.

We kissed. Almost at once she felt the heat return to her cheeks. The world felt right for once.

She tried pushing the mind-numbing thoughts aside and grabbed her bags. After everything was packed and ready to go, she made her way to the living space. Steve was sitting on the sofa, reading a newspaper while Tony had the television on. Mira tried not to laugh when she noticed that he was watching the Big Bang Theory. Even Clint was staring at the screen while the show ran on.

"So the Digitizer is now fully functional," Tony said once he noticed that she was standing there. "And with any luck, you and Beck get to go back tonight."

Mira bit the bottom of her lip at the thought. By tonight she would be ready to leave. But by that time she would also need to say goodbye. It was hard to imagine living her life outside the Grid. With everything that had happened, she never really gave it much thought until now.

"Is everything all packed?" Mira jumped when she realized that Natasha was behind her.

"Uh, yes," she replied hastily.

That's when my life will change, she added before looking down at the floor. Rinzler nearly gave her the shock of her life when he jumped onto her shoulder. She had been focused on the floor so much that she didn't even notice him approaching.

"I still find it amazing that you were able to make something like that," Tony said after noticing the kitten perched on her shoulder.

"I suppose on the Grid, anything is possible," she replied with a shrug.

Explaining how the whole coding thing worked was a bit too complicated for her liking. Besides, it was fun to know things others didn't. Mira had a feeling Tony was going to be busy for the next few weeks trying to figure out how it all happened.

She placed her bags beside the door and sat down beside Steve, unsure of what to do next. Tomorrow was going to be her first official day as a SHIELD agent. And she still wasn't sure how to react to that idea.

. . .

"Everyone ready?" Mira stood beside Beck while Tony typed in the last few bits of code. Natasha and Clint were standing nearby, focused on the screen that overlooked the Grid.

"Yep," Beck replied before Mira could answer. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. This was going to be her last time on the Grid, at least until she got her life sorted out. Even than she wasn't sure how often she would get to see Beck or the Grid.

"We have the coordinates down for the safehouse's location," Tony explained. "So in theory, the Digitizer should send you directly there."

"Shouldn't Tron at least have a warning or something?" Mira folded her arms when Tony smirked. That was never a good sign.

"I wouldn't worry about him," he replied. "We've already sent him a warning through the video feed."

Video feed? Mira raised an eyebrow as she wondered what that meant. Judging by the looks Bruce kept giving Tony, they both knew where this was headed. Mira tried not to glare at them as she followed Beck towards the Digitizer. Again Natasha and Clint were going to be with them, but at a respectful distance. No need to scare Tron on their second visit.

"All right. Starting in three... two... one-" Mira braced herself for what followed.

Everything happened so quickly that she had to blink. The moment she opened her eyes, she found herself back at the safehouse. Or to be more precise, the entrance of the safehouse. She held back a sigh of frustration when she realized that the coordinates were still slightly off.

"So much for fixing the problem," Beck muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Maybe that's a good thing," Mira pointed out. Beck looked at her in surprise before she explained, "I'd rather not scare the crap out of Tron. Especially considering what he's been through."

His eyes widened when he realized that she was right. Tron had been through a lot since they last saw him. The last thing they needed was to trigger an unnecessary fight. She glanced back at Natasha and Clint. Natasha's face was difficult to read as always, but Mira didn't miss the worry in Clint's eyes.

"We'll be fine," she added. "I'd trust him with my life."

And that was true. Tron fought for the Users. He wasn't the monster that Clu had turned him into cycles ago. She bit the bottom of her lip, hoping that part was true as well.

With that being said, she followed Beck into the safehouse. The garage was dark, and the batons and weapons that had been placed around earlier were now gone. Mira raised an eyebrow and wondered where they were. She didn't have to wonder for long.

Tron was already waiting for them near the stairs, arms folded and mask hiding his face. Mira narrowed her eyes as he looked up at them thoughtfully.

"You came back," he murmured. Shivers ran down Mira's arms when she realized that he was still disguising his voice.

"Of course we did," Beck retorted. He ran his hand along the back of his hair as Tron looked at him directly. "I mean... we-" Tron cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"I know what you mean," he replied.

"Tron, I'm sorry for what happened," Mira suddenly spoke up for the first time. She felt a lump form in her throat when he looked at her. "None of this would have happened if I had stayed... Maybe I could've stopped it-" Before she could continue he cut her off, mask finally receding.

"Don't you ever blame yourself for what happened," he snapped.

Mira flinched when she noticed that the scar along his neck was gone. But the steely gaze was still there. She noticed for the first time how exhausted he looked as he finally approached them. Gently he placed a hand on her shoulder before sighing in frustration.

"None of that was your fault," he explained. "And it wasn't yours either Beck," he added before Beck could speak up. "If I had known sooner what Clu was up to, none of this would have happened. Flynn would still be alive, and you wouldn't have those." Again Mira flinched as he nodded to her scars.

She hadn't even noticed that they were glowing again. Was that why Clint and Natasha had looked so worried? She found herself rubbing her arm in embarrassment as Tron finally locked gazes with her.

"You aren't alone, are you?" His question caught them both off guard. Mira exchanged a startled look with Beck before nodding.

"It's kind of their job to make sure nothing happens... that you're not a threat," she explained warily.

Tron raised an eyebrow as the door to the garage opened again. Bright lights illuminated the room, flooding out of the entrance. Mira tried not to laugh when she realized that Clint and Natasha had been standing there the whole time, eyes wide with surprise.

"Users," Tron muttered crossly. Before any of them had time to react, Tron reached for his disk and activated it.

"Easy, we're not a threat... right?" Clint glanced at Natasha, who was studying Tron's face for what felt like cycles.

"Depends on what you consider a threat," she replied with a shrug.

"Don't worry," Mira said under her breath. "They couldn't hurt you even if they tried." She added the last part with a smirk. Maybe Natasha could put Tron in his place, but she knew Clint wouldn't last five minutes in a fight.

"Who are you?" Tron demanded as they approached the room.

"Natasha Romanoff," Natasha replied.

Her expression remained passive as she looked Tron in the eyes. For a split second, Mira thought she noticed recognition lighting up in Tron's eyes. But it happened so quickly that she wasn't too sure.

"Clint Barton." Clint folded his arms as Tron remained icily silent.

In that moment, Mira almost wished that a hole would open up and swallow her. Tron kept looking between her and the two SHIELD agents, eyes widening when he began to notice similarities between them. Mira didn't even notice that her arms were folded just like Clint's.

"You have a lot to explain," he finally said.

AN: So there you have it. Only a few more chapters left before this is over. Hard to believe I haven't even been working on it for a month XD But anywho, thanks to 2theSky, PrincessKai317 and Sunofaia for reviewing! You guys are amazing ;)

End of Line