Captain America and Thor stood on the Heli-Pad on Stark Tower, looking out over the city.
"Times like these, even a God such as myself can feel very, very small." Spoke Thor.
"Don't be getting all poetic on me now, blondie." Said Iron Man as he landed on the platform. Cap and Thor stepped aside as the spinning wheels popped up and began dismantling Iron Man's armor.
"Is everyone here?" he asked.
"We've all been here for twenty minutes, Tony." Said a slightly irritated Captain America.
"Hey, it's not my fault. I was busting an arms deal between AIM and Hydra. You're welcome, by the way." He retorted. Captain America couldn't help but smirk at his friend's sass. Once Tony Stark was fully clothed after shedding his armor, he gestured towards the door and allowed his colleagues to enter before him. As soon as he walked in he said "Jocasta, close and lock all the windows."
"Of course, Mister Stark." Replied his newest Artificial Intelligence, obeying her command. The three of them walked into the Assembly Hall to see their teammates waiting for them. Captain Marvel, Hawkeye, Bruce Banner (who wasn't showing a shade of green), Black Widow, Black Panther, Ant-Man, the Wasp, Falcon, and their newest recruit, the Vision.
"Alright everyone, take a seat." Said Captain America. Everyone did as they were told. "We all know why we're here, so let's get to work."
They all sat in chairs around a circular holo-table, and the first one to speak up was Wasp.
"Alright, I nominate Wonder Man." As she said this, a hologram of Wonder Man appeared on the table.
"Oh, please. That guy's a joke." Said Hawkeye. "He's an actor, he's only a superhero for the publicity."
"Nevertheless, he does have amazing powers, and if he can be shown the proper reasons to use them, he could be a valuable addition to this team. That's why I recommend Luke Cage and Iron Fist." Said Captain America, pulling up their holograms.
"The Heroes for Hire? They do know we don't get paid, right?" said a skeptical Captain Marvel.
"I've worked with both of them before. I've seen them in the thick of it, and I believe that both of them have the potential to be amazing heroes." He argued.
"Speaking of potential to be heroes, I want to bring up something I think we've all been thinking about." Said Hawkeye, pulling up the holograms of the twins. "Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Yes, they were members of the Brotherhood of Mutants, and then they were with Ultron, but so was Vision! They helped us take him down, and it seemed like we couldn't turn them away fast enough, but I think they deserve better. Both of them."
"I must concur, Hawkeye." Said Vision.
"Um, thanks."
"I nominate War Machine." Said Tony.
"Seriously?" asked Falcon. "We don't need two Iron Men."
"Personally, I don't think we could ever have enough." Joked Tony. "But in all seriousness, Colonel James Rhodes has a military background, and to be quite honest, he's twice the man I'll ever be."
"Well, that doesn't take much." Said Bruce. "But still, I believe we could benefit from Colonel Rhodes."
"I do, too." Said Captain Marvel. "I'd like to nominate Spider-Woman. She's a close friend of mine, and although she comes from a questionable background, I have no doubt that her heart will always be in the right place, and she would be a very valuable asset to this team."
"She was involved with Hydra wasn't she?" asked Captain America.
"Very briefly, but Nick Fury convinced her to switch sides and act as a double agent." Defended Carol.
"I wish to nominate my wife, Storm, of the X-Men." Said Black Panther.
"A liaison between our two teams definitely couldn't hurt. And neither could Storm's abilities to manipulate the atmosphere." Concurred Ant-Man.
"I would definitely not say no to her." Said Falcon, dreamily, which resulted in Black Panther holding up his hand and bearing his claws. Falcon gulped nervously and quickly said "I mean, because her powers are just, um… really cool. I swear."
"Well, if we're nominating X-Men, I want to throw Wolverine in there. I know he's a little rough around the edges, and most of you don't agree with the way he does some things, but I fought in a war with this man. In the thick of it, he cares about his teammates, and if he could, I know he would die for them." Said Captain America.
"The man is a murderer. Plain and simple. The fact that the X-Men tolerate that surprises me." Said Ant-Man.
"There was a time when I was considered a murderer, Dr. Pym." Said Black Widow. He decided not to meet her eyes. "I nominate Captain Britain. The Avengers are considered a worldwide organization, I believe it's time we start living up to that example."
"Captain Britain is fairly powerful. But if it's power we're looking for, there's always the Sentry. Bob Reynolds. He's a good man." Said a cautious Ant-Man.
"He's a psychopath, Hank." Said a baffled Tony. "Sure he's got all the signs of being a hero, and there may not be any documented evidence of him ever killing anybody, but I'm telling you Bob Reynolds cannot be trusted. I gotta say I'm surprise you're against Wolverine and then you nominate this guy."
"I do not believe we should be judging so harshly. No one is perfect, but I believe everyone deserves a chance to try and be better." Said Thor. "That is why I-"
"I swear to God, if you nominate Loki-" began Hawkeye, but he was interrupted.
"I nominated Valkyrie. She travels to Midgard a great deal for someone who claims to find humans weak and boring. She is a mighty warrior and, much like myself, I believe she could come to appreciate and love the compassion Earth has to offer."
"Alright, that reminds me of people who visit Earth. What about Nova?" said Hawkeye.
"Oh yeah! Nova's great!" said an enthusiastic Wasp, which made Hank shift uncomfortably. "I mean, even though he's in space most of the time he could be a great fit for this team!"
"Well, you're not wrong. But I feel like even if we did vote him in, we couldn't be relying on him too heavily. He'd probably just have to be a reserve member." Said Tony.
"But that doesn't mean he couldn't still be valuable." Said Captain Marvel.
"I have one more nomination." Said Black Widow. "Stephen Strange. He's the Sorcerer Supreme, and if that doesn't sound useful, I don't know what does."
"You're kidding right? It's just a bunch of smoke and mirrors, magic isn't real." Said Hawkeye. Thor cleared his throat. "Okay, well, magic on Earth I mean."
"I beg to differ." Said Black Panther. "In Wakanda, many village elders practice sorcery as a way of life."
Hawkeye threw his hands up in defeat. It's not like he had to vote for Doctor Strange anyway.
"Bruce." Said Tony, catching Bruce off-guard and startling him. "You look like you've got something to say, isn't there someone you wanted to recommend?"
Bruce sighed. "Why do you have to be like this?"
"Like what?" he said, smiling devilishly. Bruce sighed once more.
"Okay, I nominate my cousin, Jen Walters. The She-Hulk."
"Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa, there's a She-Hulk?" asked Hawkeye. "And we're considering adding another one to the team? No offense, Banner."
"None taken. But she's not like me. She doesn't transform, she's always like that. A few months ago she was injured pretty badly and I had to give her a blood transfusion as the Hulk, which led to her mutating into how she is now. Thankfully, she maintains her intellect at all times. Plus, she'd be a really big help if we ever lose control of the Hulk again."
Everyone seemed pretty convinced. Then Bruce turned to Tony. "Now wasn't there someone else you wanted to nominate?"
"Why, yes. Yes there was, Bruce." Tony took a pause for dramatic effect. He then pressed a button and the hologram that popped up took most people by surprise.
"I nominate Spider-Man for Avengers membership."
For a few seconds, no one could really think of anything to say before someone spoke up.
"No kids." Said Captain America, thinking that would be the end of the discussion.
"Why? Because of Bucky?"
"Tony." Warned Widow, but he ignored her.
"Cap, that's not the issue here. S.H.I.E.L.D. is looking for him, and not to take him prisoner. But this kid here," he said, gesturing to the hologram, "is not Bucky. He's powerful. Incredibly so. He's faced more singular villains than I think any of us have combined. He's saved New York City from gang wars, lizard people, an alien symbiote, even an army of robots designed specifically to kill him. I've met this kid, and he is the bleeding essence of heroism. Not to mention he's a total fanboy of everyone sitting at this table. Especially you." He let that sit for a second before continuing. "If there was ever anyone who deserved to stand beside us, it's Spider-Man."
Captain America decided not to respond. For a few seconds everyone was silent.
"Are there anymore nominations?" asked Tony. No one seemed to have anything to say. "Alright. Let's vote."