Long Time No See • Natasha Romanoff

Part 28: The path with least resistance

He pretended to notice it. "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 decide to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where. Sokovia. He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass."

He put a tablet in a glass and took a swig, he then made his way back to the group.

"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, we're no better than the bad guys."

"Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up." Cap said to Tony.

"Who said we are giving up?" Tony added.

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

"I'm sorry Steve. That is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're taking 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." Steve argues with Rhodey. Tony thought to jump in on the action too.

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

"Tony you chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose."

Anya didn't really know what to think. She didn't want to sign because it made her just as bad as it did at HYDRA, it would just be for different reasons. But in the other hand, she didn't want to loose the only family she ever had.

Wanda and Natasha were quite, along with Vis. Natasha was struggling to read Anya. She could sense she was conflicted.

"What if the panel sends us somewhere de do think we should go? What if there's somewhere we need to go, and they don't let us. We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own." Cap rounded off another speech.

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

"Your saying they'll come for me." Wanda said, surprising Anya as she was quite through the entire conversation.

"We would protect you." Vision reassured his....significant other?

"Maybe Tony's right. If we had one hand in the wheel, we can still steer..."

"But we don't have any hands on the wheel, they do." Anya said, juxtaposing her fiancé's view.

Anya walked out of the room, frustrated that they could break up the family or be manipulated by people behind a desk, people who knew nothing about being an Avenger.

The room fell silent, no one knowing wether or not to chase her down. Nat knew to let her cool off, she needed space, but she felt sad for her. Her life and freedom has been constantly fiddled with and manipulated like she was some puppet.