A/N: Again, sorry for lateness, it's been a crazy couple of months. I'm hoping to get back to one chapter a week to get ready for Endgame's home release. There's now a poll on my profile for anyone who has a preference on whether Coral gets snapped or not. I can work with it either way.
Also, just to be clear, there is no romance between Sharon Carter and Steve Rogers in this timeline. Because their kiss in Civil War was hella disrespectful to Peggy and any relationship they might've had is clearly not being pursued by the writers/directors, so it's just cleaner if they're friends.
Fallout
Tony stayed with Rhodey until the paramedics arrived.
In the meantime, the remaining Team Ironman led the Team Cap to the Task Force Containment Vehicles. It was only Nat's firm grip on Coral's arm that prevented her from fighting them as they put Clint in cuffs.
Coral didn't say a word, nor did she look anyone in the face. She just let Nat lead her back to her hotel room and put her to bed.
She didn't sleep.
"Coral, are you alright?" Peter asked as they stepped on the plane that would take them back to Avengers HQ. "Ohmigosh it was so crazy, did you see me, I tripped the big guy, that was my plan, can you believe-"
She slapped him.
Peter reeled back; they'd sparred before, but she'd never hit him like that outside of the ring.
"You're an idiot. Though I don't blame you, it seems to be going around," she said, staring at Vision, who just stared off into space. "Did you even read the Accords?!"
"Yes! I mean, no, I was going to read them on the flight, but I fell asleep and then the plane was going faster than I thought. But what's wrong, I thought Tony was your friend."
"They're all my friends! That's why I couldn't fight them. And that's why I'm probably going to get arrested for this." Peter's face went as white as his webbing. Coral felt her anger spike as she realized what his reaction meant.
"Oh, they didn't tell you? One of the little caveats of the Sokovia Accords is everyone who doesn't sign is barred from fighting again under threat of imprisonment without a trial. And those who do sign on cannot disobey a direct order under threat of imprisonment without a trial. So basically, it's a lose-lose for everyone who's not a good little tin soldier," Coral said, directing the last bit toward Tony as he stepped onto the plane. Peter turned to him.
"Is that true?"
"She's exaggerating, kid," Tony replied, dark circles under his eyes.
"Really? What do you think Ross is going to do to me for disobeying orders and fighting you guys on this?" she said.
"You fought everyone on this," he spat.
"That won't matter to them. These Accords are all-or-nothing: 'if you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem.'"
"Well then I guess you're part of the problem."
"Let's face it, we all are at this point." Coral then sat in her seat, put on her noise cancelling headphones, and tried to sleep for the rest of the flight.
She didn't.
After they dropped Peter off back in Queens, they did their debrief at the Avengers' HQ in Upstate New York for the Secretary of State and the Counter-Terrorism Task Force. They gave as objective and bland a report as they could. No mention was made of Coral's open intervention in the fighting or of Natasha's electrocuting of Black Panther. At first, they seemed satisfied. But just as the Avengers all got up to leave, Secretary Ross cleared his throat.
"I would like it stated on the record that Agent Coral King was warned repeatedly that her actions during the altercation were illegal and a defiance of direct orders. The fact that we extended the offer to her in the first place showed an extensive amount of trust and forgiveness from the American government and her people." On cue, the Counter-Terrorism Task Force, led by Everett Ross, entered the room, hands on their weapons and holding a pair of handcuffs.
Stark, Romanoff, even Vision rose to stand between Coral and the Task Force. Until a small voice spoke up: "You win, Ross." Coral slowly pushed her way through the crowd, taking off all of her weapons and placing them on the table. "It's okay, guys. I knew this was going to happen."
"But you did it anyway. Why?" Ross asked, rhetorically. Coral smiled sadly.
"Because that's what heroes do." Completely unarmed, she unbuckled her belt and held it out to Tony.
"They were going to kill an innocent man, Tony. I can't be an accessory to murder. Not again." He refused to take it, so she just laid it on the table and sighed. "Never again."
Everett Ross handcuffed Coral and led her out. She didn't look back, worried her knees would give out if she had to see Nat's face.
The Viper was no longer an Avenger.
The Viper was no longer a hero.
The Viper was no more.
Coral King was rolled into The Raft on a Dolley with a muzzle over her face, as though she was Hannibal Lecter and not a former Avenger.
"… You too, kid?" Clint asked as she was rolled past him, Sharon sharing a similar look. She shrugged as best as she could through a strait jacket.
"I can't believe they'd arrest a kid," Scott said. Coral shot him a reproachful look. "… Young adult?" She rolled her eyes.
Wanda just shot her a sympathetic glance, either because she had nothing else to say or her power-neutralizing collar also limited her ability to speak.
"Sorry they got you," Sam said, as the guards secured her in a cell.
"I'm sorry everyone's being idiotic."
A day later, Tony Stark walked into the Raft to sarcastic applause. "The Futurist, ladies and gentlemen! The Futurist is here! He sees all! He knows what's best for you, whether you like it or not," Clint said.
"Give me a break, Barton. I had no idea they'll put you here. Come on."
"Yeah, well, you knew they'd put us somewhere, Tony."
"Yeah, but not some super-max floating ocean pokey. You know, this place is for maniacs. This is a place for-"
"Criminals? Criminals, Tony. Think that's the word you're looking for. Right? That didn't used to mean me. Or Sam, or Wanda. But here we are."
"Because you broke the law."
"Yeah."
"I didn't make you."
"La, la, la, la, la-" Clint sang, trying to drone Stark out.
"You read it, you broke it."
"La, la, la, la la-"
"Alright, you're all grown up, you got a wife and kids. I don't understand, why didn't you think about them before you chose the wrong side?" Clint bristled at that.
"You gotta watch your back with this guy." He pounded his open palms on the glass. "There's a chance he's gonna break it."
"Hank Pym always said, 'you never can trust a Stark,'" Scott shot at Stark as he passed.
"Who are you?"
"… Come on, man."
Tony stopped in front of Coral's cell. She didn't turn to face him, partially because she couldn't. She was strapped vertically to a stand, power-neutralizing paralysis collar around her neck, strait jacket hugging her tightly. He stood there for a moment, waiting to see if she would open her eyes and acknowledge him. She didn't. So, he moved on to Sam's cell.
"How's Rhodes?" Sam asked.
"They're flying him to Columbia Medical tomorrow. So… fingers crossed." Sam exhaled. "What do you need? They feed you yet?"
Sam raised an eyebrow. "You're the good cop now?"
"I'm just the guy who needs to know where Steve went."
"Well, you better go get a bad cop, because you're gonna have to go Mark Fuhrman on my ass to get information out of me."
"Oh, I just knocked the 'A' out of their 'AV'. We got about 30 seconds before they realize it's not their equipment. Just look. Because that is the fellow who was supposed to interrogate Barnes." He held up a holographic image of the real Doctor Broussard, who was in fact not the doctor that had seen Bucky, as well a picture of his corpse as found in a bathroom. "Clearly, I made a mistake. Sam, I was wrong."
"That's a first."
"Cap is definitely off the reservation, but he's about to need all the help he can get. We don't know each other very well. You don't have to-"
"Hey, it's alright." Tony leaned in and Sam sighed, glancing at Viper, who had opened her eyes. She gave one blink. Yes. "Look, I'll tell you… but you have to go alone and as a friend."
"Easy."
It was not easy. It was the exact opposite of easy. Tony Stark did arrive as a friend… but he and Steve Rogers (and a one-armed Bucky Barnes) parted as enemies.
In the end, Tony Stark returned to the Avengers' compound to help Rhodey recover from the fall, Vision keeping his distance from his creator and the man he injured.
The Avengers' home base had never felt so empty.
Less than 48 hours after being secured in the Raft, a duo of soldiers entered Coral's cell to state that her trial had concluded and found her guilty on all charges, as well as the new ones added by her signing the Accords and refusing to follow them. Over the protests from the other Avengers, the guards asked if she wanted to request anything for a last meal. She stayed silent, only speaking up as they opened the door to leave: "Shawarma… from Elat Burger', 9340 E 49th Street, New York."
Not a moment after Coral finished her meal was the paralysis collar back around her neck, allowing the guards to strap her to a Dolley and roll her away. She gave her fellow (former) Avengers a glance as she passed, before steeling her look forward. She took no notice of the flickering lights or security guards rushing about. After passing through several doors, she was taken to a room with a sturdy chair bolted to the floor, complete with straps for her hands and feet. Carefully, the guards moved her from the Dolley to the chair, removing her strait jacket, and restraining her to the chair with metal binders, before removing the paralysis collar. They needn't bother; she didn't struggle. She just stared at the two-way mirror, trying to decide who would be behind the glass. Definitely Ross, probably the representatives from the UN and whatever remained of the World Security Council. Probably a couple of Hydra operatives filming the spectacle to show that she was truly dead.
She wondered what they'd do with her body.
Coral heard something powering up behind her and felt a needle rest against where it would pierce her brain stem.
The PA system screeched to life, and Coral heard what she thought sounded like Thaddeus Ross' voice. "Any last words, Ms. King?"
She took a moment, before opening her mouth… when the microphone screeched and she heard the distinct sounds of people being beaten up behind the glass. And into the glass. And then through the glass as one person who Coral immediately clocked as a disguised HYDRA operative was thrown through the two-way mirror, shattering it and leaving a hole she could easily see through to her rescuer. Who was none other than-
"Nat…" Coral moaned. Natasha Romanoff immediately rushed over to her side and clasped Coral's face her in hands, kissing her forehead repeatedly. Steve Rogers leapt through the hole after her and tore the steel restraints off with his bare hands. Coral threw her arms around them both and sobbed.
"It's alright, I'm here. We're here. They won't hurt you ever again," Nat soothed as Steve pressed gentle kisses to her forehead.
They held her until Clint, Wanda, Sam, and Scott joined them. Then, looking between her and the needle still protruding from the chair, they joined in, wrapping her in an enormous embrace, keeping her turned away from that needle and chair at all costs.
Coral sobbed, then sniffled, until her cries subsided. Then she straightened and, looking between her teammates, she smiled sadly and nodded. "Let's go home."