Learn to Fly

Chapter 18

The room was filled with Avengers, reporters, and government officials alike. Every one was waiting in anticipation. This was the court case of the century. Tony Stark was the first to speak. "Supreme Court Justices, I implore you, ask yourselves this: How is it constitutional to deny the same basic rights all people should have to those with wings? Parents can kick their children to the streets for it. A person can forcibly have their wings removed without consent and walking around with merely a feather on your shirt guarantees a mugging. And yet, the law does nothing to protect their people. This type of discrimination holds no bounds. My very own father beat me as a child for my wings, while my mother was forced to watch. We need to eliminate this blatant and violent persecution, so that all people can live freely." Applause from the audience erupted. The justices looked extremely uncomfortable with this case. Steve was next up to speak.

"Hello! My name is Steve Rogers, but you may know me better as Captain America. Now, you are probably wondering what I know about today's government. A lot has changed in 70 years. Perhaps, you think, I am a little old fashioned?" Steve paused. "I am old fashioned. I believe that all men and women were created equal. I believe that every person has a right to stand up for what they believe in. I believe that every single person deserves rights! Be they men or women, black or white, rich or poor, queer or straight, winged or unwinged! We are all people of one nation, a nation that should protect us! As I conclude, a word of advice from a survivor of the great depression and world war two: Things still haven't changed, and they need to. The same blatant discrimination is just as present as it was in the 40s. Bucky Barnes can attest to this, based off of the number of back alley wing fights he had to pull me out of. And honestly, I'm disappointed. I thought that when Howard Stark argued to chop off my wings in 1943, people would realize how wrong it was to persecute those with wings, when Captain America had wings. Instead, they hid that part of my away, just like we hide our wings away now. Is this what we died for when we fought the wars for you?" An even larger round of applause followed Steve, but everyone was contemplating his question. The room was quite uneasy. No one knew quite what to say next. Reporters scribbled furiously on their notepads, not wanting to lose anyone's speeches. To many people's shock, Bucky Barnes was the next to step up to speak. 

"For those of you who don't know who I am, I'm James Buchanan Barnes. When I fell off the train, I was found by Hydra, and kept as their brainwashed, frozen assassin for 70 years. I'm not going to go off on a rant about rights like Mr. Patriotic did. Rights shouldn't even be a question. Our lives never stop changing, for better or worse, and we need to adjust our opinions and laws to accept that. Our point of views are stuck the same way they were 70 years ago. Only this time, the war is among ourselves. Boys volunteered their lives to protect this country in my day. Now, this country still won't protect them. What the hell were they even fighting for anyways? That I was fighting for? That I died for?" The applause was scattered, as people were shook by Bucky's questions. He held people to the cold, hard truth. The next person to speak shocked everyone. Peter stepped up to the stand in a suit with his spider suit underneath. 

"I think I might understand why there is so much controversy about people with wings. We're freaks, right? Monsters, mutants, not people. I didn't see you having a problem with that when I stopped you from getting mugged on the street. When the Avengers kept the world from getting demolished by Ultron and the chitauri attacks, we weren't monsters. We were heroes. Why should it be any different now? We're still the same heroes we were before the media knew about our wings. 3/4 of the current Avengers were born with wings. Why not protect them? We've suffered as much harm at the hands of wing-haters as everyone else has. I got kicked out when my guardian found out. Nat had her wing's removed forcibly when she was 18. Tony was beat, Bucky was mugged, Steve nearly had his removed. Do you know how many kids I've had to talk off buildings and bridges? I remember every single one of them. And every single one of them had wings. It's time to decide who we stand by. Is it the prejudiced, anachronistic beliefs? Or the people and heroes of your world? Thank you." The applause was deafening for Peter. As it died down, everyone in the room was at edge of their seats.