The Avengers are gathered at HQ later. Steve is studying the accords. Mary is sitting in the floor near one of the computers on a video chat with Laura so she can talk to Clark. Near them Rhodey and Sam are arguing.
"Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor," Rhodey says, "which is one more than you have."
"So let's say we agree to this thing," Sam says. "How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of criminals?"
"117 countries want to sign this," Rhodey says. "117, Sam, and you're just like, 'no, that's cool. We got it'."
"How long are you going to play both sides?" Sam asks.
"I have an equation," Vision says.
"Hi, Vision," Mary greets.
"Hello, Mary," Vision greets.
"Oh, this will clear it up," Sam says, referring to Vision having an Equation.
"In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Ironman, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially," Vision says. "And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate."
"Are you saying it's our fault?" Steve asks.
"I'm saying there may be casualties," Vision says as they look around the room. "Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict... breeds catastrophe. Oversight... oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand."
"Boom," Rhodey says.
Tony is laying on the couch near Mary and Natasha as she talks to Laura since Clint is with Katie helping her with homework and Clark is now asleep in Laura's arms.
"Tony," Nat says and he looks over at her. "You're being uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal."
"It's because he's already made up his mind Steve says.
"Boy, you know me so well," Tony says.
"I'm gonna go lay Clark down, Mary," Laura says. "I'll call you or Clint will when he wakes up."
"That's a good idea," she says, feeling the tension rising between Steve and Tony. "I'll talk to you guys later. Thanks again, Laura, for helping Clint. He reassured me he'd be fine when I had to come to that meeting thing and then to HQ, but I knew he was scared."
"Of course, Mary," Laura coos and Mary ends the call.
Tony gets up and he winces, rubbing the back of his head. "Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache." He walks into the kitchen and grabs a mug. "Morning, Pietro."
The boy smiles. "Good morning," he replies.
"That's what's going on, Cap," Tony continues talking to Steve once he and Pietro are done with pleasantries, Pietro goes back to eating his blueberry muffin Mary made earlier. "It's just lain. It's discomfort. Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and break bash for a biker gang?" He puts his phone in a basket and tales it. The phone projects a picture of a smiling young man. Tony looks down and up, then he pretends like he's seeing the picture for the first time. "Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineer degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't want to go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia."
The others all look affected by this. Mary walks over to where Tony is and she looks at the picture on the phone, Tony lets her.
"He wanted to make a difference, I suppose," Tony continues. "I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass." He takes a pain reliever with some coffee and he faces the others. "There's no decision-making process here. We need to be out in check! Whatever form the takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys."
"Tony," Steve speaks up, "someone dies on your watch, you don't give up."
"Who said we're giving up?" Tony asks as he grabs a muffin and takes a bite. "Mmm, Mary, these are good."
"Thanks," Mary replies as he savors the delicious taste.
"We are if we're not taking responsibility for out actions," Steve says. "This document just shifts the blame."
"I'm sorry, Steve," Rhodey says. "They - that is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not SHIELD, it's not HYDRA."
Tony puts a hand on Mary's shoulder when she tended at the name HYDRA. She lets him wrap an arm around her. He's like a dad to her since she doesn't remember ever having a dad. She is from the same era as Sam, as Steve, as her brother Bucky, but she doesn't remember any of it. She only remembers Bucky and Sam.
"No, but it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change," Steve remarks.
"That's good," Tony says. "That's why I'm here. Hen I realized hat my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing."
"And I respect you now for that," Pietro says as he grabs another muffin and he goes to sit on the couch with Natasha.
"Tony," Steve says, "you chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if that is somewhere we need to go, and they don't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own."
"If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done to us later," Tony says. "That's the fact. That won't be pretty."
"You're saying they'll come for me, Pietro, and Mary," Wanda says.
"We would protect you," Vision says.
"Maybe Tony's right," Nat says and Tony looks at her in surprise. "If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off -"
"Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her and a few years ago?" Sam asks, cutting her off.
"I'm just... I'm reading the terrain," Nat says. "We have made... some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back."
"Focus up," Tony says. "I'm sorry, did I just mishear you just agree with me?"
"Oh, I take it back now," Nat says and Mary smiles a little.
"No, no, no," Tony says. "You can't retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented. Okay, case closed -- I win."
Tony laughs when Mary hits him. Steve's phone buzzes and he pulls it out to check the text.
"I have to go."
Steve gets home sharply, drops the Accords onto the coffee table, and he leaves.
