Chapter 37
" I'm sorry I missed your birthday." My mom said as she hugged me and I let out a laugh; I was 20 today. I hadn't seen my mom in months, not with how busy I had been researching. I had moved out of my dad's apartment a month after I had gotten back from Sokovia. I had felt guilty having them worry about me about coming home, and the news footage didn't help much.
" So how have you been?" mom asked and I shrugged." I'm good." I grinned before a scream filled the air and we turned just in time to see a masked figure shove someone to the ground, and steal thier car. " I'll be back." I told my mother as I set my coffee down, and teleported away. I appeared on the car's path, but the guy didn't stop, instead he tried to run me over. Instead of moving out of the way, like a normal person would, I phased through it, grabbed the wheel and yanked it the side causing the car to glow, plowing it into a fire hydrant which exploded and sent water shooting into the sky.
The guy fell out before taking off down the street and I let out a sigh, before I muttered. " Chloe, Dahlia, Jami."
Chloe and Jami appeared in front of him with a portal, and as he ran through, Dahlia stuck a sticky note to his chest and tripped him.
I teleported back to my seat and Mom smiled. " I'm so proud of you, you know that, right?" She asked and I nodded. " Of course, Mom."
" I'm also glad that you have people you can count on. Even though four of them are a part of you." She said glancing over my shoulder, and I smiled when I glanced over to find Marley trying to interact with other kids. After a few minutes though, she wondered over to us and sat down with a sorrowful expression. " Why are human children so foolish?" She questioned before confusion crossed her face as mom and me broke into laughter. " No really?"
" Miss Stone?" A man asked walking over and we looked over at him. " Yes?" We said in sync.
" Aria Stone." He corrected and my mom went back to her latte." Yes?" I repeated and he motioned toward a car at the corner." Would you mind coming with me, please?"
" Um." I said unsure as I looked at my mom and she made a shooing motion. " Dont worry, I'll call your father to come get me."
" But-"
" Go." She laughed. " We can celebrate another day."
I let out a sigh before grabbing my coffee and following after the suited man, who was obviously with the government.
*********
" Are we being arrested?" Dahlia asked as the four of us trailed behind the same agent who had brought us here." Because it feels like we're being arrested." She added.
" Dahlia, shut up." Chloe said as we stepped into the room to find the avengers talking with some government guy. " Shutting up." Dahlia said.
" Miss Stone, thank you for joining us." Government guy said and I sat down in the empty chair at the end of the table, leaving Chloe, Jami, Dahlia and Marley to stand behind me, though Marley got bored after about two seconds and went to Tony, who immediantly handed her a bunch of random broken pieces of technology. I swear, he invited me over these days just to get Marley's opinion on something.
The government guy, who turned out to be the secretary of state, started showing us a bunch of video footage from the passed three years, before tossing a book on the table; the world's solution to us being so destructive during our fights, the Sokovia Accords. If we didn't agree to them, the Avengers were to be disbanded. " I got pulled away from an outing with my mom, who I haven't seen in months, just to be told we should quit being heroes....I hate the government." I mumbled before I got up and grabbed the book to start flipping through it.
" We're not quitting, Aria." Rhodey said." Just giving control over to someone who can keep us in check."
" Yeah, because that is so much better." I scoffed. " Because giving them control over who I help, is totally not like giving them complete control over the power of 4 infinity stones. You do remember what's in Vision's head, right? Because I've seen what happens when you put that in the hands of someone looking for revenge, it doesn't end well."
" This isn't just one person though, this is the whole world."
" I dont care if it's the whole Universe, I'm not putting my power in hands like theirs." I snapped and cracks started to spread across the windows around the room. " Aria?" Chloe cautioned and I let out a breath, my knuckles turning white as I gripped the book in my hands. " I joined the avengers because I wanted to help protect the world, not to watch the power I have destroy it. You can throw away that idea, but I'm not going to. If you need me, I'll be in New York, but I am done saving those who dont want to be saved."
" Aria-" Steve started to say but I cut him off." Good bye." I said before I vanished from sight.