Chapter 1
A New Avenger

Twenty-three year old Chloe Ride eyed the white building on a cliff with distaste. Even though it was her ticket to being an Avenger, she didn't want to barge in on a bunch of dangerous super-heroes in a super-heroes own house. Tony Stark's (aka Iron Man) mansion was what she was staring at right now, practically glowing in the dark, it was so stark (no pun intended) white. Chloe took a deep breath and knocked on the front door. She waited a few minutes before a red-haired woman looked at her. "Yes?" she said. Chloe resisted the urge to swallow nervously and instead placed a firm expression on her face.

"Miss Potts, I have come to talk to the Avengers. I must see them." she said, so forcefully that even if the most idiotic idiot had been in the door, they would know that she meant business. If Pepper felt shock, she hid it well.

"May I tell them who is calling?" she asked sweetly, although Chloe knew it wasn't really a question. She sighed.

"My name will not mean anything to them, but my name is Chloe Mclean Ride." Pepper nodded and closed the door. Chloe waited impatiently, flicking her long wavy brown hair over her shoulder. She was quite pretty and had deep brown eyes. A diamond necklace dangled from her neck. She had powers. Shocking powers. She knew that she would be a valuable addition to the Avengers, if she had a chance. And that chance was going to happen, Chloe told herself confidently. Pepper opened the door again.

"They'll see you. Could you please come this way." She turned and strutted down the hall. Chloe followed her hand resting lightly on her pistol butt. She entered the living room that had several people in it. A red-and-gold suit stood an alcove across the room plus several other types of suits. She looked around at the room and at the people. Tony Stark was laughing with Dr. Robert "Bruce" Banner and two people in black were lounging on white couches. Two muscular guys were also on white couches. Both were blond and good looking. Chloe recognized Thor immediately and forced her snarl back. Stay focused, she thought. The blond guy that Chloe didn't know stood. " Pepper said you wanted to talk to us." Chloe nodded. The guy held out his hand. " Steve Rogers, at your service." Chloe shook it.

"Nice to meet you Captain." She nodded to the others. "Hawkeye, Black widow, Iron Man, Thor and the Hulk. Nice to meet you all." Natasha gestured to the couch.

"Have a seat." Chloe sat. Everyone looked at her before Natasha started to ask questions. "What do you want?" was her first question. Chloe decided to rush into it.

"IwanttobecomeanAvengerplease." There was silence for about a minute. Thor shook his head.

"Everyone who seeks us out this is always what they want. Mortals who want power, nothing more." Chloe clenched her teeth. She wasn't mortal, but they didn't need to know that.

"No, you don't understand," she said to them "I have powers, I can help you guys! This is my ticket to a better life! Not being on the run, that is what I want! Please, just give me a chance. Please." The second time she was speaking to Steve, seeing that he was next to her and easier to reach with the mesma than the others who were farther away. Plus, he seemed sympathetic. The tall man looked at his associates. Clint got up and walked over to Chloe. "What powers?" he said suspiciously. Chloe grinned at him.

"Just give me a chance. Please, Agent Barton, I won't let you down, I promise." Chloe put a little of the mesma into her sentence. Anything to get her a seat on the team of "Earth's Mightiest Heroes". Clint appraised her. " Fine. You have my vote on a test." He looked around the room at the other people in it.

"All in favor say aye."

"Aye." said Tony, Steve, Natasha, and Clint. Thor and Banner remained stony-faced.

"That's a majority," Steve said. "We'll leave to do the test at H.Q. in the morning. Tony, you have a spot she can sleep?" Tony nodded.

"Follow me." Chloe stood and followed as he walked through a door to the right. It closed behind them and they were in a dimly lit corridor. Chloe felt a shiver run down her back and repressed the urge to get out of there. Tony looked back and saw her anxiety in her eyes. "Don't worry," he said reassuringly. "At least you're not flying a nuc into deep space. I'll turn up the lights." He pressed a disk on the wall and light flooded the hall. He opened up a door at the end of the hall and led her in. "Here's your room. Need anything to eat or drink?" Chloe shook her head.

"No thanks. I ate before I came." she said. Tony nodded and turned to go. He stopped and looked back at her.

"Don't mind Thor. He's had a rough life. So has Banner. If you get accepted into the Brotherhood, don't be too rough on them." He winked and closed the door. After looking around the small bedroom, Chloe bent to examine under the bed for bombs. Even though she was among heroes, it never hurt to be careful. No ticking red things, that was good. She looked around the room. No sinister mechanical devices, or anything else suspicious. She sat on the bed hesitantly. It was soft and springy, unlike the haystacks she had been sleeping on lately. She lay down and fell asleep without even getting under the covers. She was woken by a pounding on her door. She sprang from bed and pulled her pistol out, trying desperately to remember where she was. Then she remembered. She was in Tony Stark's house in California. She walked to the door and opened it. Tony stood there, his hand raised to knock again. He brought it down quickly.

"Um, we're ready to go."

"Go where..." Chloe's voice drifted off as she remembered. "Oh, right. Ya, let's go." She turned and walked down the corridor, Tony right behind her. They went out the front doors and Chloe saw the Avengers scattered about. Steve was on a motorcycle and Banner was in a Mustang with the license plate Stark 33 on it. Clint was at the wheel of a pickup with Natasha sitting on the hood and tapping her heel against the hubcap. Thor was in the back of the pickup, fingering his hammer.

"Need a ride?" Steve asked, nodding at his motorcycle. Chloe shook her head.

"I may land on the back when I want to stop flying, but for now my wings need a stretch." Everyone stared at her. Tony backed away, looking confused.

"Did you say 'wings'?" he asked. Chloe nodded and wings sprouted from her back. They were long and elegant, with white and gold feathers and razor-sharp claws on the ends. She raised them and leapt into the air. The light reflected off her wings and she seemed to glow. She did several complicated acrobatics and aerial maneuvers before landing on the asphalt again. She returned the stares looking at her.

"Fascinating," Bruce muttered, staring at her wings. Chloe smirked.

"So, are we leaving or what?" she asked. Clint recovered first.

"Oh yeah, Natasha get in here." Natasha climbed down from the hood, staring at Chloe. Tony got into his car with Banner, Steve revved up his motorcycle, and they started down the road. Chloe arched her wings and took off. It was delightful feeling the sun on her back and the wind in her hair. Her amulet bounced on her neck and burned. Chloe knew what that meant. She soared up into the clouds and took the off the necklace.