It had been the worst 48 hours of his life, but Clint had no regrets. He'd left the farm with the full backing of Laura, a woman who knew the Accords were a direct attack on civil liberties should be opposed, no question. He had stuck by his ideals, which was always the hardest, when it came down to fighting your friends, your team. Clint knew Sam and Wanda well enough to know that were with him 100 per cent, that it was right thing to do and it was better to go down, rather than stay back and take the easy road of compliance, not when HYDRA and their close compatriots was involved in the mix. He could honestly say he had no idea why Scott came along for the ride, except the ex-con had a chip against authority and hero worshiped Steve. It all boiled down to Ross, who as any politician would, milked the situation for his own gain, and getting every enhanced human under his boot was his long term goal. Steve would never take orders from a man like, to follow orders to sit back and let innocents suffer or be the Poster Boy for nameless bureaucrats.
Each of them had been processed separately. He took stock of this Wanda was opposite with a stranger in the next cell. A kid, possibly in his early twenties but no older. He was slumped against the wall mirroring Wanda's posture and lost expression, only he was talking. Clint's hearing wasn't the best, but he was an expert lipreader. The kid was whispering in Sokovian. Reciting over and over that it was OK, she wasn't alone, they were imprisoned by US military, and then describing the daily routine in detail. Making a joke, having given all the guards stupid nicknames. Then telling the girl, that her friend was was listening in.
Alex stared at the older guy with the sharp wary eyes. His left hand waved, still whispering knowing the guy opposite understood, but the cameras and mikes could not. "Sorry, can't use sign at the moment, my right arm's not working right. I'm Rider…Alex to my friends. Your friend's been drugged up with some shit suppressant, I guess. If, she's like me, it'll stop working by the second dose. My dad thinks Ross is a fascist asshole, he was spot on about that. I was surprised Stark was in his corner though, then again he always struck me as an absolute ego maniac anyway."
Tony was a man with a mission, to salvage something from this absolute mess. First, he had to stop Barnes and Cap from making things worse. The moment he stepped into the prison, he was shocked by the catatonic Wanda and the disabled boy in the next room, who'd been snatched from his hospital bed and had the Swiss going full isolationist over. He could not be sidetracked by Ross's overzealous policing.
…
The black helicopter landed at Stark Industries Headquarters in LA, the CEO of Roscoe Electronics, Communications and Energy stepped out to see the smartly dressed PA waiting for him to take him straight to his counterpart for this hastily arranged meeting. Paul Roscoe liked Pepper Potts, but Stark was playing a dangerous game. He walked briskly, knowing the way, making the young woman run to keep up with his long legs and no nonsense attitude. Like Stark he had inherited a business empire as a teenager, only he had not had the opportunity, nor inclination to be a playboy; just ruthless, driven and with wily enough to regain control of his father's company at 21 and keep building from there.
The tall, glacial beauty was resplendent in the tailored power suit and heels so high, the CEO of Stark Industries was almost looking her 6'4" guest in the eye. She was perplexed as she knew Paul Roscoe was meant to be in Korea. Pepper smiled and gestured to the sofa for this unplanned meeting, "This is an unexpected pleasure, Paul. How can I help you?"
The blond twenty-nine year old knew he had few real friends, as he had used his inheritance to enact a hostile takeover of his father's company from a board who only saw his youth, not his drive to succeed. This encounter could be played out with full rancour, except he liked how this woman was always so open and friendly. He sat down and slumped, "Its a personal matter, Pepper. I'm here to beg for your help as you know how to mediate with Tony, cause if I see his weasel face at the moment I'm likely to knock out his teeth. He.. His friend Ross ordered the arrest of a dear friend. It was on the news this morning. Alex was is hospital in Geneva, he has epilepsy and neurological problems. When he was fourteen he saved my life and he and his foster father are close. For the last eighteen months I've been contributing to his medical bills. I have a trust set up to pay them until he dies. His doctor stated he was too unwell to be moved from ICU, so they incapacitated her and took him anyway. His condition just took a serious downturn, and he's in some secret prison. I need to know he's getting the best care. That we can visit, I will fly his foster father and friends out at my expense. Alex only recently found out his grandfather survived serum based trials in the forties, the British kept everything so secret. Its not like his long term prognosis was great. I just think he's going to die alone. At the moment we have no assurances they would even release his corpse for burial." Paul had not slept much since he heard Alex had a stroke on Monday and had been shuffling his schedule to visit Switzerland this weekend. He rubbed his tried eyes, trying not to loose control of the despair he felt.
Pepper was hugging her close business partner, who had just become a dear friend. "I'll talk to Tony and Rhodey, but I know from Bruce what a monster Ross is."
Paul nodded "Is he OK? Is that too much to ask for? Phone calls, visiting rights, and medical care are the rights of rapists and murderers. Hell, my friend Hugo is talking like its the holocaust again. You've met his father Rudi Vries, haven't you? His father's immediate family spend the war years hidden in a farmhouse near Ghent."
….
Alex had dreamt of twins every night, not his dreams but proof that Wanda's powers were subconsciously leaking out despite the drugs and the restraints. He woke noticing he was full of strange energy, as he hummed a Sokovian folk tune about shepherds and wolves. He dragged his body to rest against the joining wall and observe the others sleeping.
The three other prisoners opposite weren't cursed with enhancement. He had wondered why they were interned? Maybe they were acting as bait to draw in the rogue Steve Rogers.
The handsome black man was the first to wake, with a soft "Morning Lex, do those physio-exercises I showed you. Get your arm and leg moving, otherwise they'll atrophy."
With a one sided smile Alex nodded, "Sure thing, Sam. I've got bad pins and needles this morning. So, its improving." Maybe he was playing up his paralysis just a bit, since he had regained full feeling yesterday and now he had to bide his time for the smallest mistake to escape. There would be escape procedures, as even a submerged prison needed to plan for disaster.
…
The Wakandan pilot is silent, observing the passengers, comprising one friend of the King, two strangers and three former Avengers. He would report of the efficiency that one man break out, who had subdued all. Ross had acquiesced to T'Challa's request for doctors to assess the prisoners on behalf of the Swiss Government. The pilot had been a mercenary and the prison break using the same rouse as employed by Zemo in Berlin.
The two youngest prisoners were in obvious need of medical attention, as the plane flew higher and faster than any other commercial or military aircraft on its course to Switzerland. The Swiss government happy to offer sanctuary to the fugitives from the overzealous US Secretary of State, because of the blond young man, who held a Swiss passport and had been illegally imprisoned by the United States.
He pondered on that fact as the fallout over the Accords had affected international relations as well as the mighty Avengers. The destruction Sokovia meant the billionaire backer of the Avenger Initiative was no longer objective over security and international threats. The pilot had lived and worked as an observer of the outside world for twenty-five years, not that he understood Americans at all. Though Mr. Roger's was different, a true friend, a man who wielded vibranium like he had been born in the sacred mountain. A true warrior, who selflessly put a friends and family before himself, but was not afraid to defy all in defence of his heart.
For two hours all had been silent, until the pilot spoke to air traffic control. "Mr. Rogers, we will be landing in 25 minutes. I have been informed a Medical team is on standby."
…
Pepper Potts read the headlines on her phone on the mass breakout from the maximum security holding facility built for the Winter Soldier, but imprisoning three ex-Avengers, an ex-con and one Swiss invalid. Ross was being sued for $100 million by Paul Roscoe over failure to uphold the basic rights of those prisoners. That billionaire had money to burn, the best legal team money could buy and real grounds for his grievances on behalf of the friends and families of all illegally imprisoned.
She was going east to visit Rhodey in New York. Friday had been made aware of the lunch date she'd booked in Manhattan, as Tony had been avoiding her calls and her fifteen urgent emails requesting a meeting. The whole string of events had played out and she had very little sympathy for Tony's failure to empathise with Steve Roger's and his fear of government oversight after the fall of SHIELD. Her calls from Natasha had filled in all the horrible details. What of the innocent victim's? Not Tony's massive ego that only thought of his own losses, but Paul and his close friend, of Laura and her kids, Rhodey and Bucky Barnes. Tony had destroyed his friendships in his self righteous need for control. Pepper Potts shivered as she had the foresight to guess the handing over of the Avenger's to Ross's ideal of oversight was a very big mistake.