The Avengers were up at the crack of dawn to get ready for the press conference. Sam ordered Dunk 'n Doughnuts for breakfast as a special treat-along with more coffee so everyone would be more or less able to function. Despite the initial hectic rush of trying to get ready and not being able to find various tubes of makeup and curling irons, by seven thirty everyone was (mostly) ready to go and they were on their way to the Capitol building.
"It's too early." Pietro muttered, gulping another cup of coffee in an attempt to stay awake. "Whoever came up with the idea of an eight o'clock meeting should be fired."
"Do the best you can." Steve replied as they drove along Pennsylvania Avenue. "And if you think you can't add anything constructive to the conversation, don't say anything at all."
"You're nice."
"Everything is going to be fine." Natasha replied from behind the wheel, subtly pressing down harder on the gas pedal. "We'll be finished by noon, we'll get something to eat, and we'll hit a museum before it gets too dark. How does that sound?"
Pietro didn't answer. He was too busy trying to focus on not falling asleep.
~V102~
Being an Avenger had taken Wanda to many amazing places over the last few months-but she'd never in her wildest dreams imagined that she would end up here, on the steps of the United States Capitol. Especially after the Ultron fiasco. And yet here she was, walking beside Steve as they waited for Natasha to park the car.
"You look nice." Steve said quietly, seeming intent on examining the concrete beneath his feet. They'd all had to wear their nicest clothes; the boys had bought suits, Wanda had found a dress to wear for the day, and Natasha had been coerced into wearing a skirt. She'd drawn the line there and no amount of threats had been able to change her mind.
"Thank you." she replied. "So do you."
"Thanks. So, do you think they'll let us off easy?"
He shrugged. "It's hard to say at this point. A lot of people were displaced in the attack on Sokovia, there were billions caused in property damage…not to mention that fact that an Avenger was responsible for the entire thing. The world is understandably going to demand justice-and the odds aren't exactly stacked in our favor."
"Have you been here before?"
"Several times to receive medals for my years of service. Never to paint me as a criminal."
"This isn't your fault."
"It's really starting to feel that way."
Just then Natasha walked up to them with the car keys twirling around one finger. "Let's go. The last thing we want is to be late."
With that they headed inside. Wanda couldn't help thinking that the heavy doors closed behind them with a decidedly loud bang of finality.
~V102~
"Steve Rogers, correct?" The woman waiting in the front vestibule for the team was decidedly far too perky for this early on a Saturday morning. "And the rest of the New Avengers?"
"That's us." Steve replied.
She smiled extremely brightly. "I'm so glad you're here. The legislature is waiting for you. Follow me, please." They walked down a long marble hallway, her high heels clicking on the slick floor as she punched something into a data pad she cradled in her hand like a mother might hold her child. "Can I get you something to drink? Coffee or water, perhaps?" Pietro looked like he was about ready to ask for another cup of strong coffee but Wanda gave him a withering look and he remained silent.
There was so much to look at. Wherever Wanda looked there was something new to see-a marble statue, a brightly colored painting on the wall, or a floor to ceiling window that boasted a panorama of the DC skyline. There simply wasn't enough time to take everything in. Occasionally their guide would volunteer information about the landmarks they were passing or ask them questions about how they were liking the District of Columbia but for the most part they marveled in silence. Wanda had never been to any sort of a government building or center before-and she was sure that anything in Sokovia was nothing compared to the grandeur and majesty around her. "Wow." Pietro muttered as he fell in step beside her. "I didn't know they actually made buildings this fancy."
"This is the United States government. Of course it's grandiose." She'd heard this was one of the safest buildings in the entire world-fireproof, waterproof, even bombproof. She supposed this way, if someone were to try and sack the city the government would be safe within their marble walls. In some ways, the whole place felt almost like a prison.
Finally the woman stopped at a pair of tall double doors that opened out into the hallway. "Wait here please. They'll call you in momentarily." Reluctantly the Avengers waited as she slipped inside the room and closed the doors behind her softly; Wanda saw a glimpse of paneled wood before they clicked shut. They must have only been waiting for about five or ten minutes, but Wanda thought it felt like an eternity. No one talked; Rhodey was texting on his phone and it looked like Sam was playing solitaire while the others seemed deeply involved in their own thoughts. Her heart was starting to beat very fast, pudding against her rib cage like a caged animal desperate to escape. She felt incredibly nervous for a reason she couldn't explain.
Suddenly the doors opened again and another woman stood in front of them, wearing the same business as their other guide but missing the friendly smile. "Right this way, please." They were led into an extremely large audience chamber packed with row upon row of chairs like a sports stadium. Every single one of those chairs were filled by a different delegate from a different country. None of them looked particularly happy to see the Avengers. In fact, they looked exactly the opposite.
"Steve Rogers?" someone from the press section asked, pen hovering above her steno pad.
"Present." he replied, seeming to stand up a little straighter-still the picture of truth, justice, and the American way after seventy years in the ice.
She wrote something down on her pad of paper. "Natasha Romanoff?"
"Here." Natasha said, staring expressionlessly at the wall in front of her.
"James Rhodes?" Another mark on the clipboard.
"Present." He stood tall and stock still; years of army training had paid off.
"Sam Wilson?"
"Present."
She paused for a second, looking at the board in front of her almost in confusion. "The…Vision?"
"Present." he replied in his crisp and clear British accent.
"Pietro Maximoff?"
"Present." he replied. He didn't look at all like he'd been about to fall asleep ten minutes earlier, for which she was very proud of him.
Another scribble. "Wanda Maximoff?"
"Present." she said, standing just a little straighter. There were a few minutes of complete silence as everyone waited for the stenographer to finish her notes. Except for a low mutter among the delegates and a communal shifting of chairs, no one talked. Wanda took a moment to let her eyes wander the crowd once more; she was almost but not quite surprised to see Tony Stark sitting in the front row. Finally the stenographer closed her pad with a soft thunk. Almost by some unknown agreement, a new man who seemed to be in charge of proceedings began to speak. "Good. We can begin. I trust you all know why you are here?"
"Yes." Steve replied. "To answer your-and the public's-questions about events that transpired during the Battle of Sokovia."
"Excellent. I regret it was necessary to fly you all out here but it couldn't be helped. The public needs answers about what happened with Ultron-along with certain clarifications about what role the Avengers play in national and international defense and security." The way he said it made an involuntary shiver snake its way down Wanda's spine.
"Our sources have told us that the robot Ultron was supposedly created as a peacekeeping program by Anthony Stark and Bruce Banner using illicit technology that should have been placed in the hands of the United Nations as soon as it was recovered. Is this true?" someone else asked.
Steve and Natasha exchanged a look, though it was Steve who ultimately responded. "Yes, it is." Immediately a murmur of voices broke out throughout the stands; Tony looked like he wanted to disappear. "They experimented without consulting anyone else, though they had only the best intentions in mind. Turning the scepter over the UN was never a condition-"
"So you admit that you were not able to keep control of the actions of your own team?"
Every Avenger bristled a little, though thankfully none of them lost their composure. "That's not true." Natasha replied. "Dr. Banner and Tony knew they were using technology they didn't fully understand. It shouldn't be up to Steve to control everything they do."
"Your conviction is duly noted, Miss Romanoff-and we don't mean to belittle or cast suspicion upon your captain-but we need to understand the events that transpired. Six hundred thousand people were displaced in the attack-and billions more deserve answers. We all know it was just an accident-but the human race came as close as it ever has to the brink of not just a catastrophic loss of life but also complete and total specie annihilation."
"How do we know something like this isn't going to happen again?" someone else asked. "The Avengers saved the world, that much we can't deny-but they wouldn't have needed to save the world in the first place if the government had more control over the situation…"
Suddenly everything snapped into pristine and crystal clear focus for Wanda. A cold seed of dread settled in the pit of her stomach and she reached for Pietro's hand on pure instinct.
"The United Nations had nothing to do with it." Steve replied, keeping his calm admirably. "The Avengers team has always acted independently from any social groups or national governments so we can most effectively protect the world and everyone in it."
"And yet we always end up cleaning your messes. When a rampaging Hulk nearly destroyed an African city, why wasn't Dr. Banner arrested? Why was Tony Stark never prosecuted for building a weapon of mass destruction and almost causing global extinction? We don't hate the Avengers. This is a world of aliens and spies-we definitely need superheroes. But we need more accountability and responsibility. We need control."
"What exactly do you suggest?"
"I'm glad you asked. We'll get that that after you answer a few more questions." His eyes roved over the members of the group, coming to rest on Wanda. "Wanda Maximoff. You came out of nowhere; in fact, the world was convinced you were dead. Where have you been for the last year?"
She bit down on her lip so hard she tasted blood-thankfully, Natasha came to her rescue. "Like her brother, she was gravely injured in the Battle of Sokovia and was taken to a private medical facility in England where she could recover." The spy lied perfectly and flawlessly; she sounded extremely convincing.
"Glad you're feeling better." the man replied-but Wanda noticed that his eyes lingered on her for just a second too long as if he, inexplicably, saw right through her lie. He moved on to easier topics and questions-nothing that made her feel particularly compromised. Finally, he cleared his throat. "Good. Now we can begin to discuss options. We're going to offer you a very special offer-one you can't refuse. We'll take responsibility for any and all incidents that may henceforth arise involving the team. Never again will there be any…misunderstandings like what happened in Sokovia. We will handle any problems that may arise for as long as a team may be necessary."
"What's the catch?" Steve asked. With deals like this there was always a catch.
"There is no catch. You would have the freedom to take your Avenging wherever you need to-however, you will answer to the United Nations and its wishes. You will also need to register yourselves as members of the team-though no one will see these documents and your privacy will be completely maintained."
There was a long moment of shared silence; Wanda supposed she should have seen this coming. They were a group of superpowered individuals-of course, the government would want to control them. "And what if we refuse?" Steve asked once a suitable interval had passed.
"It's simple-you would no longer be the Avengers. You would only be able to take your work to designated areas and if something happens that is on par with the disaster of Sokovia you'll be on your own. No one will pay for damages, no one will pay to level calls for arrest. In fact, you won't even be superheroes anymore-you'll be called vigilantes." He handed Steve a thick white book with blue binding. "They're called the Sokovia Accord-and all of you are required to sign them. It's purely a cautionary thing, to repair the public's state of mind."
Tony stood up, smiling brightly. "You guys, this is a help-not a hindrance. The world needs more accountability from its heroes. It needs to know that it can trust us to keep it safe-and registering is a way to make sure that happens."
"You knew about this?" Sam asked.
"Of course. That's why I'm going to set the example." He pulled out a pen (Stark Industries, of course) and signed the document with a flourish. "Your turn, Capsicle."
Steve took the pen, turning it over and over in his hand and looking at the logo emblazoned proudly along its side. There was a long moment of silence; the entire room seemed to be waiting with bated breath to see what was going to happen next. Finally he sighed and closed it with a snap. "Can we take a moment to confer as a team-alone?"
"Of course. Take all the time you need." They were shown to a small green room off the side of the main chamber.
James sighed, rubbing his forehead as he sank into a leather chair on the other side of the room. "Shit."
"So what do we do?" Sam asked. "Do we sign it?" No one was exactly happy about the idea of signing over the team into the hands of the UN…but it wasn't like they could say no.
"It doesn't seem like we have much of a choice if we want to stay Avengers." Natasha replied. "Besides…maybe it's not such a bad thing after all. There would be a lot we didn't have to worry about regarding illegal proceedings."
Steve shook his head. "The Avengers have never worked for any sort of government. We work for the good of the common people-and governments can become corrupt. If we sign over the team, we might one day find ourselves fighting for something a little more politically minded. I...can't sign it."
It felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room with a vacuum. "What?" Natasha asked sharply.
"I said I'm not going to sign. I-we-fought too hard for freedom and justice to see it all go to waste. I'm not going to tell any of you what to do or what to believe but I will not register." He glanced over at Wanda, looking as confident as she'd ever seen him.
Sam stood up a little straighter. "Then I won't either. The team needs to stay together."
"I won't sign." Wanda added. Pietro nodded automatically.
Natasha sighed. "A show of defiance isn't going to work. I don't like it any more than you do, but they're the United Nations. If we don't sign the Accords, they'll make our lives a living hell."
"Then we'll resist." Steve replied. "We'll show them that the Avengers aren't so easily pushed around." They stared each other down, no one willing to give even an inch.
Finally Natasha shook her head almost ruefully. "Fine. No one's going to sign." Rhodey seemed a bit uneasy at the idea but Vision nodded stoically. "You're right. We're not Avengers if we don't stay together-and we can't compromise our core values. Now, let's go back out there and piss off a lot of government officials."
As you can see, we're finally getting into the Civil War part of the story. I've been hearing conflicting stories about how the Accords will be used in the movie so I tried to combine the different theories I've heard.
Review, follow, and favorite! Thanks for reading!