You made it to Saturday! Good job! ;-)

It's been an intense week for me. I've got A LOT of writing done. This story now stands at 155k, and I have just started the final action arc of the story, which we've been building towards for a long time. I'm a little intimidated by it after so much build-up, but I am determined to get it right and will edit until I have. I am about 5k away from my 100/100 goal now, so might relax for a while when I get there. Might not, though, as this story has me hooked to the laptop for 6-8 hours a day right now.

I had a couple comments on here about chapter length being too short. I finish a chapter when it feels complete. I aim for around 3k, but I don't stress if I don't reach it. If you prefer, I can collage two chapters together for a longer length, but that means updates won't come so often. I don't particularly want to do that as I'm happy with them as they are, but the choice is yours. Let me know.

NOTE: I have raised the rating to mature and it now comes wuth a minor character death warning. It's not an Avenger, but they have an important role in the story. I am sorry to do it at this late stage, but I didn't see this death coming when I started posting. If you need to know who it is for reassurance, send me a PM, and I'm happy to tell you as long as it doesn't end up in reviews as a spoiler.

Chapter Eight

Tony set his coffee mug down on the kitchen table as he heard Rhodey call his name from along the hall.

"In here," he called back.

Rhodey strode in, and for a moment, Tony just stared at him. He'd become so accustomed to Rhodey in his braces, the slightly stilted movements, that the sight of him moving smoothly under his own steam was shocking. It made a lump form in his throat, and he stood and walked towards him without making a conscious decision to.

"What?" Rhodey asked. "Have I got something on my face?" He rubbed his chin.

"It's good to see you," Tony said, his voice a little choked. Before he could stop himself, he was throwing his arms around Rhodey and hugging him.

"Uh… okay," Rhodey said. "This isn't weird at all." He pulled back, and Tony had to force himself to unlock his hands and release him. Rhodey stared at him for a long moment. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Tony said. "I'm just happy to see you."

"I saw you a week ago, Tone, and you didn't act like this. You complained because I finished the coffee in the pot while I was waiting for you to get your ass out of the lab to see me."

Tony waved a hand. "Yeah, but that was then. This is now, and now, I'm happy."

He knew he wasn't playing it cool enough, but it was hard when he was seeing his best friend as he had been before. Rhodey managed his disability like a champ, didn't let it hold him back, but Tony wasn't going to let him be put in the position to be strong like that again. There would be no Civil War, as the press had called it; Rhodey would not fall from the sky while Tony tried desperately to get to him but ultimately watched helplessly as he crashed into the ground.

"Sure you are," Rhodey said doubtfully. "And that's why you wanted me to come over— because you're happy?"

Tony's smile faded. "Afraid not. The Secretary of State is coming by soon with a proposal for me, and I want you there to help."

"A proposal?"

Tony sighed and gestured him to a chair at the table. Rhodey sat down, and Tony fetched him a coffee then joined him.

"You know the Avengers aren't popular right now."

Rhodey nodded. "Yeah. Is there more trouble?"

"Yeah. A big swell of UN countries want us to be overseen. They've come up with something called The Sokovia Accords. It's a framework for us to work within, but it basically means we'd be under the control of the United Nations. A hundred and seventeen countries have signed up for it. We won't be a private organization anymore. They will set up a panel, and we'll only be able to act if and when they decree."

Rhodey's brow furrowed, but he nodded slowly. "Okay. Yeah, I can see that. It'd be better. We'd be accountable; there would be a chain of command for us to follow."

Tony had known he'd react like that as he had last time. Rhodey believed in orders and a chain of command. He was a military man, so it was drummed into him. Rhodey was the wild card when it came to signing. The ones that had signed before were covered: Natasha knew why they couldn't sign, and Vision would follow Tony's lead. Rhodey would do what he thought was right, and what he thought was right was to sign. Tony was going to have to persuade him otherwise.

"We can't do it, Rhodey," he said. "Not with them as they are now. I've already looked them over, and my lawyers spent the night analyzing them. They're too dangerous. If trouble comes and we're not given the orders, we can't act. In the time it'd take to get the green light, people would die."

Rhodey sighed. "Tone, I get what you're saying, and I hate to say this since you already know, but things have gone bad without us being overseen."

It was kind of him, Tony thought, to include himself in that when Rhodey had no part in the creation of Ultron, and he had not been in Lagos. In fact, Rhodey had been the one doing what he was told all this time.

Tony nodded stiffly. "It's gone bad, yeah, and I do think we need to be overseen, but these Accords are weighted against us right now. If one of us disobeys an order, we can be locked up on The Raft without trial for an indefinite period."

It had happened last time, and only Steve's actions had saved the others from that fate.

Rhodey looked startled, but he quickly worked through it and said, his tone reasonable, "Okay, that's not good. But don't you think the ends justify the means?"

"No."

Rhodey sighed. "This isn't how you work, Tony, and I know it, but you need a chain of command to be safe. Right now, it's all on you. If you're overseen, you and other people will be safer. Believe me, it's better when someone else is calling the shots."

Tony snorted. "Believe me, it isn't, not with the people calling the shots now— like Ross."

"What's the problem with him? I know he doesn't have a stellar history, and he's part of what happened to Bruce, but—"

"He's a monster!" Tony spat. "He's the worst kind of monster there is. Trust me."

"You know I do," Rhodey said, brow furrowed. "But you've got to give me more to go on than that."

The problem was, Ross wasn't the same monster yet. He'd not taken Peter prisoner and had him tortured, brainwashed. He'd not given the orders that cause a gun to be aimed at Tony's four-year-old daughter. But he was the person that had done it in the future, in Tony's past, and that was unforgivable.

"I can't give you more," Tony said. "But you have to trust me when I say he's not the man to be in charge of us."

Rhodey ran a hand over his hair. "He won't be, though, will he? If there are more than a hundred countries represented in these Accords, it'll be down to them all."

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose, frustration welling up. "I'm not saying we never sign. We will, but only when we've made the necessary changes. We can't be at risk of indefinite jail time for doing the right thing."

"No," Rhodey said thoughtfully. "I see what you're saying, but…" He sighed. "Okay. I won't sign off the bat, I'm trusting you to be doing the right thing, but once we've got them to a level I'm satisfied with, I'm signing."

"Me too," Tony said, almost sure he was being honest. "I'll even lend you a pen."

Rhodey snorted. "I'm sure you will. So, when is Ross coming?"

Tony raised his eyes. "Friday, how far out is he?"

"His helicopter is over Baltimore right now."

Rhodey raised an eyebrow. "Are you tracking the Secretary of State?"

"If you knew what he was capable of, you'd understand," Tony said darkly. "Now, we've got time for breakfast before the asshole arrives. What do you want?"

Rhodey shook his head. "Tone, I ate breakfast after I did my morning jog and calisthenics at six-thirty. We're closer to lunch now. Really, you need to start sleeping at the right times. You spent too long holed up in the lab in the middle of the night."

"I will," Tony said seriously. "I'll do better. Just you watch."

He was going to change this time around. He was going to be there for Peter when he needed him, he was going to make time for Pepper and Rhodey, and he was going to be at the top of his game for when they faced the threat coming. Just because he wasn't going to be able to use The Stones, it didn't mean Thanos wasn't going to come looking for them.

Tony was going to be ready.

Thaddeus Ross, former President of the United States—and he would be again, it was promised—drummed his fingers on the back of the tablet he was holding as the helicopter hovered over the Avengers compound. He hated this place. It had started its life as Stark Industries property, purchased and developed by Howard Stark. Then Tony Stark had inherited it and turned it into the Avengers base and home the previous year. Now, it was Tony Stark's property, and the man always made Ross aware of it every time he visited. Or at least he would. Technically, he'd not been here yet in this time.

It was sometimes confusing to be back in this time and to think of things in the right series of progression. He still felt like that President, and had on that hellish planet, too, even though he was thoroughly defeated. Now he was back as Secretary of State, subservient to Ellis, and he hated it. If only they knew he was far beyond that position now, bigger even than President, though he would take that role again in time. He was one side of Nemesis now, his mind and body combined with the power of Ego. He had never been more powerful in his life, and no one knew.

It was a bitter pill to swallow.

However, it was necessary. He needed to keep his true identity secret as he was here with a mission. He was going to break the Asset at the very depths of his soul, make him weak and unworthy, and then they, Nemesis, would rule absolute.

Ego had explained it all to him. They would rule over the universe as a single entity. He had thought at first, but not been particularly concerned, that Ego would want to kill half the universe the way Thanos had. She had explained that was not her plan, though. In fact, Thanos had betrayed her when he used the Infinity Stones for that purpose.

Ross would not have minded if that was the plan again, as it was in the years after the first snap in which he had ruled over the country, but it was perhaps cleaner and more beneficial than the fullest population was under their control.

The helicopter bobbed as it descended, then, with a soft thumping jostle, it landed. Ross tucked away the tablet he'd been pretending to peruse and got to his feet. In the bag at his feet, he held a copy of the Accords that he'd brought for Stark to sign. He had no doubt it would be signed, as it had been before. Even though Stark's lawyers had been couriered copies for examination the day before, even though Stark must now know they were weighted against him and his friends, he would sign because his guilt for the Ultron debacle was overwhelming.

Stark's distress pleased Ross in all times he experienced it. Even before Stark recruited that menace Spider-Man, leading to him being on that battlefield, within reach of the Stones to use for all that followed, Ross had hated Stark's assumed superiority—and his far more plentiful wealth, too.

The helicopter door was opened, and Ross stepped down and onto the concrete helipad. He was sure Stark knew he had arrived, but he did not come to greet him—he had not last time, either. In fact, he'd kept Ross waiting while a member of staff retrieved him from his lab where he was tinkering with his inventions.

As before, one of Stark's minions was waiting for him: Maria Hill, who'd been a prominent member of SHIELD before their fall and was now just another Stark lackey. She greeted him politely and said, "Mr. Stark is waiting for you in the conference room, sir."

Ross liked being called sir, especially by someone that had thought themselves superior to him before, and it took him a moment to recognize the difference as he was preening so much.

When it occurred to him, he said, "Stark is in the conference room?"

"Yes, sir. Colonel Rhodes is with him."

Ross stopped dead a moment, eyebrows raised and confusion swimming in his mind. This was different. Not only had Stark made him wait before, but he'd also come alone to the meeting. Why Rhodes was there now, Ross didn't know or understand.

Ego said time was a fluid thing, that it could be changed, but that would only create new timelines. However, that was only for anyone other than him. With her power behind him, the power now shared, he could change time and events and enable others to do the same. The people he planned to bring into his mission to break the Asset had not been there before, working for him, but they would be this time.

How and why Stark's path had changed now, he didn't know. He couldn't ask Ego while he was with Hill, as she would surely question it if he spoke to himself, but he was a little perturbed.

He banished the question and followed Hill. They rode down in the elevator to the second floor, and then Hill led him towards the conference room. He followed, head held high, brimming with confidence, and then he waited as she opened the door for him.

She went in first to announce him, and he pushed past her and said, "Stark, thank you for being ready for me. I expected some powerplay delay."

Ross' eyes were set above Stark's head as he addressed him, something he'd learned disconcerted people and set him as the dominant person in the room, as people craved eye contact and connection. However, when Stark answered, his eyes snapped to him.

"I thought it was better to have the meeting began and ended sooner," Stark said stiffly.

This was not the Tony Stark he was expecting.

Though Stark had clearly never liked Ross, he'd always kept the front of the confident and calm man he created to deal with the media—the sarcasm and wit that he prided himself on. There was more in his eyes now than just dislike, though. Stark's eyes showed genuine hatred, even though his face was a carefully controlled mask.

Ross was taken off guard, and he couldn't speak. Instead, his eyes moved between Stark and Rhodes, surveying them.

Unlike Stark, Rhodes showed no unusual emotion in their interaction, and he was the first to offer Ross a hand to shake. Stark seemed to have to force himself to shake Ross' hand when it was offered, and his grip was a lighter than his usual firm shake—almost as if he was being careful not to crush him.

Ego roused in his mind, her tone furious. 'How can this have happened? How did he do this? He has given it to him!'

Ross had no idea what she meant, and he couldn't ask. He was disconcerted, though, and wished he could talk to her. He supposed he could excuse himself to use the bathroom, but that wasn't the right way to begin this while looking strong. Stark had never respected him, even before he hated him as he apparently did now. If Ross gave evidence that he could not hold his water long enough for a meeting, Stark's opinion would become even more scathing.

He gave his head a small shake, dismissed Ego's words, and said, "Now, Stark, you already know why I am here, since your lawyers were given an advance preview of the subject. Have you had a chance to peruse the Accords yourself?"

"Oh yes," Stark said, pulling a chair back from the table and sitting, without inviting Ross to do the same, crossing his ankle over his knee. "I read it all."

Ross doubted that, as he himself had three days to read them the first time he'd lived through this year and had not finished. He'd been given the cliff-notes from the committee, though, each wonderful detail which would bring them under his control, and ultimately led to the Avengers being torn apart.

"And what do you think?" Ross asked.

Tony opened his mouth, a hard look in his eyes, and then he took a breath, closed his eyes a moment, then said, "I think they're a great idea, in essence, but I cannot sign them as they are."

Ross' eyes widened. "Excuse me, what?"

This was not what had happened before. It had barely taken any encouragement at all to make Stark sign. Ross had made all the right noises about making alterations in the future while pushing the urgency and giving subtle reminders of what Stark had done to make the Accords necessary. In fact, Stark had been less reluctant to sign than Ross had expected him to be, famously bull-headed as he was.

"I can't sign them as they are," Stark said. "They could be turned into a weapon against us too easily. There need to be alterations to protect our human rights if I'm to sign."

Ross pushed down his shock, took a measured breath, and said, "Of course, we'd expected as much, but you should sign now to be in a better position to make changes later. If you read them, you know they will be passed even if not a single person signs. If that happens, you will all be unable to act in any capacity with the technology and enhancements you have. You, Stark, will not be allowed to ever put on an Iron Man suit again."

Stark rubbed his chin. "Technically, I don't think you can decide what I wear, but you can absolutely stop me from acting as Iron Man. At least, you can arrest me for doing it. But that's fine. I will not do anything as Iron Man until I've signed." He leaned forwards. "And I will not sign until changes have been made."

This was all wrong. Stark should be signing. This wasn't something Ross was changing as he'd followed the script from before almost perfectly—it was impossible, and yet it was happening. Ross did not understand how or why, but he was facing an unforseen complicaton in their plans now.

Ross and Ego had discussed what to do with Spider-Man at length. It had been decided that they were not using Ross' power as a politician and influence on the Accords against him. They could, as Spider-Man acted as a vigilante, which would be illegal after the Accords were ratified, but they had bigger plans. Instead of politically, they were going to target him on a personal level. Somehow, the Stones had decreed him worthy to bear them, something Ego said should be impossible for any human due to their innate weaknesses and flaws, so they had to change that.

No one knew it apart from Ross and Ego, but Spider-Man was going to be systematically targeted in ways that would break his character, destroy his morality, and make him unworthy.

It wouldn't even be difficult with the plan Ross was preparing to put into motion.

Ross dismissed Stark with a flick of his hand and addressed Rhodes. "What do you think, Colonel Rhodes? You were not invited to this meeting by me, so I assume Stark has already talked against the Accords. I know you, though; you're a military man, just like me. Are you going to obey orders and sign? Remember, these orders do not come from President Ellis or even the World Security Council. They are the combined orders of one-hundred and seventeen countries." He narrowed his eyes. "Will you obey those orders, Colonel?"

Rhodes took a deep breath then glanced at Stark, whose lips pressed into a thin line. Rhodes looked down at the table for a moment and then said, "No, sir. I cannot accept these orders as they stand."

Ross nodded, knowing Stark had gotten to him and that it was useless to argue. How this had happened, he didn't know, but it was not an issue with his grander plan for Spider-Man; it was just a wrinkle in his plans as Secretary of State.

'We need to talk alone,' Ego said. 'Your human power machinations are immaterial compared to what the child has done. Go now.'

Ross nodded and said, "There's obviously no point talking about this now. I will be in touch with you both and your team soon, but you should know that this is going to happen regardless. With or without your signatures, The Accords will become law."

Stark nodded, eyes fixed on Ross with ill-concealed hatred, but Rhodes cast his eyes down again, looking uncomfortable.

It didn't matter to Ross. Let the Avengers fight this among themselves or in the halls of power. Ross had a greater target than them. He was going to serve Ego, serve himself, and put the plan in motion for them to seize the power that the Asset stole.

"I'll see you out," Rhodes said.

"No need," Ross said dismissively. "I know my way."

He got to his feet and swept from the room, along the hall to the elevator, and summoned a car. When it arrived, he got in, allowed it to move up a floor, and then pulled on the emergency button to halt its progress.

"What is happening?" he asked aloud.

'Soon,' Ego said. 'Get somewhere we can talk.'

Frustrated, Ross set the elevator in motion again, exited on the roof, and approached the helicopter. The pilot clearly did not expect him back so soon, as he was leaning against the side and scrolling on his phone. He jumped into action as Ross approached, though, opened the door, and stepped aside.

Ross climbed in, settled in his seat, then when the door had closed behind him, murmured, "I'm ready," then felt himself tipping into the private place where he could commune with Ego.

It was the Oval Office, the place which he'd once presided over with supreme satisfaction. Now there were two chairs, one in front of the vast desk and the other behind. It was in the place of power behind the desk that Ego sat, though to an observer, she looked like a man she said was called Kaecilius who'd been a vessel for her before Ross had been gifted with her presence.

Ross took his seat in the subservient position opposite, resenting it internally but never allowing it to show on his face, though she surely knew as she had access to his mind.

"What just happened?" he asked.

Her hands fisted on the desk, and her eyes hardened. "That man has been gifted with Time."

"You mean he's out of time as well?"

"Yes, I mean that and the fact he actually bears the Time Stone by extension. The child gifted him with a connection to the Stone and sent him here." She narrowed her eyes. "The child knows we're here and has sent defenders."

Ross shook his head, a reluctant laugh bursting from him.

"There is nothing funny about this," Ego snarled. "Tony Stark is equally able to change things in time as you are. He can set his own path."

"He is," Ross agreed. "But he cannot set the Asset's path. Trust me, Stark will not be able to defend him from us and what we're going to do. Perhaps we cannot physically harm the Asset with Iron Man watching over him, but that was never the plan, was it?"

She nodded slowly. "True, it was not. What are you thinking?"

"I am thinking it's immaterial that Stark is here, too. It's the Asset's spirit that I will break. All Stark can do is watch it happen."

"And you still believe that's possible?"

"I am certain of it," Ross said fiercely. After all I did to the Asset, his revenge was not to kill me. He's not a murderer yet. With what we're going to do to him, we will make him one. That is what will break him, make him unworthy, and we have two years to do it. Trust me, the only difference in Stark being here is that he will be a witness to what's to come." He laughed again. "And that could not be a more perfect revenge. Let Stark fight the Accords; perhaps he will even win. What matters to you and I is that we break the Asset, and we will."

She stared into his eyes, seeming to be seeing right through to his soul, and then nodded. "Play your role. I do not want them to know you're back, too. If you're going to fulfill your wish to be the leader in your stilted human way, you need a clean reputation. Your part in the breaking of the child cannot be known."

Ross smiled smugly. "Don't worry; no one will know. I will play my part."

He knew exactly what he needed to do to achieve his ends, and he was going to succeed.

The Asset would not defeat Ross again.

So… Evil Ross! As much as I hate him, I do enjoy writing him. He's an interesting character, especially now he's one half of Nemesis. I know he's sometimes tough to read, though, so I won't use him too often.

Until next time…

Jadey xxx