We Rise, Only To Fall / Steve Rogers

25

Something inside of me broke at the sheer impact of his words. My eyes filled with tears and I squeezed my lips together, this time to stop myself from crying rather than laughing. 

Steve's arm wrapped around my elbow and I blinked hard, looking to his worried face. He glanced between me and Tony. "Tony," he nodded in greeting.

"Captain." Tony replied, his voice clipped.

Then we were told to sit as the Secretary of State made his way to the head of the table. 

Secretary Ross sighed. "Five years ago, I had a heart attack and dropped right in the middle of my backswing." He swung an imaginary gold club to demonstrate. "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 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 spoke, her voice calm and level but the question of authority was there.

He lifted his head to her. "How about "dangerous"?" his voice had no humour to it. "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?"

My blood began to boil at that last part. "That's not true." I said firmly.

Ross raised his eyebrows. "Isn't it?" He stepped aside as the screen flickered on and showed a clip of people running and screaming and of destruction. "New York." Rhodey looked behind at Nat, Steve and I, and I could feel the judgement. "Washington, D.C." Another clip of destruction from when we took down S.H.I.E.L.D. "Sokovia." A clip of the city rising as we fought Ultron and buildings falling. "Lagos." A clip from last month of the building that we wrecked.

Wanda looked away, turning her chair into the table, as a clip of a child on the ground showed.

"Okay," Steve said, his voice hard. "That's enough."

Ross nodded to his assistant and the images left the screen. "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." His assisant handed him something, a stack of papers. Ross placed it on the table and pushed it to Wanda, who took it. "The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries, it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organisation." The papers passed to Rhodey. "Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel only when and if that panel deems it necessary."

I held back my disgusted scoff. 

"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place." Steve said, staring at the table. "I feel we've done that."

"Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?"

I frowned. We didn't...but what did that matter?

Steve glanced up at Ross. "If I misplaced a couple of thirty megaton nukes you can bet there'd be consequences."

"But you're talking about people," I shot back as Ross stalked to the front of the table. "Thor and Bruce are people, not weapons."

Ross shrugged at me. "That is debatable." He glanced at all of us. "Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground."

Rhodey places his hand on the papers. "So, there are contingencies." 

"Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. Talk it over."