Beyond The Stars (UNDER REVISION)

Lost Souls

I sit at the table, not saying a word. I know that whatever I say will anger most of the people in this room. Tony is sitting away from the group. I'm sure he's already picked his side of the argument. "New York." I watch as the Leviathan and Hulk tear up buildings. "Washington D.C." The large ship crashes into the ground. "Sokovia." I watch as the city rises and buildings fall. "Lagos." The video shows the burning building after the explosion. I watch a my gold and purple flashes spark around int he smoke. The injured and the dead show up on screen. I feel my breath hitch in my throat. 

"Okay... That's enough," Cap says from in front of me. 

I sigh a soft sigh, rubbing my brow. "In the past 4 years, you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. I think we have a solution," He grabs a thick stack of papers from the man in the corner. "The Sokovia Accords,"He slides the paper to Wanda. "Approved by 117 countries. It states that The Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, you'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 safe place-" I tune Steve out while I look at the Accords. 

I spin in my chair and whisper to Tony, "Can I get a copy of this?" He simply nods and I turn my attention back. I slide the Accords down the line. 

"Talk it over." 

"And if we come to a decision you don't like?"  

"Then you retire." The Secretary of State walks out. 

I stand up. "I need a drink."

"It's noon." 

"I need a drink." I say  more sternly and walk out. I hear everyone following me. When I reach the lounge, I kick my shoes off. I reach under the bar and grab an bottle of bourbon. Everyone begins arguing over the Accords. I roll my eyes as I grab the small glass. "Anyone want anything?" I quietly say. No one answers, so I continue to make my old fashioned. I slowly sip on the drink while I climb onto the bar. I cross my legs, thankful that I'm wearing tights under my pencil skirt. I unbutton a few buttons of my blouse and take a deep breath. We're going to be arguing about this for a while. 

"Tony... You're being uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal," Natasha softly says. 

Tony looks at her. "That's cause he's already made up his mind." 

He turns to Steve, annoyed. "Oh, you know me so well." Tony stands and walks into the breakfast area. "Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap. Just pain. It's discomfort. Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal?" He slams his hand down, angrily. "Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?" I hop off the counter. Walking over to cupboard, I listen to Tony speak. "Oh! That's Charles Spencer, by the way. Great kid. Computer engineering degree. Three point six GPA. Had a floor level gig, intel plan for the fall. But first, 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 go to Paris or Amsterdam, sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for poor- guess where- Sokovia. He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won't know, because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass." I hand Tony a painkiller and he takes it with his coffee. "There's no decision making process here. We need to be put in check. Whatever form that takes, I'm game. He have no limitations, we're bounder-less, we're no better than the bad guys." I sigh and lower my head. 

"Tony," Steve speaks up. "Someone dies on your watch, you don't give up." 

"Who said we're giving up?"