Riley walked out of the bar with the burning feeling of whiskey still lingering on her lips, lighting a cigarette for her journey home as she looked around the busy street. It was three in the morning on a bustling Saturday in New York, and Riley could still feel the buzz she had been maintaining all evening. Her arms began swaying as she began her walk down the street, humming to herself. There was nothing like the feeling of being outside your own mind, and every night Riley searched for that feeling. Escaping a reality she was forever stuck with.

"Hey sweetheart, how 'bout keepin' me company tonight huh? It's real cold out,"

Riley rolled her eyes at the man sitting on his apartment steps, taking a drag of her cigarette before pulling it from her lips.

"You couldn't handle it Shakespeare," she called back, continuing past.

People were spilling out of bars and clubs all around the city, filling the streets on their way to the next stop. At three in the morning, people were either finishing their day or just beginning it, and for Riley it was a mix of both. Working at a bar meant she lived almost nocturnally, and that was just what she wanted.

The events of the last few years had turned Riley away from society, and if she could live in the middle of nowhere and never see a single soul again, she would. But instead she found herself living in one of the busiest cities in the world, making enough money to live day-to-day, and wasting away every spare moment she had. People like Riley didn't get normal lives, and if they slipped up, they became hunted.

Living under the radar was their only option.

As Riley continued down the streets, she threw the butt of her cigarette onto the pavement and walked over it with her boots, sliding both hands into the pockets of her jacket. It was cold out tonight, winter finally beginning to make an appearance, and Riley could feel the chill against her skin.

"Hey, watch it asshole!" she called out, her body jolted by the man who had barged into her as he walked by.

The man turned around to Riley's words, his girlfriend stopping by his side and shaking her head for him to keep walking.

"What'd you just call me?" he asked.

Riley stopped walked, turning to look back at him with a shrug of her shoulders.

"You heard me, but I'd be happy to repeat it, asshole."

The man glared over at her.

"Pete, c'mon, just ignore it," the girlfriend pleaded. "C'mon! Don't start a fucking fight over this shit!"

"Is that what you want? Are you looking for one, Pete?" Riley taunted.

The man clenched his hands into fists and shook his head angrily, kicking a piece of trash on the sidewalk. Riley stared back at him with a small smirk, watching as his girlfriend finally coaxed him into turning away and continuing on. It was no wonder she didn't want to join this society.

As Riley also turned away to walk the next few blocks home, her ears pricked at the sound of the man angrily snapping at his girlfriend.

"Don't fucking cut in and tell me to back off, alright? Do not do that again, you hear me? I don't need two bitches on a sidewalk in my face."

With each word the man spoke, Riley could feel her own anger rising. He was far from a gentleman, that much she knew already, but now he was proving himself to be an abusive jackass to not only strangers, but his own girlfriend.

"You can't start a fight with every person who says shit you don't like!" the woman argued.

Riley turned back toward them as she heard a small pause in their argument, unable to see the couple.

This wasn't her business. This wasn't her problem. Bad people existed everywhere, they hurt people everyday, this was just life. Everything was running it's course. It was none of her business.

"Fuck," Riley groaned, her hands balling into fists as she walked back to where she last saw the couple.

This had nothing to do with her, and yet here she was pushing her way into a situation she could have easily ignored.

As she made it up the pavement, she could hear muffled cursing from the small alley behind a row of apartment buildings. With only the streetlights guiding her, Riley marched into the alley and listened closely for their voices again.

"You gonna talk back to me again?" the man spat. "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to like that, huh?"

Riley found the couple moments later, the woman pinned against the brick wall with Pete's hand against her neck. She walked up behind the man, watching at the woman's eyes widened at the sight of her, causing Pete to turn in search of their audience.

"What the f-"

Riley grabbed the man by this throat before he could finish his sentence, pulling him away from the woman and throwing him to the ground. The woman let out a loud gasp, desperately trying to catch her breath. Riley watched her clutch her throat carefully, still feeling the man's hands on her skin, as she looked back in fear.

"Get out of here," Riley told her. "Now!"

"Don't hurt him!" the woman yelled.

"Are you kidding me?" Riley grit her teeth, mumbling to herself before she looked back at the woman more seriously. "If you don't start running now, I'll throw you into the street myself, now go,"

The woman grabbed her bag and ran out from the alley a moment later, leaving her boyfriend groaning and pulling himself up on the concrete. Riley turned back to him, watching him struggle to stand up.

"Is that how you treat all your lucky ladies?" Riley asked, folding her arms.

"I know where you work," he panted. "I've seen you at Benny's. You got no idea the enemy you just made you stupid bitch,"

Riley stared back at the man with an amused grin.

"Aw, are you trying to threaten me Pete?" she teased. "We don't have to make a date of it, let's just get it over with now, shall we?"

Pete's hands balled into fists as he began to charge forward, but Riley put her hand up in defence, stopping him where he was. Suddenly, Pete's hands hung down beside his body as he was lifted off his feet, his throat once again being gripped. But this time Riley didn't touch him. Pete stared at her in horror, trying to reach for whatever was around his throat. It felt like a hand, digging into his skin, but Riley's hand was only pointed at him.

It was then that he noticed the woman's eyes. They were glowing orange, as if there was a fire raging behind them. Soon enough his back hit the brick wall again, and this time he could feel that this woman was not human. He could feel the thick energy hitting against him, emitting from her body, rendering him motionless. The wall behind him began to vibrate as he was pushed back, cracks beginning to form in the concrete.

The back of his hand was pushing into the bricks now, breaking the material under his skull.

"Arghh!" he screamed. "Stop! Stop!"

Riley just stared back at him with her furious eyes, stepping closer as she lowered her hand, watching his feet land back on the ground.

"You think you can just treat women like they owe you something, like you're a fucking God?" she snarled.

Pete's head was still pressed hard against the bricks behind him, and his breath was coming out in hurried, terrified pants.

"No, no, no, I don't," he pleaded.

"I can do a lot more than this asshole, and I know you now. If you ever touch anyone like that again, if you think you can push girls around like they're your own personal slaves, I will show up and it will hurt, got it?"

"Y-yeah, yeah I get it!" he cried.

"Same goes for if you speak a word of this to anyone. I've got a good ear, and I'll know. You won't show your face at Benny's again, and if I see you around, it better be walking the other way. Deal?"

Pete gasped for air, nodding his head. Riley let him go a moment later, watching him lean forward and heave against his knees. A few moments passed before her eyes faded back to their usual brown colour, and she turned to see a small crowd of people standing by the alley's entrance.

"Fuck," Riley groaned, looking around for another exit.

The faces that stared back at her were all wide and afraid, but they couldn't look away. She couldn't blame them either. But here in the shadows, she was hidden, they couldn't see her face. And she wasn't about to let them.

Riley stepped back further into the alley, reaching down to put her hands against the concrete. The ground began to shake as she pushed back against it, feeling her feet shoot up into the night's cold air, and then she was gone.

Almost a month had passed since Riley's run-in with Pete, and she had all but forgotten about the man and the fear she struck in him. For the first week, she had watched the man, made sure he didn't act like a jackass and take it out on his girlfriend, and made sure he didn't say a word about it to anyone. Riley had people find her before, and it was always a hassle shaking them off. But fear seemed to be the most effective.

Especially when she threatened them angry, when her eyes were glowing and her hold on the person was stronger than anything they had ever felt before. Fear was best.

"Remember to lock the back door when you take the trash out," Benny reminded, picking up his keys. "And I counted those bottles too, so don't think about taking one for the road, alright?"

Riley rolled her eyes, pulling out the cash drawer to count and close up for the night.

"Aye aye," she nodded, turning to him with a sigh. "I guess I'll walk home sober,"

"A refreshing change, I'll bet," he chuckled. "I'll see you tomorrow, goodnight."

"Night," Riley called back, listening for the door to close behind him.

Once she heard the thud, she pulled a bar stool over to sit on behind the bench as she began to count the night's takings, then stuck a cigarette between her lips and lit it with a long sigh of relief. It was closing in on five in the morning and Riley was finally feeling tired, and all that was on her mind now was getting back to her tiny apartment and sleeping away the day.

Just as she began to pull out the note and count, she heard the door of the bar open. Peaking over the bench, she could see the back of a man standing there, looking around as if he was inspecting the place.

"We're closed," she called out, shaking her head in annoyance as she took another drag from her cigarette. "If you can't read,"

"Yeah, can see that," the man called back, walking over to the bar now. "Thought we might have a better chat with everyone gone,"

Riley had her cigarette dangling between her lips as she looked up at the man approaching, her heart beating wildly with surprise. There was no mistaking the goatee and the expensive suit. Tony Stark was standing in front of her, in the middle of the dimly lit run-down bar.

The man who paraded around on television as the hero the whole world needed. The wealthy, privileged man who took that to the next level and built himself his own person weapon that made him Iron Man. While people in the streets and cities all around the world suffered, Tony Stark and The Avengers had their names plastered over the front pages as they saved the world again from defeat.

It wasn't that Riley hated them, it was that she strongly disliked everything they stood for. They had abilities and advantages that anyone else would be hunted for, and yet the world worshipped them for it. But it was a changing world, and people were beginning to take a stand against them and for all the lives they cost, and Riley counted herself as one of those people.

"Think you took a wrong turn somewhere," Riley told him, hiding any sign of intimidation or concern. "And again, closed."

After all, she had no idea what Tony Stark was doing here, and something told her she didn't want to know.

"You're about as pleasant as everyone's told me you'd be," he muttered, sliding onto the bar stool opposite her.

Riley's eyes flickered up to him, staring for a moment before she reached up and took the cigarette from her lips, blowing smoke directly over to him. She watched carefully as he stared back at her, ignoring the grey cloud that surrounded him now.

"And you're about as arrogant and I've heard," she bit back. "Can you skip the bullshit and get to the point?"

Tony reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small tablet, turning it on and sitting it down on the bar in front of her. It played a video, one that made Riley's skin crawl with anger and worry. She could see the glowing orange eyes, the shattering concrete and cracking bricks, and the look of fear on everyone's faces.

Riley's eyes flickered back up to Tony who was watching her carefully, and she did her best to cover any sign of panic. Instead she lifted the cigarette back to her lips and shrugged her shoulders.

"What? Don't like that one? There's plenty more," Tony pressed. "You're either terrible at this vigilante thing or you don't mind being followed,"

"I don't know what you've come here looking for, but you're in the wrong place," Riley bit back, pressing the cigarette down against the bar and listening to the ash hiss.

Tony stared back at the woman, pulling his glasses off and tossing them on top of the tablet that remained on the bar. The video replayed over and over again, barely in Riley's line of sight, but she couldn't help how angry it was making her.

"I'll give you this, it wasn't easy tracking you down," Tony sighed. "You've got not family, no friends, no connections. All we had were people who saw you on your little benders there before you shoot yourself off into the sky. How do you do that by the way?"

Tony Stark seemed like he would be difficult to convince about the video, and her act would only get her so far. But he had been tracking her down, and he wasn't alone.

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, but you're starting to really piss me off," Riley warned.

"Am I?" he taunted. "Show me. Take a swing,"

Riley smirked, imagining doing just that. Her fist colliding with Tony's jaw, knocking him back onto the filthy bar floor and watching him writhe around in pain and confusion. But that was playing right into his plan.

"I don't know what you think I am or who I am-"

"I don't know what you are, and I doubt you do either," Tony cut in. "But I do know who you are. Riley Elliot, twenty three year old NYU drop-out, you majored in mathematics and analytics, didn't you? Went missing in 2013 while you were on semester break in Europe, mysteriously reappeared at the end of last year,"

Riley felt her hands clenching to form fists, her nails digging deep into her skin. Blood was pooling in her mouth from where she bit the inside of her lip, staring over at Tony Stark who knew he was hitting the girl's nerves.

"Seems a little below your pay grade to do a background check on a missing person," Riley muttered, glaring over at him. "Especially when they're no longer missing,"

"Not when they come back like you," he shook his head.

Staring back at him, Riley could feel her eyes beginning to burn, a sign that she her adrenaline was beginning to rush to a level she didn't want to be on. She looked away from him, blinking a few times, her eyes settling on a small bottle of scotch beneath the bar. She reached down and screwed the cap off, lifting it to her lips with a shaky hand, her chest heaving slightly.

Riley could feel the man's eyes on her, not saying a word, as she sat the bottle down and closed her eyes for a moment. It wasn't easy to calm herself down anymore, not with everything that was going on inside.

"What do you want?" she asked, shaking her head.

Tony stared back at her, realising she wasn't going to argue anymore.

"Strucker," he told her simply. "Got a feeling you'll know where to find him,"

Riley could feel her stomach twist into knots at just the mention of that man's name. The man behind all of the memories and horrors that filled her mind every single day, that haunted her dreams, that gave her this life she had to live today.

"We know about his experiments," Tony continued. "Most didn't survive, but you did. That's where you were, isn't it? Strucker had you."

Tony could see her breathing begin to spiral as he made her think about the man, and he started to see the scared girl that was behind the tough exterior she put up. She was just a kid, starting out her life and trying to be better, but Strucker took all that from her and made her into whatever she was now.

But this time Riley couldn't stop the adrenaline, she couldn't stop the rise and rise of her pulse. Tony sat back at the sight of her eyes fading from brown to orange, then glowing bright like a flame. Pushing her hand out, the bar broke to pieces in front of her, crumbling to a pile of wood as she looked to Tony. he was scrambling on his feet now, stepping back to the wall, trying to calm her. He could feel the pressure of the energy wave that came from her body, and he did not want to be sucked into it.

"Hey, we're not gonna hurt you-"

And then Riley's body hit the floor with a thud, a tranquilliser dart sticking out of her neck.

Tony whipped his head to the side, seeing the red-haired assassin standing off to the side with the gun still aimed toward the girl.

"I had that," Tony told her, his breathing slightly off with his panic.

"I gave you eight minutes," Natasha reminded. "It would have been easier to start with this,"

"She would have talked,"

"After she kicked your ass?" Natasha smirked.

"I had my suit," he argued, pointing at his wrist watch.

Looking over the the now unconscious girl, Natasha put the gun away and sighed.

"Not sure that would have helped you,"

I hope you enjoyed this first chapters guys! Please do leave a review for me xx