This is a fan made story. I don't own the rights to Captain America, any of its characters or any characters within the MCU… Much to my disappointment. This will have some violent content and possible triggers. Steve/Bucky Established Relationship. Constructive criticism is welcome but if you don't like it simply because you don't like the line of thinking, please don't attack me for it.
Chapter 23: United Nations
The day after Natalia's birthday saw a team of FBI agents at the Tower escorting the dozens of Hydra thugs out of the building and Tony willingly handed over copies of the call from the day before along with all the information he had gathered on the Jenkins twins. The agent in charge, Agent John Burnly wasn't an idiot and knew he had to treat the situation delicately.
"We appreciate the Avengers assistance in this investigation, as well as the cooperation with the government in general. You don't suppose that you could put us in contact with this… Spider-Man, could you? You obviously know who it is since you're using him as a babysitter," Agent Burnly stated.
"Sorry, his identity isn't relevant to your investigation. I did get his statement for you though, so you don't need to worry about that," Tony's response made it clear that he wouldn't be screwing around.
"We would really rather get it in person, if you don't mind," Agent Burnly responded politely.
"Actually, I do mind. You see, I won't be giving you his identity and unfortunately for you, he is a minor and as such, can't be questioned without a guardian present and well, I know for a fact that his guardian won't allow it, so this is the best I can do for you," Tony handed the FBI agent the statement.
"You used a minor to capture Hydra operatives?" Burnly looked annoyed and skeptical.
"No, I used a minor as a babysitter while we were out on a mission. Bruce was supposed to deal with any risks if they came up. We didn't realize that the babysitter would assist, though if you think about it, that is really the purpose of babysitters. Keep the kids safe, that kind of thing. Well, if that will be all," Tony smiled. He knew that Burnly really couldn't push.
"You know, I heard that there were going to be new laws about superheroes being put under regulation. I could just wait until then to get his identity," Burnly pointed out.
"If they pass. Which they won't if I have anything to say about it. We work to protect everyone. Not just those that the lobbyists who fund Congress say we should. The Avengers defend the world and we are no one's puppets," Tony's voice had gone cold. "We've actually read what the Accords propose. Did you know, that if the Accords had been in place before the Battle of New York, New York would have just been nuked rather than sending the Avengers in. That's around 8.5 Million lives we saved, at minimum. Tell me were you and your family living in New York then? Never mind, I can see by your expression that you were. Your welcome."
Burnly had gone deathly pale. He nodded, "Thanks for the statement. We will be in touch if we need something more. I trust you can get more in-depth answers from… Spider-Man if we need them?"
"Certainly. Glad we understand each other. Try not to think about it too much. We will make sure those laws don't pass. No need to worry, they won't be ordering nukes on any civilian populations under attack as long as we can help it," Tony stated bluntly.
Burnly left, more than a little shaken. He could still remember that speck in the sky the went into the wormhole just before the Chitari fell dead and the report had been that Iron Man had gone in and back out. He now realized there was more to it. He had that final puzzle piece. Why Iron Man had gone through it. To redirect a nuke. He shook off the shock and redirected his focus to where it needed to be. His superiors at the FBI wouldn't be happy that he couldn't get Spider-Man's identity, but to be honest, they hadn't really been expecting him to succeed there. No, his priority was Dr. Jennifer Jenkins. A task force was already being assembled which he would be heading up. The woman was classified as extremely intelligent and dangerous.
The rest of the week passed in a flurry of activity as everyone prepared for the UN meeting. Natalia, Rebecca and Cooper had been doing research on gods only know what for the opening speech for the group. It had been decided that the kids would get to start it off because ultimately, if these laws passed, it would affect them longer than any of the others.
Rebecca and Cooper were arguing over little details while Natalia pounded away pulling up information. Sarah, who wouldn't be speaking, three was a bit too young to gain real attention, was helping as much as possible as well. It was interesting for all the adults to have to sit down with the three-year-old and answer questions about details of their pasts. The little girl had a small, custom laptop that Tony had made for her out and typed away as fast as her little fingers could handle after the interviews with them that she transcribed from the recording FRIDAY made for her. This she passed off to Natalia, Rebecca and Cooper, who distilled it into what they needed for the speeches.
Come the Monday morning that would open the UN session assembled specifically to discuss the Accords, the adults scrambled to have the kids dressed properly. Peter and Ned tugged at ties, being brought along to assist the kids with their speeches. As they filed into the SUVs taking them to the UN, the two teens pushed the posters for the presentation into the back of one carefully.
The trip to the UN was uneventful, no one was stupid enough to attack the full might of the Avengers all at once. The trip through security was interesting when it came to Bucky's arm but there was little that could be done about it. Thankfully, if Natasha and Clint slipped weapons through security, they did so without anyone the wiser. The group carefully herded the children to the spot that had been designated for them. May looked around with interest, knowing that shortly these people would be judging her for her new alliance with the Avengers. Thankfully, Helen was next to her and no one could question either of their credentials.
ECHO was still new and not yet fully operational, but May was still the director of it. She eased into her seat next to Helen and watched as some of the most powerful men and women in the world filed into the massive room and began taking seats. It was a good half hour before the UN Session was called to order. When it did, a few dignitaries made some speeches that lasted an hour before the Avengers were allowed their opening speeches. A good range of emotion was shown when it was Cooper, Rebecca and Natalia that came to the forefront when they were informed they could begin. Peter and Ned were behind them with the posters.
Natalia was the first to walk forward. Ned positioned a stepstool for her so that she could get high enough to speak into the mic. She smiled, "We are here to discuss the fate of not just the Avengers but of all gifted individuals in the world. As such, my father, Tony Stark, thought it would be best to remind everyone here just who those individuals are exactly. So, we are going to start at the beginning and work our way through chronologically. Thus, we will start with the story of the First Avenger, Captain Steven Rogers, aka Captain America, and what he has done for both the United State and the world."
From here Natalia started out with Steve's medical history, his determination to serve during WWII despite it and all the things he accomplished in that time until he was frozen. She paused before finishing with Steve, "The estimated total of lives Captain Rogers saved, including those that would have been taken if the Valkyrie had been successful in launching its bombs… estimated between 25 million and 30 million civilians as every major city in the world was targeted. This included Berlin, Tokyo, London, New York and Paris."
Natalia stepped down and moved away to make room for Cooper who went over Bucky's short tenure as a Howling Commando, though his number of lives saved was included with Steve's. Then they moved on to the rest. Each of the three children rotating through for the back stories and numbers. Natasha's Red Room past made the Russian Ambassador shift uncomfortably, but so did Bucky's time as a Hydra prisoner. Ross looked ready to pass out when Rebecca went over how Bruce had become the Hulk and the Harlem incident. Then, they moved on to the Battle of New York, Tony's redirecting the nuke directed at New York by the world security council and the Avengers' attempts to stop Loki.
The entire room was watching the children with intensity that could barely be rivaled. More than a few had already begun to realize how stupid the Accords sounded when compared to the facts. The reasons the Avengers were so successful because they didn't answer to any government. By the time the three kids had gotten through their history lesson to the Ultron Incident and Sokovia, most were looking at it within the full picture, rather than out of context in the anger of the moment as they had been before. When the kids were finished, there was still two hours left. At this point Steve came forward and started bringing in people to make their own speeches, giving their perspectives.
May was the first of ten people to make her position clear. She had lost her husband in the Battle of New York, but she would be damned if she let that cloud her judgement. She told of the two days she had spent alternating with other surgeons to save as many people as possible and that Stark had paid off all the hospital bills of those injured in the attack, a pertant detail that most people weren't aware of. After her came another doctor, a waitress, a mother from Sokovia, two cops, one from New York, the other from Sokovia, and four other people who had witnessed the events in Greenwich, England and DC. One of the two people from DC was Sharon Carter, who had moved on from SHIELD to the CIA.
It was clear that they had picked the speakers carefully. The range of experiences kept people aware of how many were influenced and saved by the Avengers. These people weren't politicians, they were the common man. The experience was poignant. After this, they broke for a recess and lunch. Tony smirked, knowing that Ross was likely to be trying to find a way to spin things to make the Avengers look bad, but in all honesty, Tony was the only one he could truly attack and given the events of the Harlem incident, Ross would be better served relocating to Malta, a none-UN, isolationist country with non-extradition, than he was by going after Tony's mistakes. After all, Tony at least worked to fix his mistakes. Ross, left it to the person he had been persecuting to fix his.
May found herself with more than a few people interested in her position as the head of ECHO. It was an interesting experience to find herself at the center of the focus. Most were curious about the objectives of ECHO and if it was limited to a medical crew to patch up after Avengers where in action.
"Of course not. ECHO is intended to be used for all crisis, be it supervillains, natural disaster, epidemics or terror attacks. Our purpose is to help those who need it most, regardless of the cause," May responded to the representative of Japan.
"So, you will be working with WHO and Doctors without Borders?" The French representative asked.
"Of course. I suspect in most cases that is where we will be once we have fully established ourselves," May answered. "After all, The Avengers are hardly called into action daily. ECHO is intended to put its efforts to help with all crisis situations. It is just being funded by a billionaire and being given all the latest technology as it comes out. We aren't fully operational yet because we are still looking for the best options when it comes to our full staff of medical personnel. It isn't exactly easy to find surgeons, doctors and nurses who can handle working in what amounts to a mobile hospital."
The representatives that surrounded her accepted this and then started to question her on why she was opposed to the Accords even though they wouldn't affect her. May's expression was thunderous, "You really think that keeping the Avengers or other super hero's like for example, Spider-Man, on a leash is going to save lives? And tell me, Mr. LeFontine, if the Avengers got advanced warning that say… Hydra was planning a major biological attack in Paris and wanted to stop it before it occurred but whoever was backing the Russian and Chinese representatives on the council at the time thought that it would be best if the Avengers were only reactionary and not proactive because they had to go into and manage an operation in South Africa to prevent the materials intended to use in that attack from being stolen, how would you feel about the council then?
"Mr. Zang, how would you feel if a group of terrorists decided that Hong Kong would be the best place to test out a new killer robot, but the oversight council viewed that as an internal rebellion matter and not an Avengers matter, how would you feel? It was pointed out, I will remind you, that when Aliens attacked New York, the World Security Council thought the best option would be to just nuke a population of 8.5 million people, my husband, my nephew and myself included. Believe me when I say that these Accords don't just affect the Avengers and the random powered individuals that have been popping up recently.
"They affect everyone because when you interject bureaucracy into saving lives and the people calling the shots have no idea what the fight on the ground is like, when it isn't their own lives at stake, they are willing to take idiotically drastic measures," She knew that she had them on the ropes based on their expressions.
"But what about Sokovia? There has to be accountability!" The Russian representative argued.
"Sokovia happened because I thought that I had a better understanding of alien technology than I did and because of a flawed program that I designed. If anyone should be held accountable for Ultron and the deaths in Sokovia, it is me, no one else," Tony stepped in to save May from being buried under politicians who were all too eager to interrogate her.
"And how do you intend to make reparations for those events?" Mr. LeFontine asked, eyebrow raised.
"I've already begun. I have been pouring money into helping those who lost their homes and livelihoods in that city, I have paid medical expenses for all the injured and I have even paid out money for loss of life to those who lost family members. I know that isn't enough though, because money doesn't make the pain go away, because you can't put a price on human life. I was attempting to create Ultron with good intentions but that doesn't alter what he did.
"So, now I am making something different, something that will only be capable of helping and not hurting. That's what ECHO is. It's why I created it. I may not be able to get back the lives lost from the incident in Sokovia, but I can make damned sure that as many people as possible will be helped in natural disasters, epidemics and, yes, attacks by villainous or criminal organizations," Tony finished off with one last bit. "In fact, just to drive home that point, my R & D department has started on collaborative efforts to help with cures for HIV, Ebola, Denga Fever, Tuberculous and other infectious diseases."
Most of the representatives were surprised by this information but it did drive home the point that Tony was attempting to make, he was willing to put his money where his mouth was and pay his dues. Just then, they were called back into session, much to May's relief. Still, she could hardly complain about Stark's efforts to atone for his actions.
Once they were in, it was obvious that the seating had changed to put the Avengers at the forefront and everyone else was behind them to watch and possible be called forward for a question or three. The remainder of the day was a long and filled with questions from various nations being fed through translators. Tuesday was more of the same, only the children were left at home with their Nannies, Laura and Peter.
A lot of the nations were focusing on Tony, because of his heavy involvement with most of the events that had occurred. Still, most of the UN was incredulous about the things that Ross attempted to pin on both him and Bruce.
"I'm sorry, Secretary Ross, are you implying that I had anything to do with the treason committed by our former Vice President to kidnap and murder, in a big fiery manner, the President during the Mandarin incident? If I recall correctly, and this can be confirmed by Col. James Rhodes, the second we were aware of the threat to the President, we contacted the Vice President, who, at the time, we had no idea was involved with Aldridge Killian.
"Then I personally sent one of my suits to rescue the president. Unfortunately, by that point it was too late as he had already been taken but I did manage to save the flight crew that had been jettisoned from Air Force One by one of Killian's goons. I would also like to make the point that those goons were all military Vets that received minimal to no care from the U.S. Government which is why they were willing to subject themselves to AIM's experiments and also that the U.S. Government was using them as a military contractor at the time. So, tell me again, how your failure to vet your contractors, and not even for the first time I will add, is my fault?" Tony had his arms crossed and waiting expectantly while more than a few representatives of other countries looked on with expectation as well.
Ross deflected, stating he wasn't in office then to which Tony responded smugly, "No, you weren't. You were still a high ranking General in the Army. Tell me, how closely did you work with AIM or even Hammer Tech? Both of which ended up being corrupt to the very top of the corporations. Whereas, with Stark Industries, as soon as I learnt what my subordinates in the company where doing behind my back, I went out and dealt with the problems as they arouse and cleaned out the corruption in my company. How is that for accountability?"
Ross attempted to pivot by redirecting onto Bruce only to have Bruce point out all the illegal military operations on foreign soil that Ross had personally overseen and that the majority of the events where he had been out of control as the Hulk had directly involved those military operations or attacks from Ross on America soil. The only other incident that he had lost control was in Johannesburg and that was because of Ultron.
By the end of the second day, Ross was looking more than a little unsettled and Tony and Steve were sharing smirks. When they got back to the Tower, they found a mess in the kitchen where Laura had decided to have the kids help make supper, which was tacos. Peter was attempting valiantly to wrangle one of the twins for a diaper change, but George was wriggling around like a little monster.
Steve laughed and went to rescue Peter from his son, "Hey there, little guy, you need to stay still." Steve carefully took hold of his son's ankles to finish wiping him clean before deftly encasing him in the new diaper.
"Thanks, they get really squirmy when changing their diapers and I was afraid of holding his ankles too tight. Babies are so fragile to begin with and with my strength…" Peter looked embarrassed which caused Steve to smile at him.
"I understand. When I was first enhanced, I broke my fair share of stuff before I learnt to control my strength and it's nowhere near yours," Steve shrugged. "Plus, you don't have the experience of dealing with babies. During my USO tour, you would not believe the number of kids that were just handed to me to hold like it was expected. I had no idea what I was doing either."
"Good thing we had Clint and Helen here, or we would both still be clueless," Bucky added, retrieving a bottle from the counter where Laura had set it for Joseph.
Steve retrieved the other for George and both boys began greedily drinking from them as if starving. The men frowned as the bottles were quickly drained and they had to switch to a second bottle for them, "Helen, this is getting ridiculous, the formula doesn't seem to be enough for them. Maybe we should start them on real food. You already said they are developing faster than normal babies."
"Muscle wise, yes. It is fine to start at this point, so long as we don't over do it. It will definitely take them longer to metabolize at least," Helen responded with a shrug.
Steve nodded, "So, does anyone know how to make baby food?" Steve looked hopefully at Laura.
She laughed, "Yeah, I do. I imagine that store bought would get expensive pretty quick and there is the concern of preservatives. Fresh is better. Don't worry, as long as you know how to boil veggies and use a food processor, it won't be an issue. I think there are some left over peas from lunch, I can go grab them, throw them in the processor and the boys can have that too."
Clint smirked, "You think toddlers are messy, wait until you try feeding an infant baby food."
It did end up being a bit of a mess, but the boys also seemed more settled after having something more solid in their stomachs. Steve also noticed that it took them longer to wake up that night, giving him and Bucky more sleep. In the morning, Laura provided pureed bananas and strawberries for the boys, which went over well with the twins.
Then it was off to the UN again. Bucky was the first to point out that Ross was missing, and the Secretary of State never did show. He also didn't show the next day which was concerning for the team. Although, without Ross there, the questioning became less aggressive and more along the lines of assessing the Avengers' personalities, something the UN never really had an opportunity to do before.
It was the final day that shit finally hit the fan. Tony had a watch that kept him in the loop of emergencies and it alerted him that the Tower had been attacked. The UN session ended in a flurry as the team moved to get back to the tower. When they arrived, it was to find Hill in the lobby with their security personnel surrounding a bunch of military types in tactical gear, Ross among them.
"Wow. You really are a fucking desperate idiot," Bruce stated in awe as he stared at his former hunter.
"Those children are the bi-product of Project Rebirth and belong to the government," Ross snarled. "As does Steve Rogers and Dr. Banner, but I don't expect you nut balls to understand it. I don't expect you to understand that you need the government oversight and those idiots at the UN don't understand either!"
Steve and Tony just stared at Ross incredulously. Then they both looked at Bruce, "I think he has finally snapped, Brucie. Well, I also think that was a full confession of attempted kidnapping." Tony's expression turned into a smirk.
Bruce rolled his eyes, "I told you guys he was never going to give up his obsession. Could be worse, at least he isn't working with Jenkins."
"Yeah. Well, I am going to contact the FBI. They can deal with this piece of shit," Steve looked like he was ready to rip Ross's head off. Bucky looked even closer to the edge, him clutching his mechanical hand as if ready to pound Ross until there was nothing left but a pile of broken flesh and bone.
"Language, Steve!" Hill teased.
"Oh, shit Maria!" He shot back.
"You'll never win. They're still going to pass the Accords. This session doesn't mean anything," Ross snarled while Steve pulled out his phone and pressed his speed dial to the FBI director.
"Well, given that you haven't been there for the last three days, you really have no idea of how much that isn't going to happen. Even with Russia, China, and North Korea, none of the them are stupid enough to risk their people's lives over their own pride. Well, maybe North Korea, but I don't think even they are that stupid," Tony responded, his anger bleeding through. He knew that Natalia had been a goal for Ross as well. "I think that we made our point and even better, you just made yours on what you really want the Accords for."
With that, Tony turned, grabbed May's hand and dragger her to the elevators. He would let Steve deal with the FBI director. The guy liked Steve better anyways. Once they were in the elevator, he looked at her and smiled weakly, "Sorry. If you don't want to work for me, or whatever, I get it, I pressured you. You can still live here and work for that hospital you were working at before. Or you don't have to live here. I am sure you can find another apartment, or I can buy you a condo as an apo..."
May covered his mouth to shut him up for a second, "Tony, what is this about?" She let her hand drop so that he could answer.
"I have put your nephew in danger twice this month. If I recall correctly, you made a point of telling me that you would cut off my balls if anything happened to him," Tony responded bluntly.
"If harm came to him, yes. Peter is fine. Those Hydra thugs had no clue what hit them, and Ross and his men didn't even make it past the lobby. Also, this week at the UN has reminded me of something very important. I remembered exactly why I became a pediatric surgeon. I did it to save lives. I can help save a lot more as the director of ECHO than I can as a surgeon in a stationary hospital. As for Peter, Ben and I raised Peter since he was like three. He is more our kid than he was his parents, though he definitely got their brains. We taught him that a good person helps those in need. I remembered that too. I can't really blame you for the fights Peter gets into when he is just doing what I taught him," May smiled weakly as the elevator doors opened revealing the common floor.
"Will you go out with me? On a date? No pressure, I just think I really like you," Tony blurted out.
"I'll think about it," May stated before exiting the elevator and eying her nephew who was in his Spider-Man suit and looking completely bored. Ned was sitting next to him holding an odd-looking gun. May noted that Ned also looked like he was losing weight.
"Hey, Aunt May. Since you're here, I take it nothing happened?" Peter asked, tugging off his mask.
"Hill had Ross and his goons secured before they made it to the elevators," Tony recovered from his bout of insecurity rather quickly. "Really, you would think that they would be at least as smart as Hydra but no, they are just military grunts."
"Daddy! Are you done with the stupid politicians?" Natalia had jumped up and ran to Tony as soon as she realized he was there.
"Yep. And even the stupid politicians could see how stupid the Accords were," Tony responded, picking up his daughter. It really did shock him at how quickly the little girl had wormed her way under his skin.
"Ned, why do you have a gun?" May redirected to her real concern, a teenager like Ned really shouldn't have a gun.
"It's an Icer pistol. Not a regular gun, it causes temporary paralysis without any long-term effects," Ned responded. "Hill gave it to me in case someone got passed them. I have been training on gun use. It's safe."
"It is a very good thing your mother doesn't know about this," May sighed before collapsing onto the couch.