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Lydia and Sam were in a shared room, Lydia changing into a different outfit as Sam sat on the bed fiddling with his hands, having already changed. He looked up at his girlfriend just as she reached for a T-shirt, pulling it on and sitting just to him.
"You alright hon?" she asked, grabbing his hands in hers
"Yeah, any idea what the meeting could be about?" he asked her
"No idea. But if I'm being honest, I have a bad feeling.." she trailed off, unsure how to fully describe it.
The man removed his hands from hers and instead brought hers up to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to them before they stood up and headed down to the meeting. -------------------------------------------------------
"Five years ago, I had a heart attack" Secretary Ross said, "And dropped, right in the middle of my back swing. Turned out it was the best round of my life, because after 13 hours of surgery, and a triple bypass, I. Found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me. Perspective. The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives. But while, a great many people see you as heroes. There are some, who would prefer the word vigilantes "
"And what word would you use Mr. Secretary?" Natasha asked
"How 'bout dangerous?" he said, "What would you call a group of US based enhanced individuals, who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose... And who frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?"
Lydia put her hands in her lap, watching as Ross turned the screen on and began showing footage. First was New York. Next was Washington, DC. The woman hung her head slightly before the footage even showed, picking it back up only for Sam to do the same after the footage. Then Ross showed Sokovia. And then Lagos. Wanda quickly looked down,
"Okay. That's enough" Steve said quickly
"For the last four years you've operated with unlimited power, and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution. The Sokovia Accords." Ross said, which caused Lydia's heart to drop. " approached by 117 countries, it states, the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision, of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary."
"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place" Steve said, "I feel we've done that"
"Tell me Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?" Ross said, "If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes, you can bet there'd be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground"
"So there are contingencies" Rhodey started
"Three days from now, the UN, meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. Talk it over"
"And if we come to a decision you don't like?" Natasha asked
"Then you retire" Ross said simply
That sentence made Lydia freeze, sharing a look with her boyfriend who was next to her before she looked around at the table. ------------------------------------------------------
Written: August 13,2021- August 14, 2021 Published: August 14, 2021 Word Count: 523
