The next morning found all of the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents awake earlier than they wanted to be as they got ready for the big day.

"Natasha, you can't wear that to face the Senate," Daisy sighed after seeing her girlfriends choice of clothes.

"What's wrong with this?" She asked, gesturing to herself. Daisy laughed at the redhead, knowing very well that Ross wouldn't appreciate the t-shirt that she had on.

'Inept - ocracy: a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected.'

"Babe," the brunette sauntered up to her girlfriend. "Where did you even get this shirt?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Tony," Natasha said with a smile, wrapping her arms around the younger girls waist and pulling her close. "Besides you have to admit it's funny."

"As funny as it is, we don't need to outright piss the Senate off with that t-shirt," Daisy laughed, grabbing the hem of the redheads shirt and lifting it over her head.

"Hey if you wanted to see me shirtless all you had to do is ask," Natasha teased as her girlfriend stole her shirt, instead handing her a plain white and blue striped one with her jacket. "You're no fun."

"One of us has to be the adult in the relationship," Daisy explained, lifting her own shirt over her head, wincing when her arms were raised.

"Hey, easy," Natasha said, rushing to the brunette's side to help her take the rest of her shirt off. Her hands ghosted over the white bandage on her girlfriend, a few inches above her belly button.

"I'm alright Nat," she told the woman, seeing her slowly lower down to the stab wound before ever so gently kissing her stomach. "See? Better already."

Natasha didn't smile this time as she stood up and held her girlfriend loosely, afraid that if she hugs her too tightly she'll hurt the girl.

"You never should've been there," she whispered in Daisy's ear as the two held each other, the rising sun barely peaking above the horizon.

"I know, but I wanted to make sure you were okay," Daisy told her, pulling apart a bit so she could find those green eyes she loved. "Besides, it all worked out in the end."

"You could've died, Daisy. I don't know what I would've done if you were killed because of me," Natasha admitted, just the thought of losing the brunette making her stomach churn.

"I know love, and I'm sorry that I ignored you anyways. But I'm also not sorry. I'd follow you anywhere Natasha," the brunette said, leaning down and kissing the redhead softly.

"I love you, Daisy Johnson."

"I love you, Natasha Romanoff. Now let's go show the Senate exactly who they're messing with."

By the afternoon everyone was already mentally exhausted as they talked with the team of lawyers Tony had hired, going over every little turn and corner of what the Senate was trying to throw at them.

As the men and woman sat down with the Avengers and got to work, a man wearing a small pair of sunglasses approached Karley, his walking stick helping him move around the room.

"My name is Mathew Murdock," he greeted, sticking his hand out which Karley warily shook. "No need to be nervous, Ms. Danvers. I've been going over your files all week, and I'm ready for whatever they'll try to throw at us."

"Is that so?" She asked him as he sat in the chair next to her. His confidence gave Karley the tiniest bit of hope that maybe today wouldn't be a complete disaster.

"Trust me, the Senate is about to get their asses handed to them, kid. I just need to go over a few things with you," he explained, pulling papers out of his briefcase. "Would you like to go somewhere more private?" He asked, hearing the rest of the Avengers around the conference room talking.

"Yeah, actually," she said, standing up as the two of them made their way to an empty room. "So what's the plan?"

"Well, Karley - can I call you Karley?" She nodded, before remembering that he was blind.

"Yeah Karley's fine."

"Awesome. So my team of lawyers will be sitting with us during the trial, but I'm the lead on your case. Tony sent me everything last week when he originally gave us a call. I believe that our main concern for you is going to be proving to them that you're no longer working for the Red Dawn and or the Red Room."

"That's what I was worried about," Karley said, pinching her nose.

"The rest of the case is nothing, they can't charge you with anything after Dr. Banner sent him the lab work of that drug they used on you. However, after the events in Hungary the Senate is going to try and bury you in the mental hospital for months until they're positive you're not a risk to society anymore," he continued, pulling out more papers and sliding one towards Karley.

Picking it up she could see that it was an order from the Senate to send her to the Rafts Psyche ward.

"They want to send me to the Raft?" She scoffed, putting the paper back down.

"They're going to try to, but that's why I'm here. Tony doesn't pay me the big bucks for nothing, Karley. You're going to be just fine as long as you follow my lead," he reassured her.

"Okay," she trailed off, seeing the rest of the Avengers and lawyers standing up. "The families are going to be there, aren't they?"

Mathew sighed, knowing that she was going to ask that.

"Yeah, I'm afraid so. We can't keep them from attending the trial."

"Dandy," Karley mumbled, standing up to join the rest of the team.

"Alright," Tony said, adjusting his expensive suit. "It's time to face the Senate."

The team were all riding on Tony's private plane as they flew to the white house, everyone uncharacteristically quiet.

"Don't worry," Daisy told her sister, patting the taller girl on the knee so she would stop shaking it. "I'm going to be with you the entire time."

"I know," Karley said, placing her hand on top of her sisters. "How am I supposed to do this?"

"We get through this, then we hunt down the ones who are responsible," she answered. "We took down the Red Room, so Hydra and the Red Dawn are next. We get justice for those who were lost."

Karley smiled at her sisters determination.

Honestly, she didn't know what she would've done without Daisy. Without her sister she would've still been working for the Red Dawn or dead. But Daisy, who she didn't even know existed at the time, hadn't given up on her.

These last few months had been some of the best of her life, other than being controlled from a distance. But working with the Avengers with her sister by her side was something she could get used to. Movie nights with Wanda, Peter and Fitz, going on runs with Steve and Sam until she could hardly breath, Pepper forcing her to leave her room and spend time with the team, May and Coulson taking her under their wing. Even Tony never got mad at her when she broke something during training or ate all the food.

Then there was Yelena, who she'd been growing closer to over the last week, when they weren't being shot at that is, sharing laughs with the blond and drinking wine.

It was one giant family, she mused.

"Yeah, they have no clue what's coming for them," Karley stated with a smile. "I'm not going to stop until they're taken out."

"Me either sis, but one step at a time. And right now we have to get through the Senate."

As the Avengers sat in the rows of seats in the court room, photographers everywhere taking pictures and a camera man to record the trial live, Natasha was the first to take the stand, team of lawyers behind her. They swore the redhead in and began.

"Natasha Romanoff, former member of the KGB, Russian Spy and currently the Black Widow," Senator Ross read from a paper as he sat at the center of the stand. "Any other names we should know of?"

"Yeah," the redhead stated, staring him down. "You forgot survivor."

"You would call yourself a survivor because S.H.I.E.L.D. rescued you?" He smirked.

"No, I'm a survivor of the Red Room, which isn't something I'm proud of. You know what the Red Room does, isn't that right Senator?" She asked, leaning forward in her seat as the cameras continued flashing.

"I have been made aware recently, yes Ms. Romanoff," he told the woman, shuffling through some papers.

"And what do you think it is?"

"The Red Room was a highly covert organization that took young girls and trained them to be killers," he answered, eyeing the girl in front of him. "It was run by General Dreykov for years as a means for undetectable world control."

"That's right. But what the press doesn't show was what it was really like," she explained, looking in the crowd towards Daisy for reassurance. "I was eleven when I entered training, my sister was only six. We would spend every day learning about how to kill a human being in the worst possible way. They psychologically conditioned us for years to do their bidding, but after I broke free from that, they turned to much darker methods to control us."

"And what was that method, Ms. Romanoff?" A female Senator asked in concern.

"Drugs. They created a chemical substance to make sure that none of their Widows had control," she said, her eyes turning to Yelena in the crowd.

"And that would be the chemical substance that Dr. Banner has named 'concilium'?" Another man asked.

"That's correct," she said, going into a detailed explanation of what the Red Room was like and why she disobeyed the Senate to go to Hungary.

Natasha's trial had taken a little over an hour, the Senate dismissing her crimes and that of her 'accomplices' who went with her to take the Red Room down.

"Thank you, Ms. Romanoff," the female Senator said, allowing the redhead to take her seat back in the crowd. "Next up is Karley Danvers, also known as the criminal terrorist Surge."

Standing up, Karley shakily made her way to the desk that Natasha was previously at. Mathew shot her a smile as he pulled her chair out.

"Ms. Danvers," Ross started, knowing that this was going to be a tough one to pin on the Avengers. "Just so it's clear, will you please tell the Senate exactly how you ended up working for the Red Dawn?"

Mathew stood up with Karley as she answered.

"Yeah," she said, all too aware at how quiet the room had become, making her feel tiny against everyone sitting in front of her, waiting for her to speak. "I had just gotten home from my tour in Afghanistan when me and a friend went for a hike, not knowing that our lives were about to change."

She told the Senate everything, from the cave and becoming an Inhuman, to waking up in a cell and meeting Mrs. Frederic. She then explained the first time that her memories had been wiped.

"I didn't know what was going on," she said, recalling that fateful night she became Surge. "They strapped me down to a chair and injected me with concilium, but it was much more potent that the original version because I'm an inhuman. All I remember from that machine was the pain as they fried my memories out of me. I woke up sometime later with no clue who I was or where I came from when a man approached me. He told me that I was an Agent for the Red Dawn and nothing more. When I tried to ask him questions or maybe I didn't do what he wanted, he would beat me. It was the most confusing time of my life."

"Who was this man?" One of them asked. Karley looked him in the eye before answering.

"Brock Rumlow. He was my handler for all intents and purposes."

"And you're telling us that you never had the chance to escape from this organization?" Ross asked her in disbelief.

"Do you know what it's like to have no clue who you are, Senator? To wake up every day and be told that you're no one? To have lived for twenty four years and wake up someday with no memories? An empty head filled with nothing but lies? I do. It was hell, and even if I tried to run away from the Red Dawn, I wouldn't know who I was or where to go, not that I could even if I wanted to. They controlled every little thing I did," Karley said, her voice dripping with venom at the man.

Seeing that he wasn't getting anywhere going the way he was, Ross switched the subject instead.

"The Senate has been made aware that you recovered your memories through unconventional means, is that true Ms. Danvers?"

"Yeah, that's true," she admitted, turning away from the man. "I remember everything I did while I was with the Red Dawn. Ever since then, I've been doing everything in my power to correct those that I've wronged."

Looking into the crowd, Karley could see the faces of multiple families. They were holding each other with tears streaming down their cheeks, staring at her with mixed emotions. She could see the hatred first and foremost, as she was the one who caused them so much pain and anguish.

But behind the hatred, she could also see a bit of understanding. Like they knew she was the one who killed their loved ones, but after hearing Karley talk about what she had been through, they accepted that it wasn't by her own choice.

"And when you say those who were 'wronged,' you're referring to the families of your victims, Ms. Danvers?" The female senator asked her.

"Yes, I'm talking about the families," Karley stated, staring at all of them in the crowd. "I'm so sorry for what I've done, and I know that no matter what I say or do will be enough. But I promise you, I will not rest until the Red Dawn and Hydra are taken down. I will die before I let them do what they did me and your families happen again." The room was silent, the sounds of sniffling from the crowd the only noise echoing.

"Very touching, Ms. Danvers, but the Senate is debating on whether we deem you fit or not to walk among society," Ross stated, letting the girl know that he wasn't backing down. "We're making a motion to send you to the Raft's psych ward until we know you're safe."

"Senator Ross," Mathew started, walking forwards to stand in front of them. "We've given you the evidence showing that Karley is no longer under their control. You have her blood work, she's clean."

"And what's to stop the Red Dawn from taking control of her again? She's too powerful to be in the enemies hands. And as the tests Dr. Banner sent to us, it clearly states that over long periods of exposure to concilium that the target becomes more susceptible to it," Ross argued back, holding up the lab results. "America cannot risk letting Surge walk freely. Who is going to stop her if she gets taken again?"

"We will," a voice said from the crowd. Karley turned around to see her sister standing up. "We take care of our own, Senator."

The rest of the Avengers stood up as well, causing Ross to scoff.

"You can't be serious?"

"We're very serious," Tony told them.

"Like the girl said, we take care of our own," Steve joined in, taking a stand next to the billionaire. The cameras went crazy at the two of them standing against the Senate, everyone well aware of their falling apart earlier that year. So to see them taking a stand side by side, the press went crazy, the room erupting into chaos.

"Your little stand won't get you anywhere, Mr. Stark. The Senate is going to discuss this in private before we decide Ms. Danvers future," Ross stated, standing up with the rest of the Senate.

"Let her go free!" Someone from the crowd yelled. Everyone turned to look at the woman.

She was walking towards the front of the court room with a little boy clinging to her side. Karley could see that she looked to be in her mid thirties, her blond hair cascading around her face, framing her eyes that had dark circles under them.

"And who are you?" A member from the Senate asked.

"My name is Mika Gordan," she told the man, standing at the edge of the railing that separated them. Karley instantly recognized the name. She was the mother of one of her victims.

"And why would you, of all people, want Ms. Danvers to go free?" Ross asked her, the rest of the Senate stopping to listen. "She's the reason that your son is dead, Mrs. Gordan."

"Are you a father by any chance Senator?" She asked the man who looked around his colleagues for help.

"I am not," he said.

"Then you wouldn't know the pain of losing a child. It's the most heartbreaking thing in the world when you get a call from the police telling you that your boy is dead. To know that he's not coming home, to know that you'll never see him again. Spending the holiday's without him, instead crying as you flip through his baby book, recalling the day that you gave birth to him. I know that feeling, and I don't wish that upon anyone."

"Then why would you want Ms. Danvers to go free?" He retorted, pointing to the girl in question.

"As much as I hate her for taking my baby away from me," the blond said, glaring at Karley for a moment before her eyes softened. "It wasn't by her own choice. She's not the one responsible for my sons death. The people who are responsible are still out there, and no one but the Avengers are going to be able to take them down."

"Yes, but the Avengers can manage without Karley. She's a risk to society!" He exclaimed, surprised that this woman was defending her sons killer.

"I don't think that's true," Mrs. Gordan said, stroking the hair of the young boy who was still holding her. "I think the only one who is at risk because of Ms. Danvers is the Red Dawn. And if she can help the Avengers take them down, to stop them from tearing apart any more families, then I want her hunting them down like she promised. We all know that you won't do it, Senator."

The room erupted into chaos once more, reporters running wild across the court house as the Senate went into the back room. They were crowding around Mrs. Gordan as she walked towards her sons killer, stopping a few feet away.

Karley stood there, unsure of what to do or say. Out of every scenario she imagined this day going, she didn't once think that one of her victims families would stand up for her. So as the woman approached, she held her breath and tried to blink away the tears. She knew who this woman's son was after hearing the last name.

"Mrs. Gordan," she acknowledged the woman.

"You meant what you said?" The blond asked her.

"Every word of it. I promise you that the Red Dawn will pay for their crimes," Karley told her, the cameras going off.

"Good," she said, the tears streaming down her face. "I just have to ask you..." she trailed off, wiping her cheeks dry. "Did my son...did he suffer?"

"No," Karley whispered, remembering the way that the boy had died. A bullet to the head, execution style. It was quick.

"Don't let them do this to anyone else," she cried, before grabbing her boy and walking away.

"I won't," Karley promised after she left, weaving her way through the crowd to join the rest of the Avengers while the Senate talked behind closed doors.

"Hey," Daisy said, scooching over so her sister could sit down.

"Hey," Karley mumbled back in reply.

"No matter what happens today, we'll figure it out," her sister promised, pulling the younger girl into a hug.

"I know," they pulled apart after a moment. "Do you think that he's right?"

"Who?"

"Ross," Karley explained. "I mean, he does have a point. I'm a risk to society as long as I'm free."

Daisy thought a moment about how to answer this.

"So am I," she said. "Every inhuman is a risk to society. Even every human, as the Red Room has proven. Sure, some of us more than others, but what separates us from criminals is our intent. You had no intentions of working for the Red Dawn. It isn't your fault that this happened. It's theirs. Besides, you aren't trying to run back to them. No, we're taking them down."

"Yeah we are," Karley said, playing with her thumbs. "What would've happened to me if you didn't get me out?"

"I don't know," Daisy answered honestly. "I'd like to think that I would've found you regardless. Fate has a funny way of that."

"Yeah it does," Karley smiled. "I hope you know how grateful I am that you saved me, Daisy. We never really talked about it, but thank you. You saved me from becoming more of a monster."

"You're not a monster, Karley. You're my sister."

It felt like a decade had passed before the Senate returned to their seats. Slowly, Karley let go of her sisters hand and stood in front of the Senate, awaiting for them to announce her fate. Ross stood as well, paper in hand as he began addressing the crowd.

"The Senate has come to a conclusion on Ms. Danvers future," he shot the Avengers a smile before continuing. "Karley Danvers, also known as the terrorist Surge, is to be placed in the Raft's psyche ward until doctors deem her mental state fit for walking among society again for a minimal time of one year. Until then, she will not be allowed visitors, as to provide Ms. Danvers a safe space to recover from these terrible crimes she committed, as well as the crimes committed against her." The court house was so quiet at this revelation that they could hear the Senator swallow, looking towards the camera. "She will be transported there effective immediately."

Karley couldn't feel or hear anything after those words left his mouth. She was numb, oblivious as Police Officers approached her with handcuffs, apologetically slapping them on her wrists. She could've easily broke free, but instead she looked for her sister.

Daisy was pushing against the Police Officers who were holding her back, Natasha quickly grabbing her girlfriend before things got ugly.

"You can't take her! I get to say goodbye!" The inhuman screamed, still struggling to reach her sister. "You can't do this!"

"I can and I will, Ms. Johnson," Ross told the girl.

Natasha, seeing that Ross really wasn't going to let the sisters say goodbye let go of her girlfriend, giving Daisy enough time to break through the officers and rush to her sisters side.

"Hey," Karley whispered to her sister as their hands found each other. "It's okay Daisy. We knew that this was a possibility. I'll be okay."

"No this isn't right," Daisy cried, pulling the taller girl in a hug. The officers allowed the girls to say goodbye, even them noticing that this was a cruel punishment from the Senate. "Where you go, I go. Remember?"

"I know, I know sis. But you can't come with me, not here," Karley explained, tears falling down her cheeks too. "Besides, you don't look good in orange."

Daisy let a small laugh slip through her tears.

"No one does," she joked back, hugging her sister once more, knowing that their time was coming to a close. "I'm coming for you, Karley," she whispered in her ear.

Two sets of hands grabbed Daisy, pulling her away from her sister. It took every bit of self control she had not to break her sister out right now.

Knowing that this was the last time she would see her sister for a long time, she looked her older sister in the eyes and said, "The darkest night produce the brightest stars, sis. You've been my brightest star."

Daisy watched as the Officers escorted her sister towards the door, stopping once Rosses voice filled the court once more.

"The Senate has also decided," Ross continued, shooting the heroes a smirk again. "That Yelena Belova will be joining Ms. Danvers in the raft until she too is deemed fit for society."

The blond in question's jaw hung open at that, clearly not having expected it as more Officers approached her, pushing their way through the crowd.

"Natasha?" She asked her sister. Yelena could've broken away, but she didn't know if that was in her best interest at the moment, so she allowed the men to place her in cuffs.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Ross?" Natasha spat the words out, watching as her sister was dragged next to Karley.

"I did warn you there'd be consequences if you didn't sign the Accords. These are those consequences, Ms. Romanoff," he said coldly, leaving the Avengers behind as he exited the room.

"What do we do?" Daisy asked the team, both Yelena and Karley having been placed into the Police cars. They were on their way to the Raft. "We have to go after them, they can't just take our sisters away."

"Calm down Daisy," Tony said, leading the Avengers out of the court house. "We're going back to the tower. It's not safe to talk here."

As soon as they were on Starks private jet the team began arguing.

"We can break them out in less than twenty minutes," Steve explained.

"And then what, Steve?" Tony asked instantly. "We become enemies of America too?"

"So they're enemies of America now?" Daisy asked the billionaire.

"That's not what I meant, kid," he defended himself. "We have to be smart about this."

"Every second that we talk about this, Yelena and Karley are one step closer to their new homes," Steve argued again. He wasn't going to let the girls rot in the psyche ward. Not if he could help it. He made a promise to help Karley no matter what, same as he did with Bucky. "We can't sit around and wait for a game plan, we need to act now. These are our people."

"Don't you think I know that!" Tony hollered, slamming his fists on the table.

"Tony's right," Natasha stated, stepping up next to the man. "We can't outright break them out of the raft."

"You can't seriously be taking his side right now Nat?" Daisy asked, her voice breaking at what her girlfriend was saying.

"It doesn't mean that we're going to just leave them in the Raft for a year, Daisy," the redhead defended herself. "All I'm saying is that Tony has a point. We can't break them out ourselves. We'll need someone on the outside to do it."

"The Senate is going to be watching us closely," May said, agreeing with them. "We can't get caught up in this."

"What then?" Daisy threw her hands in the air as the jet took off. "They just live their life on the run?"

"No," Coulson spoke up. "We'll find a way to make it work. I don't know how, but we will."

"In the meantime, who the hell is going to be able to break the girls out of prison?" Sam asked the rest of them.

"There's one person I can think of," Steve mumbled, crossing his arms.

Tony scoffed, knowing just who the blond was referring to.

"And how do you plan on finding him, Rogers?" The billionaire asked, finally taking a seat. This day had gone worse than they could've imagined. "You've been searching for him for the last year with no luck."

"Because," Steve stepped forward. "He reached out to me the other day. I know where he is."

"Can you fill the rest of us in Steve?" Sam asked. "Coz I know you're not talking about Bucky."

"That's exactly who I'm talking about."

Bit of a short chapter here! Anyways, things took a turn for the team huh? As you can see, everything is finally piecing together! As always, let me know what you think in the comments!