The Accords

Chapter 3 - "Then You Retire"

The team sat around the table, their nerves getting the best of them as they stared up at the Secretary, roaming around the small debriefing room and looking at the various art displayed there, courtesy of Megan. "Five years ago, I had a heart attack." He started and Megan looked over at Nat, rolling her eyes. "I 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?" Megan spoke up, "How about "dangerous"? 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?" Megan scoffed but turned her attention to the screen to see various images passing by, the fight in New York City when the team defeated Kronos. Multiple pictures flashed across of the wretched man destroying buildings and Megan alongside him.

"New York." Ross said as he showed another flash of pictures, this one of chitauri soldiers and the massive leviathan roaming the streets, terrified citizens running out. Then a video showing Hulk smashing a building and the demolition causing smoke to rise up and engulf the video footage as well. Megan looked back at Rhodey and Nat who were sitting stoic faced watching the scene unfold in front of them. "Washington, DC." Ross said and they saw the potomac crashing into the water, the waves engulfing it yet still causing a massive disruption.

"Sokovia." The images showed terrified citizens running for their life, several buildings falling over, and the city rising. Wanda and Tony looked down in shame as they saw the images flash through. "Finally, Lagos." It showed a heavily injured girl being taken out on a stretcher, several citizens moaning in pain. Steve looked over at Wanda who was breathing heavily, watching the screen and then at Megan who's eyes glowed fiery red. "Okay. That's enough." He spoke up, mainly to keep Megan from strangling the life out of the secretary, he knew how protective she was of Wanda.

"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." An assistant handed him a thick document, which Ross placed on the table in front of Wanda as she briefly glanced over it and handed it to Rhodey. "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."

Steve spoke up from beside Megan, his tone laced with unbelief and grief, "The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done that." Megan nodded, "Tell me, Captain, Agent, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?" Megan gripped Steve's hand tightly so that she could contain her explosive anger right now. "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 spoke up and Ross nodded, "Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords." Steve glanced over at Tony as he saw the man clenching and unclenching his fists, what he often did when he was stressed or nervous. "Talk it over." Ross looked at each one of them in turn and before he could leave, Nat spoke up, "And if we come to a decision you don't like?" Ross shrugged smugly, "Then you retire." Natasha stifled a smile as she looked over at Megan glaring daggers at the secretary.

The man left and the room was quiet for a long time before Sam and Rhodey started to argue softly, their voices growing slightly with each passing sentence. "You can't expect us to sign." Megan grumbled. Sam looked over to her and nodded, "THANK YOU." "I mean, it's like putting a dog leash on us." Megan spoke, her head shaking angrily as she thought about the control that would be enforced on her. "117 countries want to sign this. 117, Meg, and you're just like, 'No, that's cool. We got it'."