New Earth
Notes: So I was looking for an unimportant character in Norse myth to be Thor's assistant now that he's taking a more grown-up role in Asgard's governance and remembered the story about the kid who, at Loki's urging, tastes the marrow of one of Thor's goats despite Thor specifically instructing that none of the bones be broken while the goats' meat is used to feed the family and ends up Thor's servant as punishment. When I looked for the kid's name, I found Marvel had also used the same kid in a Thor story… So I went with the same spelling Marvel used: Thialfi, rather than Þjálfi. But his use in Marvel doesn't matter, I picked him because he's Thor's servant and someone who's open to manipulation by Loki.
There are also a bunch of names of characters I've attached to various international teams. It's the written equivalent of a huge group shot just intended to show that as IW draws close Avenger-equivalent teams are being created and a continental based jurisdiction is coming into existence. But to save anyone who feels obligated to look them up:
Alexei Shostakov/Ronin - attached Rhodes' Avengers since being part of the international team that confronted the Scarlet Witch in Sudan.
Hughes Aït-Kaci/Tiger - Algerian, experienced military personnel with super-soldier powers plus invulnerability
Ruth Bat-Seraph/Sabra - Israeli, government agent, super-soldier powers plus flight. Was also part of the group that fought Wanda in my first story.
Navid Hashim/Arabian Knight - Saudi Arabia, government agent, has a magic sword and a flying carpet
Xi'an Coy Manh/Karma - Vietnamese, psychic possession, normally a mutant but an Inhuman in this AU
Han, Chang, Lin, Sun, and Ho Tao-Yu/Collective Man - Chinese, super-soldier powers, short term giant-man abilities, can teleport to one another's location.
Joey Chapman/Union Jack - English, adventurer, super-soldier powers
Dmitri Bukharin/Crimson Dynamo - Russian, member of a nationalistic Russian superhero team, Iron Man equivalent.
Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez - Colombian/Inhuman, associated with S.H.I.E.L.D. (Assume she signed the Accords and became a core member of a South American Avengers group. It is HARD to find South America characters who aren't associated with drug cartels or criminal organizations), superspeed but returns to her original location after a heartbeat.
Roberto da Costa/Sunspot - Brazilian, assume he's a graduate of Avenger's Academy or a South American equivalent, solar absorption and rechanneling (energy blasts and flight generally)
Yes, there are a lot of super soldiers, it seems to be the most common power-set for characters who has 'represents a country' as their defining trait.
Chapter Five: Priority Calls
September 2019
Thor and Bruce watched as the New Avengers: War Machine, Captain Marvel, Ronin, Vision, Wasp, Spider-Man and Komodo filed into the auditorium along with representatives from similar teams from around the world: Black Panther and Tiger from the African team, Sabra and Arabian Knight from the Middle East, Karma and Collective Man from Asia, Union Jack and Crimson Dynamo from Europe, Yo-Yo and Sunspot from South America and Dr. Strange, representing an ancient, international coalition of magic users. Looking and feeling out of place they were joined by Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan and Harley Keener.
Once everyone had found a place, Thor stood up. "As I told Earth's United Nations, Asgard had found that your world has an ally in Niflheim. I have been entrusted with delivering his gifts to you."
"Isn't that, um, the Nordic realm of the dead?" Spider-Man asked raising his hand.
Komodo elbowed him with a look that clearly said she didn't think the interruption was appropriate. But Thor nodded gravely. "It is rumored to be the resting place of souls," he said. "But even in Asgard, the true nature of Niflheim is a matter of speculation and mystery rather than of fact. However I can assure you that Odin All-Father has attested that the Armorsmith is a fine ally in the war against Thanos."
May 2019
Christine Everhart smoothed her hair then stared directly into the camera and waited for the signal that she was on. "This is Christine Everhart, on scene where, late last night police rescued the two dozen kidnapped residents of the small Eastern Oregon town of Harper. The individuals, all members of an extended clan who made their home in the isolated high desert region became suspected of being pre-transformation Inhumans when they all applied to immigrate to New Earth.
"Shortly after applications of two of the immediate families in the group were accepted the entire group was taken captive by radical members the Watch Dogs, an organization noted for their anti-Inhuman rhetoric. The captives were force fed Terrigen-contaminated fish oil pills, triggering the transformation of nearly three-quarters of the captives into Inhumans.
"Messages sent to local news agencies imply that the attack was intended to prevent pre-transformation Inhumans from immigrating to New Earth. The message claimed they were motivated both to keep New Earth 'pure' and to prevent pre-transformation Inhumans from evading the Enhanced Draft. Representatives of both political parties have stepped forward to condemn the kidnapping. It has been widely suggested that the family should be allowed to leave for New Earth as planned to discourage any future attacks of this nature.
"In related news the surviving members of the Powers family have stated that they will depart for New Earth. The four Powers children, currently between the ages of 16 and 9, all underwent accidental Terrigenesis in 2015. Until earlier this year, Alex, the oldest of the four was enrolled in the Avengers Academy's secondary course for those intending to pursue a career as an Enhanced peacekeeper. The other three children had returned to the public school system after successful completion of the mandatory studies in controlling their powers.
"Jim and Maggie Powers applied to relocate the family to New Earth shortly after the Enhanced Draft was amended to allow the immigration of underaged Enhanced and where scheduled to leave the planet in April. But a gunman opened as the family attempted to enter one of the Nova Transports, killing Maggie Powers and her ten year old daughter Katie before Alex Powers, in cooperation with the Nova Corps was able to apprehend the shooter. It has been put forward that the surviving family members including Alex Powers should be given the option of staying or leaving as they see fit as the least that could be done in compensation for this tragedy. "
July 2019
Betty Brant from the Daily Bulge took a seat in the shared lobby between Pepper Potts and James Rhodes' offices at Stark Towers. While she waited, Betty reviewed the questions she planned on asking Colonel Rhodes.
'First the boiler plate stuff: The Academy's primary purpose is to instruct young Enhanced on controlling their powers before they're set loose on society- Might be a bit interesting since it's usually Captain Danvers who talks about the Academy.
'Students who chose to stay on after that receive at least a year of theoretical training around conflict resolution and global politics, mostly to keep them busy until they turn eighteen- I should ask if that's changed given the imminent threat from Thanos. Also get verification the Harley Keener's taking the theoretical classes this year, it'll be a good lead in since he's not really Enhanced, Keener could always choose not to put on the Iron Man armor.
'Then the meat of the interview: Rhodes' decision to allow two unEnhanced, an eighteen year old girl and a nineteen year old boy, to join the current Avengers-in-Training class. Is it sane, safe or responsible to encourage these kids to think they could be the next Hawkeye or Black Widow? What about the others who will, inevitably, want to emulate them? How many resources are being redirected to get baseline humans up to a level where they're capable of being anything but a liability on a superhero team?
'Will these two be receiving specialized equipment from Stark Industries to support their efforts? Does this represent a departure from Tony Stark's policy of maintaining extremely tight control over his weapons designs? -I don't think Rhodes has the gall to try that 'prosthetics' nonsense Stark trotted out when anyone called Iron Man a weapon.- A departure from the company policy implemented following Stark's kidnapping by the Ten Rings? If so, why is the government NOT being involved in the selection process for individuals deemed sufficiently responsible to receive mechanical enhancement... While it's understandable that Dr. Stark wanted to offer Ms. Potts protection given the number of times she's been targeted due to her association with him… Should I bring up the rumors that Harley Keener is Stark's illegitimate son? Maybe better to lump Harley, Rhodes and Hogan in together as individuals Stark personally knew and trusted. So Stark, the Sokovia Accord's martyr, still placed his own judgement over anyone else's when it came to sharing his tech. Is SI's current leadership acknowledging the hypocrisy of that position?
'How should I balance-'
Brant broke off her internal review as she noticed the receptionist's irritated, slightly raised voice, "A warrant for Ms. Pott's arrest? For not reporting for combat readiness training? Are you aware she hasn't been home for more than a night in three months because she's been overseeing Arc Shield projects around the world? ...Oh don't bother, I'm transferring you to the legal department."
Quietly Brant took out her phone. She turned on the recorder while trying to look like she was absorbed in the internet.
"Felix?" the receptionist said a moment later. "I've got someone from the Enhanced Draft Board on line two, swelled up with his own importance I'm guessing-" A pause then a sigh, "Okay, I'll stick to 'just the facts ma'am'. It still rubs me the wrong way to hear someone acting like having powers is what makes Pepper Potts indispensable. Apparently this guy sent Ms. Potts some sort of notification that she was supposed to report for combat readiness training to be in compliance with the draft. I can tell you nothing like that came through the office mail. And when would she have had time for that when she's barely got time to breath making sure the Arc Shields are all on line before the first wave of the Invasion arrives with the new year? …Got it, I'll let the Colonel know you need to see him at his earliest convenience. Should I warn Ms. Potts or let you call her in once you've heard out the puffed up little… Yeah, yeah slander. Have fun talking to him."
'So many ways to slant this,' Brant thought. 'J.J.J. is going to flip.'
Rhodes pushed aside the construction plastic and let himself into the penthouse. Even in the best of times Tony giving each of the Avengers their own floor, plus a common floor and a gym had been an extravagance, given what was coming it would have been obscene.
The entire Tower had undergone renovations to increase the population density. Cubicles and offices were converted to bullpen seating. The penthouse and the floor directly beneath it was being redesigned to comfortably house Pepper, Nettie, the Keeners and Happy, May and Peter Parker, Rhodes and his parents, Vision and FRIDAY, Helen and Amadeus Cho. There was a place for reserved for Hank and Hope Pym, Cassie Lang and her family once they had made the trip to New Earth and back after restoring the fifty cities. The other five levels had been converted to small apartments. In the rest of the building existing residents were given large rent reductions in exchange for the loss of space and the inconvenience as room was made for more people. After talking with Dr. Cho Pepper had left the gym intact but there were plans in place to convert the space into spillover space for the on-site hospital as needed.
Rhodes worked his way through the construction, occasionally using his cane to stabilize himself when he had to step over something, until he made it through to the finished section where Pepper had a corner set apart from the construction for rotating her wardrobe when she passed through New York. There was a table sitting in one corner with a stack of unopened mail.
Rhodes shook his head when he saw unopened Christmas Cards and they weren't even at the bottom of the stack. "Getting as bad as Tones, Pepper," he murmured to himself, shaking his head. Although the truth was he didn't blame her. Rhodes remember boxes of pre-opened mail arriving for Tony in college, his skinny little brat of a roommate who's mail had to be screened for death threats. If he'd ever had any inclination to feel jealousy over Tony's fortune it had died with that first box of mail and been ground into dust in the weeks after Tony's parents had been killed when Rhodey's mother had taken to further screening Tony's mail to weed out all the insincere, self-serving letters of condolence from people who only hoped to take advantage of the grieving young heir to Stark Industries. And now with Tony's death it was Pepper who left Christmas cards unopened rather than opening them to find out what people wanted from her in return for their 'friendly' overtures.
Rhodes flipped through the stack of unopened mail and quickly found three draft notifications mixed into the pile. He grimaced.
Bureaucracy at it's Finest
The Daily Bugle By: J. Jonah Jameson July 20, 2019
A new aspect of the government's Enhanced Draft came to light earlier today. Virginia Potts, CEO of Stark Industries and the driving force behind the Arc Shield project, which holds the promise of protecting millions of the Earth's inhabitants, also happens to be Enhanced due to an experimental serum which was forced on her in 2013.
Ms. Potts neither volunteered nor agreed to this procedure, it was not an experiment intended to save her life. When the inventors of the Extremis Virus found themselves stymied, unable to stabilize their creation on their own, they kidnapped Ms. Potts and forcibly injected her with Extremis to force Dr. Stark to complete their work for them. After Extremis was stabilized Ms. Potts did not turn to vigilantism or otherwise place herself above the law. She returned to her job. In 2017 when SHRA was passed, Ms. Potts followed Dr. Stark's example from the Sokovia Accords and became the first Enhanced to register her powers.
For the last year Ms. Potts has been heavily involved in the Arc Shield project, only taking off a few weeks after her daughter's kidnapping. No sane person would question that her work on the Arc Shield project is a major contribution to the war effort and to the public's safety, but according to the current administration she can better serve the public good as an infantryman. Perhaps we should be asking if the president who signed the order would also best serve his country in a position with less command responsibility.
On the video screen Pepper buried her face in her hands trying to hide the flush creeping across her face. "When did I decide that any important correspondence would arrive in my email box?"
May shook her head, "I can't say I didn't enable it, screening you business mail for anything important and hand delivering it. But I haven't been in the Tower anymore than you have, not much draw with Peter living on campus this term while the remodeling is going on."
Felix Alvarez, from SI's legal department just shook his head. "I've contacted General Talbot and every other military liaison we've been in contact with whether it was for the Arc Shield project or their latest purchase of SI body armor and… My best guess? Someone will be losing a job over their handling of this matter. You should have opened the notices and contacted someone to straighten things out," Felix scolded. "But you've been where you should be, doing what was most needed all along and this arrest business is ridiculous, the act of someone with a grudge either against you or against the Enhanced in general, not someone who should be in a position on the Draft Board. And if that wasn't enough, he embarrassed his superiors."
"Who's currently heading the Draft Board," Pepper sighed. "I'd still better call and apologize for letting this turn into such a mess."
"Oh the mess hasn't even begun," May warned. "Somehow the Bugle found out. The story they ran was quite supportive, apparently Jameson only turns into an insane troll when Spider-Man is involved."
"Come on, you can't say it's not draft evasion," Flash argued. He turned a bit and glared at Peter across the tables the little group had pulled together in the college coffee shop, "And you, don't say anything. You and your Aunt both work for Potts, you're totally biased here."
"I just want to know what they were thinking calling her in the first place," Liz replied. "She's the only parent of a toddler. Nettie Stark already lost one parent because he stood up and fought for democracy, for a law the majority of the whole world supported. If it was any sort of legal draft Ms. Potts would totally be exempted because the cost of supporting a war isn't supposed to fall so heavily on any one family. Didn't you watch 'Saving Private Ryan'?"
"Oh come on, she's super rich. She can just hire someone to take care of the kid," Flash replied. "She probably does anyway."
"Okay, interjecting some fact into your debate," Peter said. "My aunt's babysitting skills are part of why she's Pepper's PA. Even with her being the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world, who's deep in the middle of preparing for Thanos, Pepper spends time with Nettie every day."
"Ms. Potts is rich and could hire someone to take care of her kid so she shouldn't be exempted from duties that would get in the way of her being a good mom but if she actually did that everyone would be screaming about how she's a terrible parent," Liz huffed. "There's no winning for her. It's the same thing that happened to Tony Stark: The Avengers forgave that horrible witch because she was a poor, pathetic orphan in addition to being a terrorist the moment she turned on the waterworks and said 'I made a mistake'. But Tony Stark? Eight years as Iron Man and everyone was still holding it over his head that SI made weapons- LEGALLY! For the military. You know the real reason why the Witch got off so easy? She didn't have anything anyone wanted. Tony, they made him pay for anything and everything a dozen times over because even with everything they took from him they still hadn't bled him dry."
"Why not?" Felicity asked. "It was blood money, Stark made it by war profiteering, why shouldn't he have to pay it back to society."
"Yeah!" Flash exclaimed. "It's not like the Arc Shield thing is a charity, it's an SI product line."
"Do you pay any attention to the news," Liz snapped. "All the profits from sales of the Arc Shields are going toward paying for the materials needed to make Arc Shields in places where they can't pay for it, and SI is donating their people's time to build those facilities. How can it be profiteering when SI's losing money on the deal?"
"That's SI now," Felicity replied. "Before 2008, they were raking it in for making bombs."
"Tony Stark didn't create the demand," Liz argued. "SI weapons were hands down the best, that's why the government kept coming back to him. We're a capitalist society, why shouldn't he make money off of being the best at what he did?"
"As if Tony Stark really did anything for the company," Flash snorted. "Have you seen some of the YouTube videos of him?"
"Interjecting again," Peter said. "Most everyone at the company agrees that Pepper's the best CEO they ever had, Howard Stark included, but Dr. Stark's patents generate twice the revenue for the company than any other two contributors. In part it's because he has so many, SI still gets paid for every handgun manufactured that uses the clip ejection design Tony Stark came up with when he was ten. SI's board of directors could have blocked Tony from becoming CEO. Given that he was twenty-one, no one would have even questioned it if they'd decided to keep Obadiah Stane on for a few more years"
"Who's to say he didn't create the demand," Felicity said. "I mean wasn't that Iron Man's original thing? Recovering SI weapons from terrorists after he got blown up by one of his own missiles?"
"If there wasn't some huge mitigating circumstance don't you think the government wouldn't have used that to take Iron Man away from him during those Senate Hearings in 2010?" Liz asked. "There are a lot of laws about who you can sell missiles to and you don't get to say 'Oops, I didn't know who the end user was', there had to be some significant break in the purchase chain between Tony Stark and where the missiles ended up or he would have been in trouble for it. In trouble with people who were mad at him for stopping weapons development and production from SI."
"So you got an inside scoop on that too?" Flash asked Peter.
Peter shook his head, the main thing he'd learned about Afghanistan was that it was a closed subject with Pepper and Rhodey. The kidnapping was an old scar, one Peter couldn't imagine poking at over idle curiosity.
"You know what I think," Liz continued. "Tony Stark was out in the field along with the other original Avengers, doing everything they did. Then on top of that he designed and built the rest of the team's equipment, he funded the team, boarded the team, he dealt with the aftermath of their battles. So you know why I think they acted like his past was so much more unforgivable than Little Miss Terrorist's? Because if they didn't convince themselves that Tony Stark owed the world more than the rest of them then they'd have to face up and acknowledge how much more he did for the Avengers. And then they might have felt obligated to step up their game.
"Look at the new Avengers: In addition to fighting Colonel Rhodes manages SI's R&D and sees that the Avengers are well equipped. Hope van Dyne and Hank Pym administer the September Foundation and deal with restoration of any collateral damage, plus they handle the a Wasp gear themselves. Captain Danvers and Lieutenant Shostakov run the Academy. Rhodes, Danvers and van Dyne are all heavily involved in liasoning with the Accords and SHRA administrators. Even Vision and Spider-Man help with training new Enhanced and they're both considered the junior team members. Compare that to the old Avengers, what did anyone not named Tony Stark ever do besides show up and fight?" Liz turned a fierce glare on Flash, "But you probably think those Watch Dog people have the right idea."
"Oh give me a break Allen!" Flash exclaimed. "Just because I'm not as enamored with Stark as you are that doesn't mean I side with those sick-o's. Did you see the pictures of that kid they shot? She was hardly more than a baby."
"Congratulate me!" Gwen Stacy declared as she walked in and pulled Peter up into kiss. "My designs for compact apartments won the contest, they're going to be used in one of the buildings being remodeled to get more people housing under the NYC Arc Shield."
"That's great!" Peter exclaimed and the others hurried to add their praise to the young architect's success.
"Mr. Murdock, you've been at the forefront of the legal battle against the Enhance Draft," Trish Walker said. "So do you have anything to say about Virginia Potts being excused from the service as described in the executive order?"
"I think it's more evidence that the Enhanced Draft was a poorly thought out law, an attempt to be seen doing something about a crisis without putting the proper thought into what actions would truly help," Matt replied. "It's been a year since the first version of the Enhanced Draft was put forward. When challenged each new version has failed to meet the legal standards of this country. At some point it has to be admitted that this law was a mistake and we've already wasted far too much time on a dead end path."
September 2019
A rainbow flash of light split the sky and the Earth trembled. When the light cleared Thor stood in the center of a burned rune on the roof of the UN building in New York, Dr. Bruce Banner and an oddly non-descript Asgardian flanked him. A stack of ornate boxes appeared between the trio. "I would speak to Mid- to Earth's leaders on behalf of Odin All-Father of Asgard," Thor announced.
"You're not here to sign the Accords?" a startled security guard asked.
Thor straighten, "Were I here, as I have been in the past, as an individual who wished to repay this realm for the hospitality it has offered then I would sign. However, today I am here as Thor Odinson, first prince of Asgard and as a representative of the alliance between the realms of Asgard, Vanaheim, Nidavellir and Alfheim. I am here not to offer my aid as an individual but to negotiate adding Earth to our pact of mutual defense in the face of the threat represented by Thanos."
After several hours of phone conferences between members of the Accords committee it was decided that Thor, Dr. Banner and Thor's diplomatic attache, Thialfi should stay at the Avengers' Academy while their status under the Accords was determined. Bruce was the sticking point in the discussion as his control over the Hulk was questionable at best and no one wanted to find out the hard way if the collars that were commonly used to suppress psionic powers didn't work to prevent his transformation.
"Dr. Banner," Rhodes said. He held out a thick sheaf of papers. "I've highlighted the sections dealing with defining 'control of powers' and added supplemental information on various cases where individuals contested SHRA findings that they were a danger to the public."
Bruce looked at the documents doubtfully, "Do you want to save me some time and just tell me where they want to lock me up if I don't go back to Asgard with Thor?"
"Read them before you make up your mind about what they say," Rhodes replied. "They aren't great for someone like you but they aren't completely draconian either. Most people with control issues have psionic powers and we can just block them. Your situation's unique enough that efforts stalled." Rhodes hesitated for a moment then added, "I'm sorry."
It took another day for the subcommittee charged with overseeing preparations for Thanos' coming invasion to decide that what Thor was proposing was outside of their scope. They referred the matter to the Security Council.
Thor stood at the center of the semicircle of representatives. "In ages past Asgard oft times come to Mid- to Earth's defense, your myths attest to this fact. We would come to your aid once again in the face of the threat of Thanos, not simply as an act of charity but because if we do not stop him here, it is feared that he will continue to spread his mad war against life along the trunk of Yggdrasil. However, the people of Earth have matured since Asgard's last intervention on your behalf, we are no longer your gods, but beings you can fight along of. It is no longer appropriate for us to fight the enemies of this Realm without first entering into formal relations with its inhabitants..."
The Security Council discussed the proposed alliance for two days before concluded that a special session of the General Assembly would be required to make a decision.
One evening after Thor finished speaking with the UN representatives he found Darcy Lewis sitting in front of the Avenger's Academy watching the sunset. "My Lady Darcy!" Thor exclaimed enthusiastically.
Darcy hopped off the wall and walked up to him grinning. "Look at you! All grown up and statesmen-like! I talked Everett's ear off until he surrendered before the force of my awesomeness and gave me a seat in the General Assembly audience."
"You were there?" Thor's eyes widened. "I humbly apologize for not noticing you."
"Aww, is the Thunderer nervous about public speaking?" Darcy laughed, "That is sooo cute."
"It is impossible for me to forget that when doing battle in the realm of words my brother was vastly more skilled than I," Thor said. "In recent years my father has begun shifting some of his duties to me and I have come to learn that king-ship has much of listening and speaking, of building consensus. And relatively little of leading men into battle. Do you feel I did justice to Asgard's proposal?"
"Mmm," Darcy waffled. "Honest evaluation?"
"I would not ask you to besmirch your honor to spare my feelings."
"Solid B-minus," Darcy said. "Good job hitting on all the work Asgard has already put into ensuring the other Realms are ready and willing to come to Earth's aid, and telling us what your stakes are in this fight. Bu-utttt…. A little paternalistic reminding us that humans are only just getting an invite to the adult table. After the dust cleared from Avengers' Civil War, the largest consensus among us baseline folks was that we don't want some Enhanced coming along and telling us he knows best what's good for us."
"Is that how the actions of those who refused to sign the Sokovia Accords were perceived among the populace?" Thor asked.
"When something blows up like that you've gotta ask 'What went wrong'," Darcy said. "What I saw, looking at the Avenger's PR? After Tony Stark stepped back from the team the money for restoration kept coming after the battles but instead of an Avenger standing up and explaining what went wrong or even why the fight had to happen, it was Maria Hill and half the time you just had to listen to her to know that SHE was out of the loop. Without Tony Stark, the Avengers didn't talk to us normal people, they did their thing and the day might have been saved but there were always people who weren't saved and nobody cared enough to talk to about the lives lost and the damage done. They just kept moving on to the next battle.
"Then Lagos happened, nearly forty people dead because the Scarlet Witch thought their apartment building was a good place to dispose of a bomb and none of the Avengers were saying anything about it. Which leads to the Sokovia Accords getting shoved through the UN in record time, and honestly? I don't think they were better for the speed. Steve Rogers doesn't go to Vienna, I don't know what message he meant to send but what the world heard was that he didn't think the UN's concerns about the Avengers were worth listening to. He has Barton bring the witch into a fight when, in any other peacekeeping organization, she would have been suspended pending a review of her actions. Whether or not Lagos could have been avoided, she and Roger's team were directly involved in a lot of deaths, questions needed to be asked. What a lot of people heard from that was the Avengers considered themselves above questioning. A lot of people, even people who believed that Steve Rogers was right in Lagos, in Bucharest, at Leipzig, even people who thought his actions would have been validated weren't happy about the way the Avengers didn't answer to anyone." Darcy sighed, "So reminders that you and the rest of Asgard used to be our gods, it's not going to go over well. But- um- that's not why I stopped by."
Thor looked hopeful and Darcy felt like she was about to kick a puppy dog.
"It's been more than four years," she said softly. "Jane didn't wait, she's married, expecting a baby in six months. She didn't want you to hear from anyone else but she didn't know if you'd want to see her either, so I'm the compromise. After you came back last time, Jane understood she could wait her whole life for you and it would just be a season to you, it wouldn't mean the same thing. She wanted you to know you'd always hold a place in her heart and if you wanted to see if the two of you could be friends she'd love that but she made her choice and now the ball's in your court if you want to try to preserve some sort of relationship."
Thor closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Mayhap I will get back to you on that?" he said. "I- I was not expecting your news. I will need some time."
Darcy reached up to put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, "Yeah, I'm hanging around for the General Assembly's response, no hurry… And don't be too nervous. We're not in a position to turn away help, we'd still like to feel like you don't have us over a barrel."
"Odin All-Father has also reached out to the Realms of Jotunheim, Muspelheim and Niflheim. While there has been little interest in alliance from those parties-" Thor faltered for a moment. "While Niflheim as a realm has declined to offer support, an armorsmith of that realm has offered his services. I bring you his labors to aid Earth's forces in the coming struggle. Some of his gifts are intended for specific individuals and those I will deliver personally, however he also sends gifts meant to aid the armies of Earth in repelling Thanos' forces."
Thialfi stepped forward carrying one of the chests and flipped the lid open. Everyone at the table had already been briefed on the contents of the chest after security had gone through it to make certain it wasn't dangerous. It didn't stop the gasps of awe as holographic displays lit up showing plans to transform fighter jets into extra-atmospheric fighters.
Then one of the representatives sat back with a disappointed sigh, "The strength-weight ratio is wrong," he said. "Unless you've got some sort of magic to give aluminum more strength than steel it won't work. I suppose we could rebuild with Titanium but that would give up the benefits of retrofitting."
Thialfi grinned. "May I borrow a sheet of paper?" he asked.
Confused the man who'd brought up the technical issue tore a sheet of paper out of his notebook and handed it over. Thialfi folded it a few times to make a point then took a small device from the chest, attached it to the paper and switched it on. There was a small shimmer over the paper as the device activated then Thialfi drove the point of the paper into the marble floor. The paper didn't crumple, the marble split. "I think you'll find material properties are much more malleable than you might think."
Thor picked up another of the devices from the chest. "These will provide the structural integrity the designs require. There are other inventions which will protect your machines from harmful magics. I have a thousand of each device, to be distributed evenly among Earth's militaries, for use against Thanos. The aircraft will not have the means to leave Earth's atmosphere under their own power but your allies in the Nova Empire have the means to ferry them to the outposts being built in your solar system's primary asteroid belt. You will not be completely dependent on the Nova Empire to keep Thanos' armies from Earth's shores.
"While Asgard understands Earth's desire to keep the battle at a distance, it is Asgard's practice to meet enemies face-to-face. There is little aid we can offer space battles but our warriors are much more suited to fight on hostile environments. Thanos must be kept from getting a foothold, not just on Earth but on all planets in this solar system. The Asir and our allies offer to assist with ground forces on plants too harsh for human fighters."
While the technology Thor brought was, in theory, to be distributed evenly between the Earth's militaries, in practice the Security Council quickly created a short list of countries with the resources and technological advancement to make full use of them. The other UN countries were given the choice of deciding which of the countries on the list they would entrust their share to. Canada received a surprising share due to being widely regarded as less likely to be distracted by Earth bound conflicts than the U.S., Russia or China.
For the ninth time since the first Enhanced Draft became law a judge blocked it's execution. Nothing was done in response. The government was much too deep in talks with the Nova Empire trying to secure armaments for their new space-capable fighter jets to bother.
The ranks of the air force and navy were scoured for the very best pilots. Joint strategy sessions with Nova Corps and the other countries who had been entrusted with the means to make a space fleet were held to determine where the ships would be stationed, who would staff each of the six stations that had been built in the Asteroid belt as well as the two stations in Earth's orbit and the base being built on the moon.
Early in November the eleventh Nova Empire transport ship left Earth with the fifty shrunk cities and nearly a thousand individuals who had been unable to leave earlier due to an Enhanced family member who'd been denied passage.
The Enhanced Draft went out with a whimper not a bang.
Thor climbed up to the top of a hill overlooking the lake behind the Avengers' Academy. Bruce was sitting there cross-legged, eyes closed.
"I was told you have been out here for some time," Thor said. "If the Accords make Midgard too restrictive for your comfort I am returning to Asgard to bring the weapons, now that the keys have been successfully delivered. If you wish to return with me… You and your other seemed to have reached a understand during our travels through the outer planets of the realm of Vanaheim. Heimdall could return you there."
Bruce glanced up with a tired look. "It's amazing how FRIDAY can extract her pound of flesh while being helpful," he said. "The Accords have provisions for an Enhanced losing control of their powers under provocation. In the current version the focus is mostly about ensuring that the Enhanced are protected under the law if they use their power for self-defense. But the original intent was to put a legal burden on the provoker if they triggered someone like me. FRIDAY played the Accords sessions where Tony was arguing for it for me. The wording Tony managed to get included was pretty good, in theory it would have paved my way to return after Johannesburg-
"He had other plans to pull Maximoff out of the grave she'd dug for herself." Bruce grimaced, "They all counted on her being an Avenger in good standing when the details of her past association with HYDRA became public."
Thor made a questioning sound.
"I ran away and Tony felt like he owed her so he took all the blame for Ultron, including what happened in Johannesburg to keep Wanda's collaboration with both HYDRA and Ultron out of the public eye. But that was only a short term patch," Bruce explained. "Wanda's past was inevitably going to come out. Given the files FRIDAY shared, when that happened Tony's plan was to argue that she'd already redeemed herself, that any punitive measures would be about getting revenge not about rehabilitation. That, due to Wanda's unique skills, taking her away from the good she was doing as an Avenger would be cutting off the nose to spite the face for the general public. If they used Clint and Natasha's entry into S.H.I.E.L.D., which was a legitimately recognized organization at the time, as a precedent there was a chance, a decent chance, that Wanda would have ended up spending a few years where she'd continue as an Avenger but might be placed on house arrest or under surveillance to prove that her reformation was real." He shrugged, "But trying to save someone from themselves is a futile, crazy-making task, because Wanda didn't spend that year acting like someone seeking redemption for her past. Just looking at the public record to get an idea of how she'd read, she acted entitled, particularly in her refusal to have her actions reviewed after Lagos."
Thor nodded his understanding.
"From what I've put together, Tony was willing to cover up Wanda's culpability in the Ultron situation because he felt guilty enough about her parents to want her to have a chance to show that she'd changed before she was judged. Tony was able to get through the public backlash from Ultron with shows of remorse and the money he was pouring into restoration because his involvement was neither malicious nor was it negligent. He made mistakes but he was trying to do the right thing and he couldn't have reasonably been expected to predict something like Ultron. Wanda couldn't say the same. Even if we ignore her attack on Tony because no one knew about that back then, she aided Ultron purely out of malice until she got cold feet about inducing an extinction level event. If her original alliances had come to light she would have ended up in a jail cell, if not lynched or shot in the back of the head. Tony tried to protect Wanda from that, because he felt like he owed her. But what he was doing with getting provocation recognized in the Accords? If Johannesburg came down to Wanda or I he was going to throw her under the bus. What Tony managed to get into the Accords wasn't a guarantee of my safety," A look of disgust crossed Bruce's face, "With Ross involved in the Accords the loopholes in the provocation sections were big enough to thread with a blue whale but Tony was trying to look out for me. I feel like shit for abandoning him to face the fallout for Ultron on his own because, as much as the Avengers apparently like to ignore it, Tony did consult me on Ultron and I might have had reservations but I did sign off on continuing the project."
Thor nodded thoughtfully. "I think the man I was four years ago would have resented the Accords," he said. "I was only accustomed to answering to my father. I had come to respect Steve for his skill in combat but to have a body of courtiers, and that is how I would have regarded your politicians, attempt to dictate rules to me? I would have been gravely insulted. In the years since then I have taken a more active role in ruling Asgard and have had to learn the limits of a king's power. Even in an absolute monarchy there are things I should not, cannot do without risking rebellion.
"The Avengers had no choice but to sign the Accords if they wished to continue," Thor said. "Even the most robust system of government will not have planned for every contingency, individuals on the ground will have to step outside of the existing system to respond to the immediate need. A healthy system will acknowledge its shortcomings and grow to encompass new realities. A weak system will turn a blind eye and leave the responders to the unanticipated situation outside of itself, so long as the individuals involved still make a public show of obeisance. The Accords were the act of a weak system attempting to heal itself.
"The governments of this world were not ready to deal with the likes of the Chitauri or with Enhanced criminals and so the Avengers and individual vigilantes stepped up to fill the lack. As long as we attested to our subordinance to the law and the officials chose not to challenge the truth of our subordinance the status quo was sustainable.
"Steve, through his refusal to accept the Accords, induced a state of rebellion. He refused to even give lip service to acting under the auspices of the law and so no government could afford to turn a blind eye. He was blatantly, openly breaking the law, any government that ignored him made obvious their impotence. A state of rebellion is not sustainable, it must either be put down or grow into a revolution that sweeps away the the old system and replaces it with something new. Steve brought on rebellion with no plan beyond demanding that the governments of the world return to playing ignorant of how the Avengers operated above the law. Governments cannot do that without making public their weakness and ineffectuality and so his rebellion had to be put down."
"Tony was doing the only thing he could to keep the Avengers whole," Bruce said, rubbing his temples. "And instead of backing his play those of us who weren't gone actively tore him apart for acknowledging the fact that the world was unhappy with us acting outside of the law. Rhodes and Vision were the only ones who stood by him and they were with him long before they were Avengers if you count Vision as an extension of J.A.R.V.I.S."
Rhodes stumbled into Pepper's office with a dazed expression on his face, cradling the key Thor had presented to him.
Pepper looked up from her own key, her mascara was running.
"You're seeing the same thing I am," Rhodes said. "I don't know how. I don't care how. Tony built this."
Pepper nodded, tears welling up again, along with a shaky smile. "When Peter said Niflheim was the realm of the dead I started thinking but I couldn't let myself hope, even when Tony was the only answer for why Happy and I would be included in a gathering of superheroes. But this," she lifted the key slightly.
Rhodes nodded, "Even if the armors weren't upgrades of what Tony had built for us before, it would still be the only conclusion, no matter how impossible. Tony invented his own coding language when the existing languages didn't do what he needed them to for Dum-E, there's no one else anywhere who would use it, but that's the language running this core."
Pepper wiped her face and stood up. "We need to have a discussion with Thor. We're firmly in the realm of myth here, Eurydice, Baldur… The difference is we're not going to screw it up, we're getting Tony back."
Notes: In the Superhero Genre I tend to feel that vigilantism is justified by superpowered bad guys that the police can't deal with (and while you're out fighting Doc Ock if you happen to see a mugging it's just good samaritanism to stop it). The problem with something like the Accords or SHRA is if you take it as an honest attempt by the government extend the system to include the heroes it's a threat to the status quo and the superhero genre is also very much about maintaining the status quo.
To maintain 'Status Quo is God' there has to be something inherently wrong with any government attempt to address the system's shortcomings. And yet… Thor's bit is why I don't feel like you can have something like CW and hold on to the status quo. Once you've got a majority of the world's leadership trying to address the gap that justifies the existence of superheroes even if there is a real problem with the first attempt you can't just go back to turning a blind eye to vigilantism. Once there's that much support behind making superheroing a regulated vocation you've got to keep trying until you make it work. Or you've got the governments openly acknowledging that they're completely ineffectual and have no intention of doing anything to change that fact.
