Pros and Cons of Anonymity
Disclaimer: Premise and characters belong to Marvel, I'm just playing with them.
Chapter Four: Everyone's Business
"Four days after the battle near the Lincoln Tunnel, the masked vigilante known as Daredevil remains unaccounted for, giving credence to rumors that he lost his life saving one of New York's finest," the news site reported.
Liz Allen glanced up from skimming the news on her phone. "Do you guys really think Daredevil died?" she asked with a worried expression before classes started.
"He could have just taken off his costume and blended back in," Harry assured her. "Gone to a hospital under his real name."
"Hospitals report bullet wounds to the police," Gwen pointed out.
"I'm working on SI's body armor in my internship," Peter said. "That stuff's amazing. Daredevil's armor could have kept the bullet from penetrating, then he could have passed it all off as injuries from falling off a ladder or something."
"Or he lived alone and the smell hasn't gotten strong enough for his neighbors to call it in yet," Flash snorted.
Liz glared at him, "That's a terrible thing to say!"
"Why? It's probably the truth," Flash argued. "He's just some martial artist nutcase. No powers, not like my man Spider-Man."
Harry rolled his eyes, "Having powers doesn't set you above other people."
"Just Daddy having money, right Osborn?" Flash shot back.
Harry glared back at him, "Watching you, I assumed it was being good at playing football that gave people special rights."
Reflexively Rhodes moved to get up at the knock on his office door then grimaced and called, "Come in."
The woman who opened the door was in her late twenties, her dark hair pulled back in a no-nonsense bun, the uncertain expression on her face seemed at odds with air of calm professionalism projected by her style of dress. "Colonel Rhodes, I'm Agent Angela Del Toro with the FBI."
"How can I help you?" Rhodes asked.
"You've offered to mediate between law enforcement agencies and individuals wishing to employ powers or special abilities to provide them assistance?" Del Toro said.
Rhodes nodded, "Do you have a individual in mind you'd like the Avengers to approach? I'm assuming you don't need us for a background check."
"Um, no." Del Toro took a tiger amulet out of her pocket and laid it on the table between them. "Have you ever heard of the White Tiger?"
Rhodes thought for a moment then nodded. "Right after the Avengers went public, he was one of a number of individuals who tried to emulate them. He was accused of murder, died trying to escape police custody, evidence was found clearing his name a few days later."
"He was my uncle," Del Toro said. "He didn't trust police. I imagine he attempted to escaped in order to clear his name himself. It wasn't necessary, the evidence cleared him. It was his belief that the legal system didn't work for people like him that killed him."
"I'm sorry," Rhodes replied.
"The amulet was the source of his powers, he left it to me." Del Toro picked up the amulet. "It's been sitting in a box in my closet for the last five years while I completed my training at Quantico. I wanted to help people but not the way my uncle did. Now, with what you're doing it seems I can be both, however I am nervous about approaching my superiors officially."
"But you want to stay with the FBI?" Rhodes asked.
"I want to know how people will react before I put this on," Del Toro replied. "The White Tiger's abilities are not so great: I will be more than human, my strength and reflexes increased but not…" she trailed off. "I think I would offer more continuing as an agent than as an Avenger. But my direct supervisor," she sighed. "He's always been professional when dealing with me, he saves the racial slurs for the criminals. Still, it doesn't fill me with faith. At the same time I don't want to go over his head or appear disloyal."
Rhodes looked at her thoughtfully, "So you want me to place you where you would do the most good. No harm, no foul if I suggest transferring you to another service, for the general good."
Del Toro nodded.
"Okay," Rhodes said. "I'll need a more comprehensive explanation of your powers. Hell, just write me a resume that includes powers along with your skills, leave your name off. I'll see what I can do to find a fit for you… ATCU's a possibility."
Del Toro smiled tentatively. "That sounds good, thank you."
Norman Osborn ushered a group of uniformed officers past the security desk at the OsCorp building. "In this era of Inhumans and the Enhanced running amuck it is imperative that we perfect the super solider serum," he said as the elevator rose. "It is essential that you, the leaders of our military, gain the ability to carefully screen and select recruits to become empowered. You must gain the ability to choose people who will respect the laws… Follow orders. Any other option will continue to leave us at the mercy of the freaks, the aliens and the lucky accidents." He led them down a hall and into a gleaming bio-engineering lab. One wall was stacked high with glass cages holding dozens of species of spiders.
"I don't care how carefully you screen them," one of the generals said. "Once they're enhanced they all get ideas about how they know best. I came here to see OsCorp's new grenades and personal armaments. Don't give 'em anything you can't take back, I say. It's the only way to keep 'em from getting too big for their britches."
"And the personal gliders you demo'ed at the last conference," a major interjected.
Norman's expression soured. "SI is holding up production on the glider with spurious patent lawsuits," he said. "The glider tech bares only a superficial resemblance to the Iron Man repulsors."
One of the other members of the group wandered over and tapped on the side of one of the spider cages, watching as the arachnids scrambled about their enclosures looking for the source of the vibrations. "Looks like SI isn't the only one with industrial espionage issues… Unless Spider-Man's other job is at OsCorp?"
The general snorted. "Either you can't keep control of your research or you can't keep control of your test subject. Neither one inspires much confidence."
Norman slammed his fist against the wall. "Spider-Man has nothing to do with OsCorp! Nothing!" he snarled. "And I'll deal with SI."
"Unit S, Goblin sighted heading toward Empire University dorms," the dispatcher relayed
"On it! I mean, ETA fifteen minutes," Spider-Man replied.
"Remember, do not let him get you in the air," Captain Stacy interjected. "Campus Security has been alerted, they're moving people inside and locking down the buildings. Vision is enroute to provide back-up."
"Keep Mean-Green busy 'til Viz gets here, watch the buildings and keep my feet planted," Spider-Man translated as he swung toward the college. "Got it."
It wasn't hard to find the Goblin. He was slaloming around the buildings on his glider, laughing and occasionally tossing flash grenades at the stragglers still seeking cover.
Spider-Man used a line of webbing to catch and divert one of the grenades away from a girl who'd tripped as she fled.
"Bug, I had a feeling I'd run into you tonight," the Goblin cackled.
Spider-Man swung to the ground, landing between the girl and the Goblin. He gave her a quick hand up and a nudge toward the nearest building. "Gee, keep saying things like that and a guy might think you were flirting… Fifth-grader style."
"But I don't like you," the Goblin replied as he traded the flash grenade for an orange one, pulling it from one of the many pouches he carried. "I just like blowing the limbs off of pesky little bugs."
Spider-Man wrapped the grenade in webbing and diverted it to the middle of the street. The shockwave still threw him to the ground. "Classic psycho behavior, who would have guessed?" he quipped.
"Go splat little bug," the Goblin said throwing several more grenades. Spider-Man scrambled to avoid the blasts while knocking the bombs away from the buildings.
"Spidey! Get out of there," Stacy yelled. "Top speed."
"But you said-"
"We didn't know about the bombs. Head Northeast. Intercept Vision."
Spider-Man swung off as rapidly as he could.
"Scuttle around little bug, it'll do you no good," the goblin cackled. His glider made up the distance between them in no time. But despite his greater speed, the Goblin couldn't quite predict Spidey's movements.
Before long the skyscrapers gave way to a park. Better for limiting collateral damage, but the terrain favored the goblin's glider. Without buildings Spidey dropped to the ground, running, occasionally using a tree to yank himself out of the path of a blast.
"Run, little bug, run while you still can."
One of the Goblin's bombs splintered a tree inches away from Spidey. Reflexively, he threw up his arms as he was sprayed with shrapnel. His armor repelled almost everything but a large splinter found the joint between his glove and sleeve and laid open a deep cut across the back of his wrist. The proximity of the explosion left Peter's ear ringing and his head spinning.
"Itsy bitsy spider went up the waterspout," the Goblin sang as he hovered above Spidey, tossing another bomb up and down. "Down came the rain and washed the spider out."
As red beam split the night and the bomb was vaporized before it could explode. "You will surrender," Vision said sternly.
"Hmmm…" The Goblin tilted his head to the side consideringly. "Not so long as I fly faster than you," he declared and fled. "Another time little spider, another time."
Vision looked between the fleeing Goblin and Spider-Man clutching his bleeding arm. "Spider-Man is injured," he reported back to Stacy. "I will bring him to the Avengers' facility, he can be treated there without risk to his identity."
"It's a scratch," Peter protested.
Vision landed beside him and looked at his arm. "I do not believe the definition of 'a scratch' includes injuries which will require stitches."
Cameras flashed as Pepper stepped up to the podium set up on the steps of Stark Towers. Dr. Cho and several other members of the medical staff stood behind her.
"In light of recent events: Spider-Man voluntarily stepping forward to work with the police. The sudden onset of powers in random individuals due to causes completely outside of their control. The battle earlier this week where Daredevil was injured, possibly gravely. Due to these events Stark Industries is reopening the Tower's medical level. The facility was originally set up to serve the Avengers' needs, now we're offering to serve a broader community," Pepper announced.
"Stark Industries is a tech company. We have never been involved in attempts to recreate the Super-Soldier Serum and we're not interested in starting now. What we're offering is medical care for Enhanced or for any individuals working under the Accords or in cooperation with local law enforcement. We will not research powers beyond what is necessary for treatment. We will not seek to identify individuals who request our aid. Medical records will be attached to whatever name is given… Like any other hospital we will report bullet wounds or other violent injuries to the police, if you're working with the police they won't be surprised to hear about it. We will use all resources at our disposal to keep any medical records entrusted to us secure, and believe me, SI data security is second to none.
"We have arranged with the Sokovia Accords Oversight Committee to conduct regular inspections of our facility to confirm that no research into replicating powers is being performed and to verify the security of our records. I intend to publish the committee's finding to demonstrate our continuing good faith to the public. We will assume liability for any data breaches that might occur which would be considered in violation of the Accords. It is SI's goal to ensure that no one is afraid to seek medical care because they are Enhanced. We want to put a stop to a status quo where well-meaning people can die because, in attempting to aid the rest of us, they've put themselves in a situation where they can't get their own injuries treated."
"Ms. Potts, as you say: Stark Industries is a tech company. Why are you doing this instead of a hospital?" a reporter asked.
"Because we already have a facility designed with Enhanced in mind," Pepper replied. "Right now it's just gathering dust. After the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. we brought in and vetted doctors and nurses with the appropriate skills, they're still on SI's payroll. The preliminary work is done, why waste it? The facility will be one of SI's non-profit endeavors; however that's just a start-up model. I'm hoping to arrange funding for the Facility so that, in time, the only burden on SI will be the donation of the building space and data securing services. However, the questions about Daredevil's possible injuries highlight that there is a need for medical services now, not in six months or a year."
"Is this an attempt by SI to get ahead of SHRA? Setting up systems which should fall under the jurisdiction of the proposed law before it's finalized?"
Pepper smiled knowing perfectly well that once something was in place it became much harder to enact changes, "Of course we will modify the facility's operating procedures to comply with SHRA once it's passed into law."
"Ms. Potts," another reporter called. "Will you be stepping down as CEO of Stark Industries when your child is born?"
"Now that's certainly out of nowhere," Pepper said. "No, I have never considered stepping down as CEO. I will be staying in New York, running things from home if you will, until my daughter has been immunized but other than that it will be business as usual. Now if they are any questions on the topic at hand?"
Daredevil, Hero or Criminal
The Daily Bugle By: J. Jonah Jameson October 25, 2016
We've all seen the video. Daredevil shoves a police officer and ends up in the line of fire but do we really know that he was trying to save that officer? The officer in question initially reported that Daredevil attacked him. Daredevil wasn't even looking in the direction of the gunman. It is more likely that Daredevil's 'act of heroism' was nothing more than a fortunate accident. All this boo-hooing about how the Devil of Hell's Kitchen was injured in our city's most recent vigilante outrage but I say good-riddance. Maybe this will encourage other would-be vigilantes to leave the police work to the police.
There are real heroes out there. People who put in the hours, put in the sweat because they wanted to help others and they wanted to do it the right way. They didn't take shortcuts. They didn't just decide that having powers makes them an expert on ethics, morality and laws. They learned, studied, trained.
If you want to enforce the laws you join the police or become a lawyer. You don't throw on a mask, go out and find yourself some bad guys to punch. You don't tear up our town settling your grudge match with some other costumed freak. You want to make the world better? Start by respecting the laws of our society.
"What's up?" Peter asked as he came into his classroom after lunch to find most of the girls clustered around a cell phone. He sat down in his seat gingerly, trying to avoid putting pressure on any of his bruises and superstitiously tugged at the sleeve of his shirt, trying to keep the bandages on his wrist hidden.
"Their new hero," Harry replied, "Captain Marvel is on Oprah."
Peter glanced over at the group of girls trying to catch a glimpse of the smart-phone they were all clustered around.
"No, I didn't come forward when I first gained powers," Carol Danvers was saying.
"You hid your powers?" Oprah asked sounding surprised. "You were already in the Air Force at the time. It seems like they would have welcomed having someone like you at their disposal… I mean you even fly."
Carol smiled wryly, "Yeah they could have saved on jet fuel sending me up without a plane. But one Super Soldier isn't a game changer. The military recognized that in World War II and it's even more true today given the advanced technology at our disposal."
"So you're saying the Army made the right choice sticking Captain America in the USO… In spite of what history tells us?"
"I'm telling you Steve Rogers didn't win the war for the Allies," Carol replied, unperturbed. "He and his Howling Commandos neutralized the Red Skull and that iteration of HYDRA. But the reverse was also true. And while they kept each other in check the nuclear arms race began, and the war carried on apart from both. In the Pacific Theatre the H-Bomb had a brief moment as a game changer, then other people caught up and we had decades of Cold War and mutually assured destruction. What Captain America did in the War was entirely necessary, but it was about maintaining a zero sum game.
"I trusted my direct superiors. I told them what I could do," Carol continued. "And they told me to keep it quiet or I'd end up serving my country as a lab rat instead of a solider. One isn't enough, you have to be able to replicate it… Without the sort of misfires that only serves to neutralize the successes by creating enemies for the heroes to fight. And even if you manage that, before you know it, someone else will figure out how to create an army of super soldiers as well. I'd rather put that day off, not be part of enabling it. The super soldier serum, the search for it is just another arms race, one I didn't volunteer to be a part of."
"But you've come forward now?" Oprah pointed out.
Carol shrugged. "I was willing to be used as an ace-in-the-hole. No surprise, other countries had their own. With the Accords crisis, when Steve Rogers and his faction refused to submit to the rule of law, our countries put us into play. Thaddeus Ross abused his authority, lied to us and sent us on an ill-advised mission that nearly restarted a war. I don't have the choice of not acknowledging my powers anymore." Carol sighed, "I didn't have any business trying to enforce the Accords without signing them myself but in my defense I never wanted to use my powers."
"Why not? If I could fly…"
"Would it sound too strange if I said it's because they came too easily?" Carol asked. "As a female in the military I've always worked my ass off to prove I belonged there, that I wasn't a liability to my squadmates, didn't need anyone to make allowances for my gender. Then I have an alien encounter and suddenly my jet's a redundancy. It didn't feel right."
"Some would mention gift horses right about now."
"Well when the gift may come from Troy…" Carol smiled. "I'm still trying to get used to my powers. It's one of the reasons I'm opposed to mandatory registration for people with powers: I was changed on a fundamental level. That was something I needed to come to terms with on my own schedule. Being yanked out of my life, the life I'd chosen for myself, and be forced to make those powers the center of… Everything I was? It wouldn't have helped me come to terms with what had happened."
"But wasn't it dangerous?" Oprah asked. "Letting you ignore your powers?"
Carol looked grim, "That's an honest concern. I suppose I'm one of the lucky ones. I was able to demonstrate enough control to satisfy my CO right off the bat. It only took me a couple of days to adapt to my strength. As for flying, it took time to master the art of not crashing but not flying was always a choice I could make.
"I realize there has to be a balance between keeping the public safe and reducing the Enhanced to nothing more than their powers. But balance implies that the rights of both need to be considered. SI's legal team has brought the matter to the ACLU's attention and they agree that, as currently written, SHRA offers completely inadequate protection for the rights of the individuals that it seeks to regulate."
"Pete? Hey Peter!" Harry called tapping on the top of Peter's head to draw his attention back.
Peter scowled and batted at his hand. "What?"
"You know Harley Keener right? Of course you do, you're the only two teenagers to work for SI since Tony Stark turned 20." Harry babbled. "Look, my dad wrangled invites to the Maria Stark Foundation Gala and I'm supposed make friends with him. People don't just like me and Dad will be furious if I screw this up. Come with me please!"
"Okay…" Peter said reluctantly.
"Great," Harry leapt on Peter's acceptance. "We'll get you fitted for a nice suit after school today. Don't worry about the price, you're doing this as a favor to me."