Kayla stood before the judge, a lean man in his early sixties who looked somewhat happy to be there. To watch this trial unfold. Within the walls of the courtroom, the cameras couldn't flash and the reporters couldn't be ignored. He wanted to learn Kayla Ellis's secrets.
Kayla's lawyer was the same age as the judge, but he had a youthful appearance to him. He had thick brown hair and a knowing grin that made clients have faith in their defendant. He'd never lost a case in his thirty-year career as a lawyer, and taking on the trial of the infamous socialite would be the feather in his cap.
"Mr. Roberts," The judge addressed Kayla's lawyer as she stood to his left, facing the front of the courtroom, "How does your client plea?"
"Not guilty. My client has been wrongfully accused of being an accomplice to someone who's intent was to kill her. We plan to prove her innocence." Mr. Roberts answered confidently, already believing this would be a quick and painless trial.
"Very well, we will proceed." The judge said as he pounded his gavel.
Kayla could sense the hint of delight in a real trial, but she felt sick to her stomach that she was the cause of it. "Would the prosecutor please bring forward their first witness?"
A tall, muscular blonde rose from her seat across from Kayla, moving to stand before the judge. She looked similar to Kayla in her super soldier form, sharp green eyes and all. She smirked at Kayla, flipping her thick blonde ponytail over her should as she addressed the judge, "Your honor, I'd like to bring Thaddeus Ross to the stand."
"Oh shit." Kayla grumbled as her lawyer looked to her.
"What do you mean 'oh shit'? How do you know him?"
Thaddeus Ross grunted as he took a seat next to the judge on his right-hand side, smiling wickedly at Kayla as the prosecutor approached him, "Thank you for being here today, Secretary Ross."
"The pleasure is all mine Miss...?" Ross gestured to the blonde, realizing he didn't know her name.
"Please, just call me Amora." She answered sweetly as she waved her hand nonchalantly. "Now Secretary Ross, can you tell me how you know Miss Ellis, exactly?"
"Well let's just say I've often run in circles near her father, being a general under his term as President. I was familiar with Miss Ellis but I can't say we ever really talked. Not until the incident in Germany."
"Which incident would you be referring to, Mr. Secretary?" Amora asked sweetly, turning to throw a questioning glance at Kayla. Ross snorted as he did the same.
"Captain Rogers went rogue. Tried to keep a fugitive out of custody. He went against the Sokovia Accords and brought several of his colleagues down with him. Some who sit in this room today-"
"Objection your honor, relevance." Kayla's lawyer argued loudly as he stood.
"I'll allow it. What part in this does Miss Ellis play?" The judge asked, moving the trial along.
Ross settled into his chair, looking like the smug bastard he was as he smiled toward Kayla, "Because she was with him. She helped Captain Rogers escape. We gave her the same punishment as everyone else, sentenced her to the Raft, just like everybody else. Now keep in mind, at this point Kayla Ellis was thought to have been dead for two years."
Amora looked toward Kayla wildly, a beaming grin on her face, "Really? So you incarcerated the former President's daughter. How long was she in prison before she was released?"
Ross scoffed loudly, "Released? She broke out. Her mother came to visit, who at this time had barely stepped down as First Lady of the United States. Miss Ellis broke out of her cell and used her mother as a shield to escape in the Presidential helicopter."
"She broke out of a Federal Prison? And there have been no repercussions since then?" Amora asked Ross, but his eyes were locked on Kayla's.
He shifted his head, narrowing his eyes, "No. She wasn't seen or heard from again until the last two years of the decimation. I saw her in person at the funeral of Tony Stark."
At the sound of the billionaire's name, the crowded courtroom began to murmur loudly, causing the judge to beat his gavel loudly to get their attention.
"Do you have any more questions for Secretary Ross?" The judge asked as he sat down his gavel, turning to the prosecutor.
Amora looked over her shoulder, her long blonde hair bouncing as she moved her head, "No further questions."
Mr. Roberts rose from his seat and walked over to Ross, studying the man as he did, "Secretary Ross, you said that you incarcerated Miss Ellis for being in violation of the Sokovia Accords. What jurisdiction did the Accords have over an American citizen with no powers and no history of working with the Avengers? Being engaged to Captain America doesn't make my client an Avenger or an enhanced individual."
Ross smirked, snorting as he prepared to speak, "Mr. Roberts, are you aware that your client had enough strength to break through glass strong enough to contain the Hulk? If she's not enhanced, how do you explain her ability to do that?"
"Look at her, does she look enhanced to you?" Mr. Roberts gestured to the very pregnant Kayla Ellis, as she sat in her chair, leaning against the table before her. She smiled grimly, knowing her current appearance aided his observation.
"She shattered shatterproof glass and bent through metal. What she did was illegal." Ross answered, leaning back in his chair. "She was an Avenger. If she runs with the Avengers, and she fights with the Avengers, she should be charged as an Avenger. Whether or not her husband is still around. Which he is by the way. He was at Stark's funeral, even though she's been claiming he died reversing the decimation. You can't trust anything she says."
Kayla's lawyer looked over his shoulder and Kayla tensed, knowing her bad decisions weren't going to help her case. Mr. Roberts sighed, "No further questions."
"Will the defendant call up his first witness." The judge announced and Bruce Banner took to the stand. Bucky shifted in his seat as the doctor sat uncomfortably in the small chair on the left of the judge, smiling weakly at Kayla's lawyer as he took an oath to tell the truth.
"Doctor Banner, you've known Miss Ellis for many years now. Eleven I believe? Do you believe that Kayla tries to do the right thing?" Mr. Roberts started, and Bruce nodded without hesitation, looking to Kayla as she gave him a sad smile.
"Yes. Kayla is very passionate. She cares deeply about her friends and family. Dare I say, her accidentally releasing the Red Skull from Vormir was to save one of her best friends when the rest of us had given up. She was the only one brave enough to take the risk. Sure, it didn't turn out exactly as she had planned, but she meant well. She would never hurt anyone." Bruce answered honestly, shifting uncomfortably under the scrutiny of the jury.
"She saved a child several weeks ago. He would have died without her medicine. Can you elaborate on her work?" Mr. Roberts asked again and Bruce nodded slowly, considering his words.
"Yes- I, uh, have worked with her before. She's a chemist. She's found a way to strengthen and stabilize cells, which often causes organs to work more efficiently. She's one of the most brilliant scientists I've ever met. She could change the world."
Mr. Roberts smiled happily, nodding as he crossed in front of Bruce, "No further questions."
As Mr. Roberts moved to sit down beside Kayla, Amora rose slowly and walked toward Bruce, sizing up the large green man before beginning her questioning, "Doctor Banner, why did you first meet Kayla Ellis?"
Bruce studied the prosecutor, realizing where the questioning was going, "We met at the Governer's Ball in 2013. She approached Captain Rogers and myself."
"But why were you there?"
"Someone stole a vial of my blood... and Captain America's blood... it ended up being Kayla," Bruce admitted slowly, knowing the sooner he got it out, the sooner he could move around it.
"Why? Why did she need your blood? Was she creating something?" Amora pressed, a wicked grin growing as Bruce's eyes began to dart around the room.
"She was working on the super soldier serum that created Captain America. She succeeded." Bruce continued, lowering his jaw to the lawyer who placed her fingers under her chin thoughtfully.
"How do you know she succeeded? Did she test it on someone?"
"Yeah, herself."
Amora's eyes widened at that, looking up at Bruce with a new sort of liveliness, "Really? So that's why she was enhanced. So she broke into a top-secret government facility, then three years later broke out of one and faced no consequences? Is that correct?"
Bruce began to stutter, realizing this was about to go downhill fast, "I mean, yes, but-"
"But what Doctor Banner? Does she get a special pass because she's the President's Daughter? Because she's Captain America's wife? Do the rules not apply?"
"She gave her life to protect Steve so he could save the world. She let herself be captured to allow Steve to save the world again, and she only broke out to help him. Everything she's done has been to help the greater good-"
"And by the greater good, you mean Steve Rogers? Everything she's done since the moment she got on your radar was for Steve Rogers. Can you say, under oath, that she does what she does for the greater good? Or are her good deeds only good because she does them for Captain America?" Amora pressed, standing close to Bruce as he stared down at her.
He looked from Kayla to the lawyer, grinding his teeth for a moment before muttering, "Steve is the most important person in her life. She wouldn't do anything that could potentially hurt him. Their interests often align."
"Did Captain Rogers want her to go to Vormir?"
"No."
"So the one time she didn't do what Captain America wanted her to do, she ended up releasing a dangerous enhanced individual onto the world. Is that correct?"
"She did it to save Natasha Romanoff. She's an Avenger and a good friend. To all of us."
"She didn't need to." Amora snapped, pointing at Kayla, "She only does what she wants and remains unchecked. How are we supposed to trust her knowing she holds the formula to a super soldier serum?"
Bruce stared angrily at the prosecutor, but the judge didn't ask her to stop. He grumbled a bit before answering clearly, "She just wants to live a normal life with her family. She doesn't want to spread the formula. I don't even know what it is, and it's based on my own work."
"Is the super soldier serum what she used on Warner Byrne?"
Bruce looked to Kayla, who took a deep breath and kept her head even, knowing Bruce would tell the truth. "Yes. I believe she did. A very weak dose. Enough to save the boy's life. It's not a risk, its a life saver."
Amora lifted her chin thoughtfully, bopping as she walked in front of the stand, "So she gave an unknowing child a prototype super soldier serum in a hospital without telling anyone what was in it?"
Bruce leaned forward, clasping his large hands as he met the eyes of Amora, "I read that boy's file. He was about to die. Kayla got permission from his mother, even without Mrs. Byrne knowing what it was. And if the hospital allowed a person who isn't a doctor to administer medicine, they cannot complain about it in court."
Amora raised one dark, sculpted brow at Doctor Banner's bold statement, but she had more tricks up her sleeve. "No further questions."
Several days and a dozen witnesses later, Kayla finally took to the stand herself. She looked out at her family and friends in attendance. Her parents looked miserable, as the trial had gone back and forth, revealing many of her dirty little secrets. Sam looked sad, knowing the proceedings today would be especially awful for Kayla. Wanda looked at her nails, bored from the trial. She should have just broken Kayla out of jail when she had the chance. Bucky watched intently, knowing he was the closest link to her missing husband. None of them had heard from Steve Rogers since the gala three weeks earlier.
"Miss Ellis, do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?" The bailiff asked as Kayla sat her right hand on the Bible.
Amora stood and walked over to where Kayla sat beside the judge, her fiery red pumps clicking as she walked. She wore a deep navy suit and her hair was clipped up at the back of her head. She wore dark-framed glasses that she hadn't worn before, and her lips were a cherry red that matched her shoes. "Miss Ellis, do you know why you are here?"
Kayla balked at the question, scrunching her brows as she looked to the prosecutor, "I'm here because people are dead. I didn't kill them, but I did release Johann Schmidt from Vorimir. Why do you ask?" Kayla bit back, crossing her arms over her large stomach as she leaned back.
"Because we brought you here to question your involvement in the gala, as you just stated. However, many more offenses have come into play. After the fall of the Triskelion, where were you for two years?"
"With the Avengers," Kayla answered honestly, earning a couple of gasps from the jury as they watched her carefully. She looked from them to Amora, "Brock Rumlow tried to shoot Steve Rogers with my anti-serum. I jumped in front of him to save Steve's life. Sam Wilson, who is now Captain America, gave me super soldier serum to save my life. I was too scared to go home, so I went to them."
"Speaking of Brock Rumlow, was he not involved in the Lagos disaster? Isn't this you there?" Amora pulled up a photo on a screen to their right, showing Kayla and Steve hovering over Rumlow, Kayla aiming a gun at the man's head. "Did you shoot him?"
"No. I didn't. He attempted a suicide bombing to kill himself and Steve and I, Wanda saved us by containing the blast."
"The same blast that killed all those innocent people in the hospital. That happened because of you?" Amora prodded, pacing in front of the other blonde.
Kayla nodded slowly, "I made an error in judgment. I lingered. I gloated. I should have shot him then and there." Kayla nodded toward the photo, and the crowd whispered at her words. She raised her chin defiantly as Amora nodded, turning toward the jury.
"So you weren't directly responsible for the Lagos incident, but you were a part of it. What about the bombing in Vienna? Were you there too?" Amora taunted, and Kayla's eyes flicked out into the crowd to meet her father's. She remembered standing feet away, pretending to be someone else. She remembered shielding her father and dragging him to safety. But she had nothing to do with the bombing. She had nothing to do with Zemo.
"I was there. I accompanied Natasha Romanoff to sign the Sokovia Accords." Kayla answered, looking back to Amora slowly. "I was in the chambers when the bomb went off. I saved my father's life."
"And after it was revealed that James Buchannan Barnes, the Winter Soldier, was responsible, did you aid him in his escape?"
"I kinda just went along for the ride. I don't think I helped so much." Kayla answered playfully as she bopped her head back and forth. "And yes, I was at the airport, and yes, I was on the Raft, and yes I broke out of the Raft to help Steve Rogers stop an army of super soldiers from taking over the world. But that wasn't the case. It was Helmut Zemo who orchestrated the bombings in an attempt to tear apart the Avengers. It worked." Kayla finished sadly, swallowing as she stared at her little band of supporters.
"Where were you for all that time? After the Accords? You broke out of a maximum security federal prison." Amora asked, tapping the remote control she held against her palm as she shifted her weight.
"I spent a lot of time in Wakanda. With the King. I got married there. After that... we traveled. We made the world a better place. We stole back Chitauri weapons and Ultron tech. We worked hard. After a while, I went back to Wakanda where I remained until Steve and the others returned. Before Thanos." Kayla responded slowly, meeting Amora's green eyes as she tilted her head. "Do you have any questions about what happened next?"
"No," Amora retorted with a smirk, ignoring Kayla's hostility, "No, I think we understand what Thanos achieved quite well. But I do have questions about this." Amora clicked her remote, and another photo showed up on the screen. An elderly woman with gray hair pulled into a bun and a bullet hole in her chest appeared in front of the court. Loud rumblings erupted from the jury and audience, staring at the photo in terror. Kayla gulped as she saw the photo, remembering the moment she pulled the trigger on the old German woman. Amora gauged Kayla's reaction to the photo before continuing, "You recognize her?"
"I do." Kayla answered quietly, never taking her eyes off of the lady. She hadn't stuck around to stare at the crime scene she'd left. She only thought of Steve. She only ever thought of Steve.
"Did you kill her?" Amora asked slowly, lowering her head as she looked up at Kayla.
Kayla opened her mouth to answer, a low stutter emerging before gasping, "Yes."
"And her?" Amora clicked the remote again, pulling up a photo of a dark-haired woman on a metal platform with a bullet hole in her skull. Kayla shifted her jaw right to left anxiously as she stared at the photo, but this time she couldn't speak, she only nodded. Amora smiled slyly at Kayla, clicking the power button and sending the photo away, "You shot her in Thailand. Correct."
"Yes. She was going to kill Steve."
"And the woman in Argentina?"
"She was going to kill Steve..." Kayla croaked, feeling her throat tighten at her words. She looked desperately to Amora. "I had to save my husband."
"Where is your husband now, Miss Ellis?" Amora questioned, setting the remote down. Kayla zeroed in on the click of the plastic on wood, not wanting to answer the question.
"Mrs. Rogers" Kayla corrected quietly, staring at the remote with wide green eyes. "I don't know where my husband is."
"When was the last time you saw him?"
"At the Gala. The night the Red Skull killed all those people." Kayla admitted, finally looking up with sad eyes, "He was with me when Schmidt arrived."
"But he left you?" Amora asked, turning to look at the court before looking to Kayla again, waiting for the answer.
Kayla nodded a little, the memory beginning to play in her mind, "I told him to go. I had to protect him. I have to protect him."
"Has he come to see you since then?"
"No, I already said that." Kayla reiterated shortly, eyes glowering at the prosecutor.
Amora shrugged, "I just think it's strange that after everything you've done for him. After everything you've sacrificed for him, that he'd leave you alone in jail. Are you sure he's alive?"
Kayla's jaw quivered furiously at the woman's words, "No. I'm not sure he's alive, for all I know he's dead. But I regret nothing. I'd do it all again, exactly the same. There's nothing I wouldn't do for him."
"You'd kill for him?" Amora asked, complete shock written on her face as the rumbles began again around her. The lawyer looked to her council seated at the table across from the judge, and a slim man smiled and nodded triumphantly, happy with what he'd heard.
Kayla's green eyes burned angrily, but she smiled deviously, seeing her future fade away before her, "If I had to."
Amora smiled wickedly, nodding to herself, "No further questions your honor."