Pros and Cons of Anonymity
Disclaimer: Premise and characters belong to Marvel, I'm just playing with them.
Chapter Two: Life in the Spotlight
As she left yet another meeting on the US Accords, or more properly the Superhero Registration Act, Pepper found herself sharing the elevator with a nervous looking Foggy Nelson. The young lawyer glanced at her and started to say something three times before he made up his mind to speak. "I just wanted to thank you for asking me to be on the SHRA legal team," he said finally. "It was pretty much the last thing I'd expected."
Pepper gave him her professional smile, "You're clearly very motivated about the issue," she said. "And you managed to get your former client to articulate his specific issues with the Accords, quite an impressive feat." Foggy caught a darker flash in her eyes and imagined she was thinking about Tony Stark's failure to get Steve to sit down and talk through the Accords before everything went to hell. "I'm glad your firm could spare you for this effort."
"It's high profile, they like having their name in the news," Foggy said with a small shrug. "Besides, SI almost never goes out of house, like they'd turn you down."
"The last time this was tried some people took it into their heads that the Sokovia Accords were all Tony Stark's doing and that he could make them go away if he chose to," Pepper said frostily. "Going out of house seemed only prudent."
"I might not be the guy you want if that's the case," Foggy admitted. "I'm junior enough that my firm could easily wash their hands of me if this blows up."
Pepper's expression softened marginally. "I wanted the person who was passionate about making the laws right for everyone. I invited your former associate as well, it seems he's less interested in putting himself out there."
"Matt felt other uses of his time would be more productive," Foggy said, bitterness surfacing in his voice. Then he added, "I'm worried about the US take on registration," hoping to steer the conversation into safer waters.
"Good. So am I," Pepper replied, she didn't linger when the elevator doors opened.
Spider-Man reached up to adjust the comm-bud in his ear through the cloth of his mask as he perched on the corner of a building. "Spider-Man here!"
"Alright Spider-Man," Captain Stacy said. "Officers are in position. Let's see what we can do with that extra sense of yours."
"Nothing beats hands on experimentation," Spidey replied launching himself off the building. He swung rapidly across the district letting his instincts guide him. "Got a feeling about the alley off 160th and 76th," he reported but kept moving. As the night progressed he kept calling in the twinges from his Spider-sense. Before long the patrolling officers started relaying back their findings, "Mugger apprehended." "We've got a bar fight, send backup." "Suspicious individual, follow-up."
It had been Vision who'd started Peter exploring the possibility that his Spider-sense might have broader applicability than letting him know when to duck. During a review of Spider-Man's pre-Leipzig activities the synthoid had pointed out that Peter's success at finding muggers whenever he went patrolling compared with the police's ability to do the same exceeded statistical probabilities even when the greater amount of territory he covered per minute was properly accounted for. Exploring his powers with the Avenger's help Spidey had come to the conclusion that his Spider-sense was some sort of extremely limited precognitive ability triggered by eminent violent intent. In a fight that translated to a split-second warning telling him which way to dodge. On patrol it provided a general sense of something bad coming. When Spidey explained what he'd learned to Stacy the Captain had hit on the idea of saturating the streets with every officer he could muster while using Peter as a radar to direct them toward brewing trouble.
Spider-Man was starting in on his third hour when he felt a much sharper twinge from his sixth-sense. The effort he had put into understanding his powers and having the Avengers available to test their response to controlled stimuli had taught him a lot. He knew it took a large and urgent threat to trigger his Spider-sense so strongly. "Something big on 495 near exit 27N," he reported. "I'm gonna take a close look."
"Officers enroute, ETA ten minutes," the dispatcher replied.
Stacy broke in and added, "Look, don't engage without additional orders."
Spidey shot a web-line to the side of of the freeway overpass then scuttled across the underside of the bridge. After a few minutes he spotted the threat. "It's the old guy with the wings again. Think we should tell Falcon he's got a bald copycat? What do you think about Vulture? Bald head, wings? I think he's going after a delivery truck."
"License plate?" Stacy asked and Spidey rattled it off. "Registered with Stark Industries," Stacy reported after a few moments.
"Okay, we're not letting him have that," Spidey decided.
"Wait!" Stacy called but it was too late.
The truck cleared the maze of freeways and the Vulture swooped down on it. Spidey shot out a web-line, catching the crook by his ankle and yanking him up short. "Hey! Geriatric Falcon wannabe! That doesn't belong to you!"
In his ear Spidey heard Stacy mutter something about "Sensitivity training,' but the captain stopped short of ordering him to back off. "We've got a conflict with other enhanced. Dispatch, start diverting traffic from the area. There's another overpass about two miles ahead, get the truck stopped there. Let's make wings a liability. Tell the Avengers 'Orange alert but standby', better PR if it's just Spider-Man and the police tonight."
Meanwhile Spidey planted his feet on the side of a building and started reeling the Vulture in.
"I need that! You won't keep me from it!" the Vulture ranted. He twisted in mid-air and used a wing to slice through Spidey's webbing.
Guessing that the Vulture hadn't given up, Spidey shot out a new line and caught him again as he went after the truck. "Ah-ah-ah. Stealing - bad," Spidey scolded.
The Vulture wheeled about and went after the web-slinger. Spidey suddenly found his perch painfully exposed as he was slammed back into the wall, denting bricks. "Geez, you're strong for an old guy. Shouldn't you be worried about brittle bones or something?" Spidey prattled on as he scrabbled to hold on to the Vulture.
"Foolish brat!" the Vulture hissed. He pushed back and slashed at Spidey with a wing.
Spidey ducked, his eyes widening as the wing scored a deep groove in the wall where his head had been.
Trusting his powers to keep him on the wall, Spidey held on with his fingertips and kicked the Vulture with both feet sending him wheeling toward the pavement. Spidey quickly flipped to his feet and shot a web-line after his stunned foe. With the Vulture's rapid approach toward the pavement halted Spidey readied himself to use additional webbing to gum up the jet pack on the man's back before gift-wrapping him for the police.
A disturbed laughter echoed through the night and something green and fast shot out of the sky. "Let's play," a voice said as the line Spider-Man had used to catch the Vulture was cut.
May Parker tuned the radio to a local station then sat down at her computer and started googling Spider-Man sightings. After a few minutes she picked up her cell phone and checked her coverage. For the first time in ten years she found herself missing the old land-line and the certainty of a phone that didn't run on batteries and couldn't lose a signal.
When the doorbell rang May's heart jumped into her throat. Without thinking to check the peep-hole she threw open the door fully expecting a police officer and the news that Pater had been hurt. The obviously pregnant redhead in jeans and an oversized hoodie standing on her stoop with a picnic-basket was so far from what she'd feared May could only stand there and stare.
"Ms. Parker? Pepper Potts, may I come in?"
"Oh, um, of course," May replied holding the door open for her.
Pepper glanced over her shoulder and waved a nondescript car away then came in. "Long story short, I know a child is different from a lover but I also know this is the worst part, the waiting," Pepper said. "So I brought pastries, tea- I'm not allowed anything stronger but if you've a mind to spike it there's something in there to do the job -and company."
"I- I- Thank you," May stammered. "How do you-"
Pepper looked sad. "I don't know. I was always terrible at it, sitting on the sidelines, not being able to do anything. But I know tonight is Spider-Man's debut with the police and I thought not being alone might help." She gave May a self-deprecating grin, "Knowing the Avengers are all standing by just in case will probably help more. And they are, they want to make sure everything goes well for Peter tonight too."
"You're very kind to think of me," May said.
Pepper glanced around the Parker home then let herself into the kitchen and set a kettle of water boiling. She glanced over her shoulder as she dug into her basket for the tin of tea and was unsurprised to see May refreshing the search on her computer the moment Pepper's back was turned. "I could ask FRIDAY to hack the police frequency for you but it doesn't help," Pepper said. "If something goes wrong you'll be called. Listening? It always sounds like it's going wrong to someone who's not part of it."
May winced.
Pepper didn't say, 'Or they lie when they tell you it sounded worse than it was.' Tony had never been able to lie to her about forgotten paperwork, missed deadlines and meetings he'd decided to blow-off but when it mattered? He'd hidden the truth from her when he'd been dying. Sometimes Pepper admitted to herself that as much as she'd tried she'd never fully forgiven Tony for that. That lie damaged trust between them in ways nothing else came close to, because after that every time Tony had tried to reassure her, Pepper had always remembered him telling her he was fine when he hadn't expected to live out the month.
May took a long time considering Pepper's offer and warning. "Who is FRIDAY?" she asked instead of deciding.
Pepper took a small compact out of her purse and sat it on the breakfast bar. "Hi!" FRIDAY said in a bright, chirpy voice. "I'm FRIDAY, an artificial intelligence created by Tony Stark. I help pilot the Iron Man and War Machine armors. I also run the Tower and I try to keep Peter and Harley from blowing themselves up when they're in the lab. Honestly they're easier to reign in than the Boss was, they can't over-ride me. My name is supposed to be an acronym but the Boss never decided what it was supposed to stand for," FRIDAY's voice lost it's spunk at that admission. "Really it's a reference to 'His Girl Friday'."
"Tony's acronyms tended to work out best when he decided what they were going to spell out before deciding what they meant," Pepper added, absently patting the compact. "Case in point: Binarily Augmented Retro Framing. Can you imagine the fun I'm going to have trying to market B.A.R.F.?"
May acknowledge the wry amusement in Pepper's tone with a small smile. "FRIDAY, you'll monitor even if you're not giving me a play-by-play?"
"Of course," FRIDAY said.
"I'll leave this with you so you'll have a link to what's going on when I can't keep you company," Pepper said.
"Thank you," May told them both.
The teapot whistled and Pepper reached for it. "Where are my manners?" May exclaimed. "Sit! You're my guest." She took possession of the basket and set the tea to steeping then arranged the pastries on a plate and pulled mugs out of a cupboard while Pepper pulled up a stool at the breakfast bar.
The compact sat prominently on the counter between them but they didn't talk about Spider-Man.
"How is pregnancy treating you?" May asked.
Pepper chuckled. "I read the horror list of potential symptoms in 'What to Expect' every month then feel vastly relieved when I don't experience more than five percent of them. A little less energy than I'm used to, an increasingly irresistible urge to waddle instead of walk and a bit of nausea at the beginning of the second trimester."
"Odd, I've always heard that's when morning sickness is supposed to taper off," May commented.
Pepper shrugged rather than bring up that her belated bout of morning sickness coincided with the week after Tony's death and might have been symptom of shock rather than pregnancy. "I'll be glad when I don't have to worry any time I'm more than ten minutes from the nearest restroom," Pepper confided. "But really it's been an easy pregnancy especially given I'm a bit older than conventional wisdom would recommend for having a baby."
"Not planned?" May asked then flushed. "I'm sorry, that's none of my business."
"Gifts are rarely planned," Pepper replied, her tone practiced. The question was kinder and more kindly meant than dozens of similar ones she'd fielded from reporters and board members. She was ruthlessly suing one SI board member who though his shares in the SI entitled him to her medical records. He'd been worrying about Down Syndrome, Pepper had been terrified that he might have learned about Extremis' effect on the baby despite all the guards she had in place to prevent anyone from learning that she and Tony's daughter would be born as an Enhanced.
An uncomfortable silence settled on the little kitchen and Pepper's gaze roved over the room searching for something to break it. Her attention was captured by the numerous pictures hung on the walls and through the living room door she could see more on the mantle. Pictures of Peter at various ages along with May and a smiling, bearded man whom Pepper assumed was the deceased Ben Parker. But there were also several prominently placed pictures of a different couple with a baby wrapped in a blue blanket and with a dark-haired toddler. A pair of wedding pictures bracketed the mantle: Ben and May Parker and the other couple. "Peter's parents?" Pepper asked gesturing to the second wedding picture.
May nodded. "Richard and Mary. Richard was Ben's older brother. Peter get his scientific bent from Richard."
Pepper decided that May's earlier question entitled her to pry a bit. "Did you ever worry about bringing him up over-shadowed by ghosts?" she asked. She smoothed a hand over her rounded stomach. "I want Nettie to know about Tony but at the same time worry about the expectations knowing will place on her. No one can live up to a eulogy."
May shook her head. "Never ghosts," she said. "Never someone for Peter to live up to. Angels watching over him. People who love him even though they're gone."
Pepper sighed, "I know Tony spent most of his life competing with ghosts, first his father's obsession with Captain America then Howard's own ghost. I'm afraid of history repeating itself. Nettie isn't even born yet and the chronically negative faction of the board is already speculation that she and Harley will end up competing for control of SI, while the rose-colored glasses set is giving me advice on business schools I should sent her to so she can succeed me as CEO while Harley takes Tony's place in R&D. Right now Tony's martyr to the Accords and the media is being kind, but I've been on this ride enough times to know it won't last. I've already got publicists and lawyers preparing for Harley's first year in college because I guarantee the media will remember Tony at that stage. There's no way to shield Nettie from the polar extremes of how people saw Tony and she'll never get to know him as a person."
"Sounds like an even better reason for your impression to be her first exposure to her father," May said. She glanced away for a moment, "Peter was very young when his parents died. Richard and Mary left him with us for a week, their first vacation since his birth, they took a boat out snorkeling off the coast of Florida, three months later the boat washed up on a beach hundreds of miles from where it was supposed to be. There was no reason for it, never any explanation. Peter was so young, Ben and I thought it was unlikely that he'd remember them, we convinced ourselves it was for the best that he didn't. We raised him thinking he was ours until he was four. Then he got into some boxes under our bed and found pictures of himself with Richard and Mary. He wasn't supposed to be there so he didn't tell Ben or I what he'd found but he made up his own mind about what it meant: He concluded that his parents hadn't wanted him. Luckily he was young enough that he couldn't dissemble effectively, Ben and I were able to figure out what was wrong fairly quickly. We had the chance to counter that impression before it became set in stone. Afterwards we had to admit that we'd withheld the truth from Peter because we were afraid that he'd ask questions we couldn't find answers for ourselves, not because it was best for Peter not to know about his parents.
"Tell your daughter the truth before circumstances beat you to it. Your opinion will mean more to her than anyone else's could, her father won't be ghost if you decide not to let him be."
As soon as the green guy sliced Vulture free he grabbed the loose end of Spider-Man's web and flew straight up as fast as he could, knocking the unprepared teenager off the wall and dragging him into the sky. They were well above the buildings in seconds. "New guy just pulled me above the buildings," Spider-Man reported as he was towed along like a child's toy on a string. "Already too high to to let go."
"Get a helicopter in the area," Stacy ordered the dispatcher. "Have it get above them. Spider-Man, once the chopper's there try to get a web-line on it."
"I'm on board with that," Spider-Man agreed. Even as he spoke he aimed his other web-shooter at Green's glider hoping to make it a little harder for the newcomer to drop him to his death.
Green looked over his shoulder revealing the twisted face of a goblin. "Good, good, challenge me," he laughed and added a spiral to his ascent. Spider-Man started pulling himself up the web-line as he tried to prepare for what was undoubtedly going to be a brutal game of crack the whip.
As Spider-Man had predicted, once the Goblin had worked up a healthy amount of centrifugal force he abruptly stopped spiraling and dove. Spider-Man wrapped a loop of webbing around his fist and hung on for dear life. "Still with me, little bug?" the Goblin asked.
"Spiders are arachnids, get your facts straight Green 'n Gruesome!" Spider-Man called back.
"Either way you make a nice splat on the windshield," the Goblin replied and set his glider through dizzying series of dives, climbs and spins. Spider-Man hung on and prayed that the webbing and his shoulders would hold as he was snapped around like a kite tied to the bumper of a train. Still every chance he got he pulled himself another arm span closer. In the background Spidey could hear the low wop-wop-wop of the helicopter's blades and tried to use the sound to pinpoint his safetynet even as he resumed climbing.
"Spider-Man, break pursuit!" Stacy ordered.
"But I can get to him."
"Now! The only thing I care about is whether or not you can transfer to the chopper safely."
Peter looked around for the helicopter. "Okay, I'm doing it," he said then let go of the line attaching him to the Goblin's glider. For a few seconds he felt like he was floating as his momentum and gravity equalized. Then he shot out a line and snagged the bottom of the helicopter. When his weight hit the helicopter wobbled in mid-air for a moment then stabilized.
The Goblin came back around as if to attack them but in the distance he saw the light from War Machine's arc reactor zooming toward them. "We'll pick this up later, bug," the Goblin called before diving into the maze of buildings and disappearing.
A few minutes later, War Machine pulled up to hover near where Spider-Man hung from the bottom of the helicopter. "Can I offer you a lift back to the station?" Rhodes asked.
"I'm getting scolded aren't I?" Spidey asked. He leapt lightly from the webline to perch on War Machine's back.
"At least it won't come as a surprise," Rhodes said and whisked him away.
Captain Stacy met them on the roof of the police station. "Does 'wait for additional orders' sound like 'jump right in and start punching'?" he asked once Spidey was standing in front of him.
"I didn't have time," Spidey protested. "He was attacking that truck. SI delivery truck," he added as an aside to Rhodes.
"I was aware of that fact," Stacy replied sternly. "I was also aware of the officers enroute and the time needed to divert traffic. You also resisted my orders when I told you to break it off with the new one."
He paused for a moment in case Spidey had any arguments to lodge. Spider-Man shook his head minutely.
"You allowed him to draw you into a fight where he held all the advantage. From what I could see his primary objective was testing you. You were his target not civilians, he hadn't stolen anything let alone anything hugely dangerous, catching him at that precise juncture simply wasn't worth the risk to your life. When I tell you to break pursuit I expect to be obeyed as promptly as is possible with consideration for the immediate safety of yourself and any bystanders."
"Yes sir," Peter said miserably.
Stacy patted him on the shoulder. "But other than that it was a very successful first attempt. We've got a holding cell full of violent offenders and I expect to press charges against two-thirds of them at the least. More if we get some cooperation on the domestics. Good work tonight."
"Is the Vulture guy okay?" Peter asked. "I didn't see what happened to him after the Goblin cut my line."
"He escaped," Stacy sighed. "But we kept him from getting whatever was in the truck so I'm counting it a win. Be back at the station as soon as school lets out tomorrow for your first press conference."
"Ready to go?" Captain Stacy asked the next day.
"No?" Peter said hopefully.
"I'll grant you, reporters are sharks, but it's not as if they're literally going to eat you alive. They can't be as bad as the pair you fought against last night," Stacy replied.
"Oh no, no that is where you are wrong," Peter insisted. "The Vulture and the Goblin might both hate my guts, might even want to rip them out through my nose, but they'll keep it to themselves. When a reporter has a grudge against you they're not happy unless the whole city hates you too."
"Besides Captain Marvel will be there, she's new and novel enough to divert some attention from you," Stacy continued, unimpressed. "When it's time, go ahead and have fun with your entrance, that should settle your nerves."
With that Peter pulled his mask down over his face and Spider-Man headed for the roof of the station while Captain Stacy headed toward the podium set up on the front steps. On his way through the bullpen he picked up Captain Danvers, Captain Marvel from where she was holding court with his officers. She was in her military uniform, like Rhodes and Lt. Shostakov, she used it for most of her public appearances. The three of them were playing up their military backgrounds, that they were trained professionals who understood how to work within a system of government and who saw the value of collaboration as much as they could to counter the growing public impression of lone-wolf vigilantees who refused to bow to any authority except their own.
A bevy of flashbulbs went off as the two of them stepped out of the police department. Captain Stacy took the podium while Captain Marvel hung back. Stacy waited a beat and Spider-Man swung around from the side of the building. More cameras flashed as Spider-Man shot a webline to the building across the street and swung out over the reporters' heads then doubled back. He released the web and did a double flip off his favorite street-lamp to 'land' neatly perched on the vertical wall of the police station near Stacy.
Stacy nodded to the webcrawler then turned his attention to the media. "In the spirit of the Sokovia Accords, this precinct would like to help usher in a new era of cooperation between the New York City Police Department and costumed heroes. I'm here to talk to you about the first results of our collaboration. Last night, Spider-Man working in concert with the officers of this precinct conducted a sweep that resulted in the arrest of thirty-six muggers and the prevention of a costumed criminal from hijacking a shipment of advanced medical equipment. Working together there is so much we can accomplish and I'm looking forward to seeing what the future brings."
"Spider-Man, does this mean you're going to reveal your identity?" Christine Everhart asked.
"No," Captain Stacy answered for Peter. "We have created Spider-Man as a legal identity."
"Why not? None of the Avengers, current or former, have withheld their identities from the public."
"I'm not Tony Stark," Spider-Man said. A few of the journalists chuckled at his unintentional mirroring of Tony's 'I am Iron Man' press statement and the boy's shoulders hunched but he plowed on. "I don't have a security detail at my other job. And this is volunteer work so I sort of need another job." Stacy and Rhodes had both agreed in advance that Peter's SI internship paid well enough to count as a job and calling it such would encourage people to add a few years to his age.
"And if we don't know who you are we can't hold you accountable for the messes you make," a gruff voice accused.
"Was that a question Mr. Jameson?" Stacy said. "You can address any complaints you might have with Spider-Man to my precinct, just like you would if you had a problem with any of my officers. As I said, Spider-Man is a legal identity. You have an address if you need to get a hold of him, it's right here."
"How do we know he's qualified as anything other than a menace?" Jameson demanded.
"Spider-Man just completed two months of training with the NYPD," Captain Stacy said. "I'm telling you he's qualified. You want a copy of the curriculum and his test scores? I'll provided it, but his certification says Spider-Man on the bottom line."
"I'd appreciate that," Christine interjected. "So Spider-Man, is that why we haven't seen you on the streets in a while? You've been at school?"
"Yep, Police Academy the crash course," Spider-Man nodded. "Captain Stacy and Colonel Rhodes asked that I not patrol until I'd completed training with the police. I'm also training with the new Avengers team."
"Spider-Man has excellent control of his abilities," Captain Marvel added. "We largely been working on incorporating him into the team. But by his own choice he is not a regular member of the Avengers at this time."
"Because the UN would require he sign his real name," Jameson put in.
"Mr. Jameson, what part of 'legal identity' is giving you such trouble?" Captain Stacy asked irritably. "If he wanted to sign it Spider-Man that would work. If we need to subpoena Spider-Man to testify we can."
"And if he takes off that mask and refuses to answer when you call?" Jameson challenged.
"His fingerprints are on record," Stacy replied coolly, not mentioning that Colonel Rhodes had arranged to remove Peter Parker's fingerprints from the National Child Identification Registry at the same time.
"And he wears gloves," Jameson replied.
"It's a cold day, so's half the crowd yourself included," Stacy snapped.
"Spider-Man you were at Leipzig. What changed your mind about signing the Accords?" Christine asked, giving Jameson the evil eye for monopolizing the press conference.
"Um, Leipzig was pretty short notice," Spider-Man said hesitantly. "The Accords let Dr. Stark call in outside assistance if he needed it, which is what he did when he asked me to help out there. But since then I've sat down with Colonel Rhodes and several of the Avengers' lawyers to make sure I understood the commitments I'd be making by signing the Accords. Um, I mentioned a day job? I have responsibilities here, I'm not available for international missions on an ongoing basis right now. I want to help, that's why I'm doing this but I need to be local. Captain Stacy and I worked out this plan to let me work with the police in this district, I want to help them not step on toes or bumble around being ignorant. That's why I stopped being around while I got the training Captain Stacy recommended.
"When I got my powers it was an accident. I want to use them to help people and I want to go about it the right way. But I'm just your friend neighborhood wall-crawler, I'm not the global type."
"Accident?" Christine smiled warmly, inviting confidences. "So the webs are natural?"
"Er, no. I built those. To, um, go with the sticking to walls thing. You know, what kind of spider doesn't have webs?"
"Well, a Black Widow for one," Christine replied slyly.
"Just cause hers aren't tangible, don't dismiss 'em," Spidey returned.
"So you combine both genetic and technological enhancements?"
"I guess, yeah," Spider-Man stammered feeling very Peter-ish for a moment.
"Getting a little technical there?" Captain Marvel interrupted. "The bad guys don't need a run down of his weakness right?" And Peter decided he loved his mask for it's blush-hiding properties first and foremost.
Another journalist raised their hand, Captain Marvel nodded to him. "When the government passes a law regulating US superheroes how will it impact the police's arrangement with Spider-Man?"
"If this is working well for us I would hope the government would take it into consideration when the final draft of the Superhero Registration Act is put forward," Captain Stacy said.
"From what I understand Enhanced individuals won't have a choice about registering with the SHRA?" The same journalist asked.
Captain Marvel frowned, "That is one of the more contentious points of the legislation. The Sokovia Accords were clearly and unquestionably a professional registration. Private individuals are not legally allowed to enforce international policies… Or to enforce their own moral codes on other nations. After SHIELD fell the Avengers had no legal standing, the fact that it took a few years before anyone objected to their continued operation didn't change that simple fact.
"But if people of exceptional abilities want to step forward and offer their services to the world the Sokovia Accords were intended to provide framework by which the UN would be able to direct them where they can do the most good. With regards to the Accords, it doesn't matter whether an individual's exceptional abilities come from genetic enhancement, technology or training if they choose to act on the international stage then their actions are regulated by the Sokovia Accords.
"As SHRA is being drafted a number of constituents have pointed to gun-ownership registries and stated that super powers should be registered in the same way. However, owning a gun is a choice, operating something like War Machine or the Wasp armor is a choice, my ability to fly is not a choice. I did not volunteer to be experimented on, I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time… Or the right place depending on my frame of mind at any particular moment. I have chosen to join the Avengers and to use my powers for that purpose but I should have the option to chose not to use my powers. Being treated like a weapon rather than the person I am tends to tick me off." Carol made a face, "Can't imagine why I don't like being reduced to an object."
"Are you suggesting that SHRA is some sort of superhero draft?"
"I'm stating that the Superhero Registration Act as currently proposed lacks the necessary protections to prevent it from being abused in ways that flagrantly exceed what is allowed by the draft," Captain Marvel declared. "A legal draft in the United States requires an element of random chance: Everyone eligible registers, those called are chosen through a lottery system. However with powers as diverse as we have seen among the Enhanced thus far it would be all too easy for the government to select a specific person and demand their service. That's not a draft, it's peonage and the United States specifically made it illegal with the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. It's also been condemned by the United Nations as a human rights violation since 1948."