The Avengers: A Change of Fate

Chapter 27

Nashira wondered about switching back. The whole world knew about her anyway so what was the point? -But the whole world would also be hunting her right now. She decided that she needed to hide in the city, and the best way to do that would be as the girl. She used the Hudson for hiding, flowing with the river's current and speeding under boats as she passed them.

Once the sun went down, Nashira broke the surface of the water and sprang up onto the docks of a shipyard. Morphing down, she ditched anything traceable in a warehouse; Her keys, her cell phone, and her Avengers card. She didn't want to be found. She ran from the docks, if she left now she might have a chance of escaping.

The pings would pick up immediately on Tony Stark's tracker. She had to be far from the vicinity before they got there. They'd be able to pick up her heat signature if she didn't. If she made it into the city, then she could easily hide in the crowd. She sprinted down the street, the headlights of cars flashing past her.

She jogged into a convenience store and used her cash to buy a change of clothes and some other items including food supplies, a book bag, and hair dye; Stella Stark was too recognizable. She would have to be quick to leave this place too. Any sight of a girl in a leather suit was sure to be reported to the Avengers. She made a quick walk to a nearby coffee shop. There she barricaded the bathroom and changed.

When Nashira walked out of the bathroom, she was a short haired ginger with piercing green eyes. She wore her combat boots, khaki cargo shorts and an olive green tank top. Her backpack was slung over one shoulder. She had come up with an alias. Ellie Halloway; backpacker. A perfect explanation for why her name couldn't be found in any database system.

From the coffee shop Nashira went to a night club. Keep moving, that was the best way not to be found. The night club wasn't really her type of environment, but it was a perfect place to blend in. She forced herself to socialize so that she wouldn't stick out. After violating about all of her codes and feeling disgusted with the ways of the place, she left.

Stella spent the night in the subway, using a hoodie as a blanket, hardly daring to sleep. Talk about a shitty birthday. She had never imagined she'd be spending it this way. As the station began to fill with people, signing that morning had come, she got up and went above ground. She spent the morning walking with the flow of the New York traffic.

Around lunch she sat down in an alleyway, breathing in the acrid air. The smell of car exhaust stung her nose, something she had never really gotten used to. She preferred the country air, what she wouldn't give to be in Colorado again, but she thought living in her beloved city was worth all the hassle. Nashira was just glad she could escape the summer heat in the shade of the alley. She ate a chicken wrap she had gotten from a food truck.

Probably not the best choice of food, but it was quick picking. She had managed to scrounge enough money for lunch by showing off some tricks with her knives on the street. A homeless sat across from her in the alley, eyeing her food hungrily. She got up and handed the wrap to him. She hadn't been all that hungry anyway, not after all she had been through.

The man took the food greedily and Stella gave him a warm smile. He wolfed down the wrap as Stella walked away. She rode a bus until it took her near the Avengers Mansion. She paused on a corner to examine it. Just across the street the mansion popped up in the middle of the urban area.

It seemed like it was from another universe. All her senses were on high alert. Being this close was extremely dangerous, but Nashira had to check up on them. She was their protector after all, and knowing the Avengers, she knew they had a special talent for getting themselves into trouble. She tensed when she caught sight of the Quinjet.