A/N: Songbird kinda became one of my fav characters on the show - even if we never see her again - so I've started incorporating them in my stories. And look! - I actually finished an origin/introductory story! Also, I could just be horrible at searching, or maybe I'm not looking in the right place, but I think I'm the first person to do anything with the Thunderbolts as presented on TV. Lemme know what you guys think about them!
Nikki finished tidying up her room, though she didn't think she needed to go through the trouble of doing it. It wasn't like any of the newbies would wander into her locked room. Well, they better not, anyway.
About a month or two before she joined, there was a group of villains who dressed up as heroes, then actually adopted the role. They went to SHIELD for training, and somewhere along the way, Tony promised they'd get to join the team upon graduation. Yesterday was graduation, Tony had kept his promise, and today was move-in day.
Once she was finished, Nikki headed downstairs to meet the new Avengers. They still weren't there by the time she got to the lobby, but she did see Jan and Hank waiting there. "I can't wait to meet them!" Jan exclaimed.
"I kinda wish Tony had cleared it with us first," Hank admitted. "Not that I'm saying I'm not looking forward to welcoming the new teammates, but it'd be nice if he'd make some decisions group decisions instead of keeping them to himself."
Carol came in from the garage and sat on the couch. "Personally, I couldn't care less about it, and I wouldn't be worried. They were top of their classes, and they aced every single test. They might've even done better than we would've."
"Show some confidence in your team, would ya?" Nikki chuckled. "I get enough degrading comments from the media bozos and all the other jerks. Speaking of which, I sure hope they can handle the media."
"They've done it once already," Tony remarked as he and Pepper walked in, also from the garage. Geez, what was everyone doing in there? "I can't imagine they won't be able to do it again. The screech of brakes from the garage signaled their arrival, and everyone there turned to the door. Nikki, already somewhat impatient, decided to go meet them.
She walked to the garage, ignoring the irony, and saw the newbies getting out of the car.
The first one to get out was Songbird. She had long white hair – with the exception of two bubblegum pink streaks in the front – blue eyes, a suit that was fitted and comprised of three different shades of gray, and a gold neck collar that also acted as shoulder pads and had a small, pink crystal in the middle. She also had gauntlets and a belt made of the same gold material.
The second person to get out of the car was Mach IV, who was equipped with silver and gray colored armor that reminded Nikki of one of Tony's Iron Man suits. The armor had built in wings, thrusters, and blasters on the wrists. The mask, which was akin to an Attack of the Clones-esque one, with a glowing red visor for the wearer to see out, was silver as well.
The third one to leave was Techno, who had a red and black form fitting suit and silver and red tech around the top of his chest and shoulders, his hands to his wrists, and as a belt, as well as an eyepiece. All the tech was comprised of nanobots that were easy to control. Well, for him, anyway.
The fourth one was Meteorite, who had fair skin, long blonde hair, and was wearing an orange and red suit and mask. The fitted suit was primarily orange, with the red being only on the collar, inside of the thighs, and inside of the arms from the wrist and to the elbow. The mask, which was also orange, covered her eyes and the sides of her face and ears, ending in a wing-like form.
The last one to exit the car was Atlas, who was wearing a fitted red, gray, and yellow suit. The primary color was red, with the gray on the shoulders, and the yellow forming an 'A' and going down to the boots in two lines. The suit came up to his head, but still showed his face and hair.
The car drove off to a different part of the garage to be parked. Clint had been driving it, so Nikki were sure he'd had enough of the newbies for now. Songbird couldn't find one thing to focus on. Instead, her gaze kept wandering the room, looking excitedly at everything she saw. Atlas and Meteorite had already struck up a conversation with Jan and Hank, asking about the Tower and everyone in it, how the schedule worked, how to navigate, and other such things.
Mach IV and Techno, however, were now talking with Tony, and the three of them were currently standing near the Audi R8 Spyder, likely discussing the engine and upgrades Tony had done on it. Nikki had no idea why the three hadn't gotten along this well earlier. She and Pepper watched for a few more minutes, then Pepper cleared her throat, signaling the start of the tour.