Karma - W. Maximoff

Chapter Thirteen

Alex woke up with a gasp. Her body felt like it was freezing, and she pulled the blankets higher up on herself. Only then did she realize that this wasn't her bed, nor was it her room.

A door creaked open, startling her. Alex turned to find Steve staring at her, relief taking over his face at the sight of her. He crossed the room, immediately engulfing her in a hug.

Alex hissed and Steve let go. She looked up at him, questioning why she was hurting so much. "What happened?"

"Rumlow had a bomb. Wanda tried to contain it as it went off, but it exploded onto the building you were inside of. You flatlined three times." Steve said simply.

"Why am I so cold? I'm never cold."

Steve looked at the ground. "You were one of the last people inside that building. I found you crushed under a mountain of debris. I tried to lift the debris off but it was scolding hot. It took an hour to get you free."

Steve paused, unsure how to tell her. "You were paused out. You were covered in blood and we weren't sure if you were even alive. And... your hair."

"My hair?" Steve didn't respond to Alex's question, instead handing her a mirror. She touched the roots of her hair which had turned to their previous color- a dark brown, nearly black.

"I don't understand."

"Your powers are reversing themselves from what I can tell."

Vision had fazed through the wall, now standing in front of the bed Alex was on. She backed up, surprised by his sudden presence. "Vis, we talked about this."

"The door was open." Vision pointed to the door cluelessly, earning a small laugh from Alex. Her smile immediately faltered, pain consuming her features. "Captain Rogers wished to know when Mr. Stark was arriving."

Steve nodded. "Thank you. I'll be right down."

"I'll use the door." Alex smiled, watching Vision go. He didn't fully make it out of the room before he turned around, having another thing to say. "Oh, and apparently he's brought a guest."

"We know who it is?" Alex asked, questioning why Tony had brought anyone with him into the tower. Maybe it was Pepper.

"The Secretary of State."

——————

"Five years ago, I had a heart attack." Alex rolled her eyes. She had convinced Steve to let her go downstairs to see what all of this was about. She refused to use a wheelchair and had instead opted for a pair of crutches.

"I dropped right in the middle of my backswing. Turned out it was the best round of my life because after thirteen hours of surgery and a triple bypass, I found something forty years in the Army had never taught me. Perspective.

"The world owes the Avengers an unplayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives," Secretary Ross glanced over at Alex, to which he received a glare, "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?" Alex asked, picking at her nails. A sharp pain in her side made her stumble over her last words and grit her teeth. She would have to ask for more painkillers later.

Wanda placed her hand on Alex's, concern filling her eyes. It was her fault that Alex had been hurt and she wasn't sure how to talk to her about it. "

How about dangerous? What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign border and inflict their will whenever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?"

Secretary Ross walked between Steve and Natasha, picking up a remote. He clicked multiple buttons, a screen showing up. "New York."

The group of original Avengers that were currently sitting in the room looked down at their feet, ashamed. Pictures of the loss and death they couldn't prevent showed up on the screen and Alex had to close her eyes to prevent herself from crying in front of everyone.

"Washington, D.C." A helicarrier sunk into the water around the scene, and the Avengers could visibly see a mother lose her child in the waves.

"Sokovia." Alex thought this would be the worst of them all as she saw a whiz of blue run past the video.

"Lagos." Pictures filled the screen of the damage Wanda had inflicted. Pictures of the people who had died flickered by, along with a picture of Alex. She was bloody and bruised, nearly all of her skin covered in ash.

Alex looked to her feet, letting out a shaky breath. She hated how helpless it made her look.

"Okay, that's enough."

Secretary Ross nodded, knowing the boundaries he was pushing and the people he was standing in a room with. "For the past 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." Secretary Ross continued, taking a large book from the table beside him. He placed it in front of Wanda, who was sitting the closest to him. "The Sokovia accords. Approved by 117 countries, it states that 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 book was passed around the table until it landed in front of Steve. He took one look at it before shaking his head. "The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done that."

"Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now? If I misplaced a couple of thirty megaton nukes you can bet there'd be consequences."

Secretary Ross walked back up to the front of the room. "Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground."

He left the room without another word, allowing them to talk over what may be the end of the Avengers.