I walked down the hall and knocked on the open door. Wanda turned away from the news and at me.
"Can I come in?" I asked. She nodded and I walked in. I sat down next to her. She leaned her head on my shoulder as she continued to watch the news. Suddenly the t.v. turned off and I saw Steve in the doorway from the corner of my eye.
"It's my fault." Wanda told him as she lifted her head from my shoulder.
"That's not true." Steve told her.
"Turn the t.v. back on, they're being very specific." Wanda stated to him. Steve pushed off the doorway and came walking into the room.
"I should have clocked that bomb faster than Rumlow knew what to do with it. Rumlow said Bucky then all the sudden I was 16 years old kid again in Brooklyn." Steve admitted, sitting down on the opposite side of Wanda. "People died. That's on me."
"It's on all of us." I interrupted Wanda before she could even form the words that were going to come out of her mouth. Steve looked at me and I held out a hand behind Wanda's back. He grasped it, holding it tightly.
"This job......we try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn't mean everybody. We have to find a way to live with that. Next time, maybe nobody get saved." Steve told her. All three of us jumped when Vision walked through the wall, scaring us.
"Vis, we talked about this." Wanda complained to him but also reminding him. Steve let go of my hand and it fell to the bed.
"Yes but the door was open so I assumed that. Captain Rogers wish to know where Mr. Stark has arrived." Vision told him.
"Thank you. Be right down." He said back to him.
"I'll use the door. Oh and apparently he brought a guest." Vision added to his earlier comment.
"Do you know who it is?" Steve asked him.
"The Secretary of State." Vision answered him.
"Shit." I complained as all three of them turned to me this time. I got up off the bed, moving past Vision and into the hall.
"Huhhh, five years ago I had a heart attack. I dropped right in the middle of my back swing. Turned out, it was the best swing of my life because after 13 hours of surgery, a triple bypass, I found something forty years in the army never taught me. Perspective." Secretary Ross told us. My jaw hardened as during his pause, knowing that was the end of his story telling and that it was time for business. "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. But there are some who would prefer the word 'vigilante.'"
"And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?" Nat asked him.
"How about dangerous? What would you call a group of U.S. based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who frankly, seems unconcerned about what they leave behind." Ross said. He moved as the screen in front of us started playing. "New York. Washington D.C. Sokovia. Lagos." Wanda looked away from the screen as the building burning appeared.
"Okay, that's enough." Steve told him.
"The past four years, you operated under 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. Approved by 117 countries, it states the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead they'll operate under the supervision of the United Nation Panel. Only when and if that Panel deems it necessary." Ross told us, as Wanda passed the huge stack of papers over to Rhodey.
"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done that." Steve stated.
"Tell me Captain, do you know where Thor or Banner are right now? If I misplaced a couple of mega tons nukes, you bet there'll be consequences. Compromise, reassurance, that's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground." Ross told us.
"So there are contingencies?" Rhodey asked.
"30 days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. Talk it over." Ross said.
"And if we come to a decision you don't like?" Nat asked him.
"Then you retire." Ross stated. I went to get up but Sam held me down by a hand on my wrist. Ross turned to me as I glared down at Sam's hand.
"Riley." Sam warned me. Secretary Ross left and we all got up, and moved to the sitting room. Instead of sitting, I moved to the window. The look of the grass and trees calmed me as I crossed my arms, hugging myself. "So let's say we agree to this thing, how long is it going to be when they look at us like some kind of criminals?"
"117 countries wanna sign this. 117, Sam. You're just like no, it's cool." Rhodey reminded Sam.
"How long are you going to play both sides?" Sam asked him.
"I have an equation." I heard Vision speak up.
"Ahhh, this'll clear it up." Sam said.
"In the eight years since Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhance person's has grown expendably. And during the same period, the number of potentially learning events risen at an expanded rate." Vision explained.
"So you're saying this is our fault?" Steve asked.
"I'm saying there maybe a causality. Our very strength vites challenge. Challenge vites conflict. And conflict breeds catastrophe. Oversight, oversight is not an idea that could be dismissed at the end." Vision explained.
"Bull." Rhodey complained.
"Tony, you're being uncharacterically nonhyperly verbal." Nat stated.
"That's because he already made up his mind." Steve told everybody.
"Boy, you know me so well. Actually, I'm nursing my electromagnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap. Pain, discomfort. Who's putting coffee grounds in the prosal? I'm not running a bed and breakfast for hungry gain. Oh, that's Charles Spencer by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA, had a floor level gig in tow plan for the fall but first he wanted to put a few miles on his soul before he parked it behind a desk. See the world, to be of service." Tony paused. "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, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia. He wanted to make a difference and we wouldn't know because we dropped a building on him when we were kicking ass. There's no decision making process here. We need to be put in check. Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, we borderless, we're no better than the bad guys."
"Tony, someone dies on your watch, you give up." Steve told him.
"Who said we've givin up?" Tony asked.
"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame." Steve told him.
"I'm sorry but Steve, that....that is dangerously ignorant. This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not S.H.I.E.L.D., it's not Hydra,-""No but it's run by people with agendas. Agendas change." Steve interrupted Rhodey.
"That's good. That's why I'm here. I realize what my life's work was capable in the wrong hands. I shut down the manufacturing." Tony reminded him.
"Tony, you choose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this Panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there's some where we need to go and they don't let us? We may not be perfect but the safest hands are still our own." Steve explained.
"If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done to us. That's a fact. That won't be pretty." Tony told him.
"You'll say they'll come for me." Wanda spoke up.
"We would protect you." Vision told her.
"Maybe Tony's right. If we have one hand on the wheel, we could still steer. If we take it off,-""Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss our ass a few years ago?" Sam asked, interrupting Nat.
"I'm just trying, I'm raiding the terrain. We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back." Nat said.
"Focus Nat, did I just mishear you or did you just agree with me?" Tony asked her. My phone beeped in my pocket and I pulled it out.
"Oh, I want to take it back." Nat said.
"No, no, no. You can't retract it. Thank you. Riley?" Tony called my name and I could feel everyone turn to me. I stared down at my phone, not answering.
"Riley?" Wanda called my name and I could see my hands shake. I quickly walked out of the room and into the stairwell. I barely got down a level when I collapsed on the stairs. I pressed a hand to my mouth as I held in the sobs. Arms wrapped around me and I knew it was Steve. I held onto him as I pushed my face deep into his chest. My sobs came out as I tried to speak.
"She can't be gone. She can't."