Melissa stared out of the bus window with a jaundiced eye, many others on the bus looked out eager to see the city for the first time, but not Melissa. She supposed it was a nice city, at least in parts, but it wasn't [i]her[/i] city. She wasn't homesick but she did feel somewhat out of her depth, Star City was her home, the city she knew every inch of and whose criminals she knew and understood. Sighing, she stood and inched down the aisle following the line of passengers disembarking. 

While she waited for the driver to hand her the luggage she had brought with her, a single suitcase since she was accustomed to travelling light, she looked around the bus station. It sat in the heart of the city and in every direction there were tall skyscrapers with huge crowds of people walking between them. She wasn't particularly concerned about getting lost, not only because she was confident she could figure out the lay of the land but also because she doubted there was anyone in the city who didn't know where Stark tower was. 

Retrieving her luggage she glanced at her phone and decided she had time to grab a coffee on her way to the Tower. The hours she'd spent on the bus had been exhausting and she was in serious need of a caffeine boost. She knew she could have flown here but a woman in costume carrying a suitcase wasn't the smartest move when arriving in a city she was unfamiliar with. With a snort of humour at her thoughts, she crossed the street to the Starbucks she had seen. 

A short time later she was walking down the street towards Stark Tower taking grateful sips of her coffee, large caramel latte with extra syrup and coffee, which they'd actually gotten right for once. She'd decided to walk since her legs felt stiff and cramped from the bus journey and it wasn't a bad day for it. 

As she walked, she thought back to the conversation that had changed the direction her life was on...

[Color=red]A MONTH EARLIER[/color]

[i][b]Hell that hurt![/b] She winced and pulled herself up into a crouch, she peeked her head above the car she had landed near [b]Crashed more like[/b] A hail of bullets hitting the car quickly had her pushing those thoughts aside. Her earpiece bleeped and she tapped at it to answer.

"Songbird where the hell you'd go?" The voice of Roy Harper, aka speedy, asked in irritation.

"Sunbathing topless in the middle of the Caribbean." 

"Very funny, seriously where are you?"

"I got jumped by some gang idiots." She paused. "Gang idiots with guns." 

"Do you need backup?" 

"I know how much you like rescuing damsels in distress but I can handle it." 

His chuckle filled her ear. "What and deny my chance to be your hero?" 

She rolled her eyes, ducking as more bullets were fired. "You're never going to get a girlfriend with cheesy lines like that. Now shush, I'm trying to concentrate." She tapped the earpiece ending the call not giving Speedy the chance to finish his sentence.

She debated her best move, confident that she could take them, just as she was about to make a move she saw two of the goons go down. Frowning she looked around and saw an arrow strike the man who had come over to check on his friends. A fourth arrow struck a car beside the two left standing and exploded causing them to be sent flying.  

Hearing no more sounds of gunfire or movement she saw the gang members were all down. Cautiously she rose to her feet and began to hum a single note, a shimmering purple energy beginning to appear as she did so. She approached the men on the ground and knelt beside the closest. She recognised the arrows and sighed. 

"Let me guess, Speedy called you." She said to the man now walking towards her. "I told him I could handle it." 

"Actually he didn't." Green Arrow said. "I came here to talk to you." 

Melissa frowned at the serious tone of his voice and his too casual body language. "What is it?" She asked for once serious.

Green Arrow saw her concern and reassured her. "It's nothing like that, everyone's fine." 

"So why do you look like someone whose pet just died?" 

"Nothing to do with this, just had to deal with a lot of idiots today." He said. "I came here to talk about an offer I received on your behalf." 

"An offer? Shit, if its a job offer from that new club in the Glades...I can explain that." 

He raised his eyebrows questioningly and she sighed. "It's not from the club is it?" 

"No." He said with a grin. "It's from Tony Stark." 

"THE Tony Stark? As in avengers Tony Stark?" She looked bewildered. "What could he want with me?" 

Green Arrow leaned back against the side of a car."Seems your actions here in Star City caught his attention. He wants you to join a new team he's putting together, a group of younger people, that will be trained as a team. 

"Like the Avengers?" 

"Similar though youre not ready for the big leagues yet." 

She eyed him for a few moments. "You think I should accept don't you?" 

He nodded. "We both know that you've learned as much as you can from me and Star City. Think about what you could learn from him, a former avenger and a genius on boot." 

"I'll think about it."[/i]

[color=red]PRESENT DAY[/color]

It hadn't taken her long to decide as she always felt a drive to do better, to control her powers better. And where best to do that than with a member of the Avengers. She finally reached the tower and told the receptionist in the lobby who she was. "Ah yes, miss Lance. He said to let you straight through. Just use one of the elevators there to take you up to the lab, the button is labelled." 

As she rode the elevator upwards, amazed at how comfortable the machine was, she felt nerves in the pit of her stomach but she ignored them and as the elevator door opened, ensured she wore a confident smile. She was pleased to see that she wasn't the first to arrive, a kid with the strangest hair she'd ever seen, was already there as was someone dressed in a white costume that reminded her of Black Panther. 

She herself wore black ripped skinny jeans, knee high black boots, a royal blue sweater and a black leather jacket. She was wearing multiple necklaces and earrings and her hair was in a long braid.

"Hi." She said to the other two. "Don't suppose either of you know where the coffee machine is?" She shook her coffee cup. "I'm in dire need of a refill."