First Light | Steve Rogers (Book Two)

Chapter Three: Furnace

I leant against the table in silence, watching anxiously as Steve read through the Accords. "Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honour, which is one more than you have" Rhodes snapped.

Sam scoffed at the man's swipe at him, "So let's say we agree to this thing. How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?"

"A hundred-and-seventeen countries want to sign this. A hundred-and-seventeen, Sam... and you're just like, 'No, that's cool. We got it'"

"How long are you going to play both sides?"

Vision cleared his throat, "I have an equation"

Sam scoffed quietly and gestured towards him, "Oh, this'll clear it up"

"In the eight years since Mr Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. During the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate"

My eyes narrowed as I listened to his theory, "Are you saying it's our fault?"

"I'm saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict... breeds catastrophe. Oversight... oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand"

"Boom"

Nat rolled her eyes at Rhodes' comment and turned in her seat, "Tony, you are being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal"

Steve shrugged, "It's because he's already made up his mind"

"Boy, you know me so well," Stark remarked as he hauled himself up from his chair, "Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain. It's discomfort. Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?"

We all watched him in silence as he leant against the kitchen counter, tapping something on his phone to project a picture of a boy.

"Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA, had a floor-level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul before he parked it behind a desk. See the world, maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where? Sokovia"

My stomach twisted and I quickly looked away from the picture as Stark continued, "He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. We won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass"

Once again, a silence descended on us as we all struggled to find the right words. Stark glared at each and every one of us, "There's no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check. Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less... we're no better than the bad guys"

"Tony," Steve finally spoke, "Someone dies on your watch, you don't give up"

"Who said we're giving up?"

He huffed quietly, "We are, if we're not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame"

There was a quiet chuckle as Rhodes stepped forwards, "I'm sorry, Steve. That is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not SHIELD, it's not HYDRA"

"No, but it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change"

"That's good. That's why I'm here," Stark explained, "When I realised what my weapons were capable in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing"

I rolled my eyes, "And how do we know that these are the right hands, huh? They're politicians, for God's sake!"

Steve nodded in agreement, "You chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there is somewhere we need to go and they don't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own"

"If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done to us later. That's the fact. That won't be pretty"

Wanda glanced down at her hands and heaved a sigh of worry, "You're saying they'll come for me"

Vision made eye contact with me and nodded slowly before looking back at her, "We would protect you"

"Maybe Tony's right. If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off..."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise, staring at Nat as she spoke. Sam frowned, "Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?"

She shrugged awkwardly, "I'm just reading the terrain. We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back"

Tony chuckled in disbelief, "I'm sorry. Did I just mishear you... or did you agree with me?"

"I wanna take it back now"

"No, you can't retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented. Case closed, I win"

I groaned in irritation and pinched the bridge of my nose, "You can't be serious"

There was a buzz and Steve took out his phone, a strange blank look filling his eyes as he stared at the small screen. "I have to go" he muttered, striding out of the room.

I waited for a few minutes before making up my own excuse to leave, not sure where to look. I finally found Steve in his room, sat on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. "Hey, you okay?" I asked quietly, frowning when he let out a quiet sniffle and furiously rubbed at his eyes.

The man gave me a small smile, his eyes puffy and red as he watched me sit next to him. "Y-yeah, I'm fine" he muttered.

I raised an eyebrow, "Very convincing. Something's wrong, I know it. It's okay if you don't want to tell me"

He drew in a shaky breath, "Peggy's gone"

"Oh. Steve, I'm so sorry" I murmured, awkwardly reaching out to take his hands in mine.

"I just... I was so relieved when I first heard that she was alive. It made me feel a little less alone, it even helped me to move on. But now she's gone and I just feel... I feel like I'm the only one here, like nobody else is actually there. And Bucky's still out there while I'm moping around, arguing with people who are supposed to be my friends. It's stupid"

I shook my head and wiped a stray tear off of his cheek, "It's not stupid. I know I'll never truly understand and I know I'm not exactly good with feelings, but I'm here with you. Just... let me be here for you. We don't have to talk about it, but I'll always be there. I'm your... I'm your friend"