Chapter 349: Stubborn
8th June 2013, Baxter Building
(Thaddeus Ross POV)
The voice on the other end of the phone stayed silent for a few seconds before answering, "Are you sure about that, sir? The death count will be very high, especially since the causalities will be mostly civilians."
"They will be sacrificed for the greater good of humanity. Thousands will die, so that billions will live in peace. I don't want to do this anymore than you do. But the hardest sacrifices require the strongest wills." Ross answered patiently.
"It will be done, sir," the man answered.
"Thank you, son, you would have helped shape the world with your courage."
"Thank you, sir."
"Oh, and tell Trask that I want to see him. Tell him I want to know when the prototypes will be ready." The secretary of state continued.
"Yes, sir. I will contact you with your answer, sir."
"For the greatness and prosperity of humanity…" Ross continued.
"For the greatness and prosperity of humanity," the man repeated before hanging up.
Yes, everything was going according to plan.
13th June 2013, Avengers Tower
(Tony Stark POV)
It took a lot of convincing, but Cap and his friends stopped fighting against his plan. The fact that the Avengers could still operate in half the world was enough for them to listen to him and silently protest the Accords. It was already noticed by the general public and people were asking their opinion on the Act and why they didn't sign.
Honestly, things were going great. All they had to do was 'leak' a few private conversations to the public and things would start to snowball from there. When people realize that the Avengers would quit because of how bad the Accords were, and that they needed to practically sign their own freedom just for the privilege of saving lives, it would be an international uproar. The world owed the Avengers a debt and they knew it. They would pay it back with interest.
The entire enhanced community was still hesitant in signing up. The Fantastic Four were great and all, but they didn't save New York, they didn't fight in the invasion. The Avengers did, and that gave them a lot more credibility than Richards' group.
Wakanda had kept their word and a base in their capital was being built. Tony still had no idea how the hell the two redheads with him had managed to pull it off, and he was there when it happened. Somehow, Wakanda was the richest and most advanced country in the world, choosing to hide from the world than share their fortunes and discoveries. That did irk him somewhat but considering the crap he had to deal with from the government to try to appropriate his iron man armour, the billionaire could understand why they hid.
Still, Maximoff and Grey had somehow convinced the king of Wakanda of retreating from the Accords and giving them a base in his secretly advanced country by giving him a folder about his secret nephew that was some bigshot killed in the CIA. This really sounded like a plot from some cheap movie. But it worked, so who was he to judge?
The stage was set, and the last thing needed was the 'leaked' video being recorded. Subtly, Tony asked Jarvis to record his next conversation and he walked towards the other Avengers.
Captain America was wearing his uniform, always ready for the war that was finished seventy years prior. He was talking to Sam Wilson and Rhodey about some army thing. Bruce was reading something on his phone, while Romanoff was playing with a stiletto knife.
The billionaire walked to the living room and announced himself, "Hey guys, how are you doing?"
Rogers gritted his teeth and responded, "You know exactly how we are. How can you be so calm with everything happening?"
"It's not really my style," the billionaire responded, "But I also don't like to worry about things I can't change. We saved the world and they responded with the Enhanced Registration Act. The UN voted for it, and that's as unanimous as it gets. If the world wants something, there's very little we can do about it."
"We could fight this!" Cap snarled back.
"How? This isn't Nazi Germany where you have people to punch. This is politics and they're a bit like Hydra, take off one head and another takes its place. This would have happened eventually; we all know that." Rhodey answered calmly. God, that man had the patience of a saint.
Tony though answered with a sarcastic tone, "Yeah, officially registering mutants is good and all, but that Act is a glorified slavery contract and doesn't guarantee in any way the safety of anyone that signs it. Considering that it will be mostly children and teenagers since that's how old mutants usually are when their powers emerge, they wouldn't really know any better than to follow the law. Seriously, you can't tell me that if you had powers when you were thirteen you wouldn't have played with them. Imagine a kid just finding out he has power and accidentally uses them by reflex, well, the government has the right to imprison him indefinitely without cause, even if no one was harmed. That's what these accords are. You can't tell me that you're supporting something like that."
Tony didn't even want to say any of this. He already repeated it dozens of times since the Accords were signed. But since this was going to be a recording, he needed everyone to pitch in.
Romanoff rolled her eyes, "Look, I don't like it as much as you do, Stark, but we need to be realistic here. The people in power aren't going to let teenagers with superpowers go free."
"So, enslaving them is the answer?" Sam replied.
"No, it's not Sam. Which is why we haven't signed the damn thing yet," Tony sarcastically answered.
Rogers was frowning, "We need to do something. We can't just let this injustice happen."
Rhodey rolled his eyes, "Look Cap, this isn't the 1940s anymore. You're talking about fighting an institution. If SHIELD was still a thing, we could have maybe prevented this, or it could have been a lot worse considering what we know now. But there's no enemy for us to fight. I still stand by with my opinion on just doing what the Fantastic Four are doing and trying to make the Accords at least half decent from the inside instead of dwindling out thumbs like we're doing."
Rogers wouldn't have it, "And what if we're sent into political fights? What if the UN refuses to send us somewhere and people get hurt?"
"It's better than doing nothing and waiting for the public to change their minds," Romanoff responded with a condescending tone.
"Look, we could just take King T'Chaka's offer. Wakanda offered to harbour us if we only intervene in countries that haven't signed the Accords. It's how we can help people the most," Wilson shot back.
Rhodey shook his head, "Look, I'm a Colonel in the US air force. I'm not going to fight for another country, that's practically treason. And Steve here has America in his name and his shield has an American flag. I don't see us abandoning our country out of spite."
"It's not spite. I don't care about being disrespected. I lived half my life as a skinny boy with more health issues than most retired people. I'm used to being mocked and put down. I stopped caring about that years ago. But, they're stopping us from doing our jobs," the World War Two veteran interjected, "and honestly, I would leave this country if that meant that I could do the most good away from here. I won't like it. New York is in my blood, but if that's what's needed…"
Bruce just stood up, "Enough! I have had enough of these endless debates with no answer. The UN fucked us, and there's nothing we can do about it. We can't fight it without being labelled criminals, and we can't join without becoming anything more than attack dogs and publicity stunts. Going to another country still wouldn't make a difference in the matter. Ross and his people will hunt us down, just like he hunted me down all those years, and I'm done running. Let's face it, the best thing to do is to just let go. If they don't want us, then they don't deserve us. I'm with Stark on this, but I'm not protesting. Clint has already left, and maybe it's time. Maybe the invasion was just a one-time thing, and we all go our separate ways."
"But Bruce…" Natasha protested.
"But nothing, Nat," the genius answered, "All of you have the luxury of returning to your old lives. The Act doesn't really affect you because you're not really Enhanced. You're normal people who have either trained for a long time or are smart enough to build wonders. Steve is a war hero and practically untouchable. Me, I'm the man who turns into a monster," Bruce shook his head bitterly.
The entire room stayed silent, and Tony could swear that he could hear a pin drop. Banner then continued his little rant, "I need to keep a lid on my temper for every single moment of my life or I will transform and turn into the Hulk. And it's frustrating to see you whine about the Accords when I'm the only one seriously affected. All you have to do is stop fighting and you'll be fine. Me, I'll have to walk to Ross' hands with my free will or risk being hunted down again. Let's face it, the Avengers are over. This Act is the last straw. Nat can go back to being an agent, probably at the CIA, Tony can continue being a billionaire, Steve, Sam, and Rhodey, can go back to the military, and that leaves just me. You also realize that this act also considers Thor to be a foreign invader. If he ever returned to visit, the government could arrest him just for being there."
Everyone was gaping at Bruce who had finally started to calm down after his rant. He then sighed in disappointment, "Look, guys, I like you and everything and it's been fun. But it's time we move on."
Tony looked down and asked Jarvis to stop recording. He subtly anonymously uploaded the footage on the internet. The truth was that the Avengers couldn't just appear on a show to make interviews or anything, because of some stipulation in the Accords restricting individuals labelled as Enhanced to be restricted from intended media coverage without authorization from the government. This is why Tony needed for their testimony to appear 'leaked' and not just go on TV and complain about the injustice of it all. It also prevented anyone with powers to get any kind of political position since they required media coverage to rise in the ranks. These Accords really were bullshit.
The entire room stayed silent for a few minutes, processing what Bruce had revealed. The Accords were really making things tense. Because the man had a point. Wakanda was a last resort if mankind was being attacked or the world was in danger, and even then, they'd lose Rhodey and with Clint gone, they didn't need to lose more people in case something happened. To be perfectly honest, Tony hadn't really thought about how Bruce was feeling about all of this, especially with Ross spearheading the whole thing, a man that hunted him to the end of the world and back.
Suddenly, the alarms went off, and JARVIS announced that there was a massive energy surge in the area. Tony rushed to the control room and yelled out, "What's going on Jarvis?"
"It appears that Emil Blonsky, also known as the Abomination, is on a rampage in the middle of Manhattan."
Tony looked at his teammates and he definitely didn't like the resolute look on Steve Roger's face. This wouldn't bode well for anyone.
As usual, I generally post four chapters a week, on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. (The month is over, so I'm going back to the usual schedule)
If you want to support me, check out my Patreon. I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.
Chapter 349: Stubborn
8th June 2013, Baxter Building
(Thaddeus Ross POV)
The voice on the other end of the phone stayed silent for a few seconds before answering, "Are you sure about that, sir? The death count will be very high, especially since the causalities will be mostly civilians."
"They will be sacrificed for the greater good of humanity. Thousands will die, so that billions will live in peace. I don't want to do this anymore than you do. But the hardest sacrifices require the strongest wills." Ross answered patiently.
"It will be done, sir," the man answered.
"Thank you, son, you would have helped shape the world with your courage."
"Thank you, sir."
"Oh, and tell Trask that I want to see him. Tell him I want to know when the prototypes will be ready." The secretary of state continued.
"Yes, sir. I will contact you with your answer, sir."
"For the greatness and prosperity of humanity…" Ross continued.
"For the greatness and prosperity of humanity," the man repeated before hanging up.
Yes, everything was going according to plan.
13th June 2013, Avengers Tower
(Tony Stark POV)
It took a lot of convincing, but Cap and his friends stopped fighting against his plan. The fact that the Avengers could still operate in half the world was enough for them to listen to him and silently protest the Accords. It was already noticed by the general public and people were asking their opinion on the Act and why they didn't sign.
Honestly, things were going great. All they had to do was 'leak' a few private conversations to the public and things would start to snowball from there. When people realize that the Avengers would quit because of how bad the Accords were, and that they needed to practically sign their own freedom just for the privilege of saving lives, it would be an international uproar. The world owed the Avengers a debt and they knew it. They would pay it back with interest.
The entire enhanced community was still hesitant in signing up. The Fantastic Four were great and all, but they didn't save New York, they didn't fight in the invasion. The Avengers did, and that gave them a lot more credibility than Richards' group.
Wakanda had kept their word and a base in their capital was being built. Tony still had no idea how the hell the two redheads with him had managed to pull it off, and he was there when it happened. Somehow, Wakanda was the richest and most advanced country in the world, choosing to hide from the world than share their fortunes and discoveries. That did irk him somewhat but considering the crap he had to deal with from the government to try to appropriate his iron man armour, the billionaire could understand why they hid.
Still, Maximoff and Grey had somehow convinced the king of Wakanda of retreating from the Accords and giving them a base in his secretly advanced country by giving him a folder about his secret nephew that was some bigshot killed in the CIA. This really sounded like a plot from some cheap movie. But it worked, so who was he to judge?
The stage was set, and the last thing needed was the 'leaked' video being recorded. Subtly, Tony asked Jarvis to record his next conversation and he walked towards the other Avengers.
Captain America was wearing his uniform, always ready for the war that was finished seventy years prior. He was talking to Sam Wilson and Rhodey about some army thing. Bruce was reading something on his phone, while Romanoff was playing with a stiletto knife.
The billionaire walked to the living room and announced himself, "Hey guys, how are you doing?"
Rogers gritted his teeth and responded, "You know exactly how we are. How can you be so calm with everything happening?"
"It's not really my style," the billionaire responded, "But I also don't like to worry about things I can't change. We saved the world and they responded with the Enhanced Registration Act. The UN voted for it, and that's as unanimous as it gets. If the world wants something, there's very little we can do about it."
"We could fight this!" Cap snarled back.
"How? This isn't Nazi Germany where you have people to punch. This is politics and they're a bit like Hydra, take off one head and another takes its place. This would have happened eventually; we all know that." Rhodey answered calmly. God, that man had the patience of a saint.
Tony though answered with a sarcastic tone, "Yeah, officially registering mutants is good and all, but that Act is a glorified slavery contract and doesn't guarantee in any way the safety of anyone that signs it. Considering that it will be mostly children and teenagers since that's how old mutants usually are when their powers emerge, they wouldn't really know any better than to follow the law. Seriously, you can't tell me that if you had powers when you were thirteen you wouldn't have played with them. Imagine a kid just finding out he has power and accidentally uses them by reflex, well, the government has the right to imprison him indefinitely without cause, even if no one was harmed. That's what these accords are. You can't tell me that you're supporting something like that."
Tony didn't even want to say any of this. He already repeated it dozens of times since the Accords were signed. But since this was going to be a recording, he needed everyone to pitch in.
Romanoff rolled her eyes, "Look, I don't like it as much as you do, Stark, but we need to be realistic here. The people in power aren't going to let teenagers with superpowers go free."
"So, enslaving them is the answer?" Sam replied.
"No, it's not Sam. Which is why we haven't signed the damn thing yet," Tony sarcastically answered.
Rogers was frowning, "We need to do something. We can't just let this injustice happen."
Rhodey rolled his eyes, "Look Cap, this isn't the 1940s anymore. You're talking about fighting an institution. If SHIELD was still a thing, we could have maybe prevented this, or it could have been a lot worse considering what we know now. But there's no enemy for us to fight. I still stand by with my opinion on just doing what the Fantastic Four are doing and trying to make the Accords at least half decent from the inside instead of dwindling out thumbs like we're doing."
Rogers wouldn't have it, "And what if we're sent into political fights? What if the UN refuses to send us somewhere and people get hurt?"
"It's better than doing nothing and waiting for the public to change their minds," Romanoff responded with a condescending tone.
"Look, we could just take King T'Chaka's offer. Wakanda offered to harbour us if we only intervene in countries that haven't signed the Accords. It's how we can help people the most," Wilson shot back.
Rhodey shook his head, "Look, I'm a Colonel in the US air force. I'm not going to fight for another country, that's practically treason. And Steve here has America in his name and his shield has an American flag. I don't see us abandoning our country out of spite."
"It's not spite. I don't care about being disrespected. I lived half my life as a skinny boy with more health issues than most retired people. I'm used to being mocked and put down. I stopped caring about that years ago. But, they're stopping us from doing our jobs," the World War Two veteran interjected, "and honestly, I would leave this country if that meant that I could do the most good away from here. I won't like it. New York is in my blood, but if that's what's needed…"
Bruce just stood up, "Enough! I have had enough of these endless debates with no answer. The UN fucked us, and there's nothing we can do about it. We can't fight it without being labelled criminals, and we can't join without becoming anything more than attack dogs and publicity stunts. Going to another country still wouldn't make a difference in the matter. Ross and his people will hunt us down, just like he hunted me down all those years, and I'm done running. Let's face it, the best thing to do is to just let go. If they don't want us, then they don't deserve us. I'm with Stark on this, but I'm not protesting. Clint has already left, and maybe it's time. Maybe the invasion was just a one-time thing, and we all go our separate ways."
"But Bruce…" Natasha protested.
"But nothing, Nat," the genius answered, "All of you have the luxury of returning to your old lives. The Act doesn't really affect you because you're not really Enhanced. You're normal people who have either trained for a long time or are smart enough to build wonders. Steve is a war hero and practically untouchable. Me, I'm the man who turns into a monster," Bruce shook his head bitterly.
The entire room stayed silent, and Tony could swear that he could hear a pin drop. Banner then continued his little rant, "I need to keep a lid on my temper for every single moment of my life or I will transform and turn into the Hulk. And it's frustrating to see you whine about the Accords when I'm the only one seriously affected. All you have to do is stop fighting and you'll be fine. Me, I'll have to walk to Ross' hands with my free will or risk being hunted down again. Let's face it, the Avengers are over. This Act is the last straw. Nat can go back to being an agent, probably at the CIA, Tony can continue being a billionaire, Steve, Sam, and Rhodey, can go back to the military, and that leaves just me. You also realize that this act also considers Thor to be a foreign invader. If he ever returned to visit, the government could arrest him just for being there."
Everyone was gaping at Bruce who had finally started to calm down after his rant. He then sighed in disappointment, "Look, guys, I like you and everything and it's been fun. But it's time we move on."
Tony looked down and asked Jarvis to stop recording. He subtly anonymously uploaded the footage on the internet. The truth was that the Avengers couldn't just appear on a show to make interviews or anything, because of some stipulation in the Accords restricting individuals labelled as Enhanced to be restricted from intended media coverage without authorization from the government. This is why Tony needed for their testimony to appear 'leaked' and not just go on TV and complain about the injustice of it all. It also prevented anyone with powers to get any kind of political position since they required media coverage to rise in the ranks. These Accords really were bullshit.
The entire room stayed silent for a few minutes, processing what Bruce had revealed. The Accords were really making things tense. Because the man had a point. Wakanda was a last resort if mankind was being attacked or the world was in danger, and even then, they'd lose Rhodey and with Clint gone, they didn't need to lose more people in case something happened. To be perfectly honest, Tony hadn't really thought about how Bruce was feeling about all of this, especially with Ross spearheading the whole thing, a man that hunted him to the end of the world and back.
Suddenly, the alarms went off, and JARVIS announced that there was a massive energy surge in the area. Tony rushed to the control room and yelled out, "What's going on Jarvis?"
"It appears that Emil Blonsky, also known as the Abomination, is on a rampage in the middle of Manhattan."
Tony looked at his teammates and he definitely didn't like the resolute look on Steve Roger's face. This wouldn't bode well for anyone.
As usual, I generally post four chapters a week, on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. (The month is over, so I'm going back to the usual schedule)
If you want to support me, check out my Patreon. I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.
