𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐑 - MCU

III. THE SOKOVIA ACCORDS

III. THE SOKOVIA ACCORDS
__________

"Five years ago, I had a heart attack," The Secretary of State, Thaddeus Ross, said as he swung an imaginary bat, "and dropped right in the middle of my backswing. Turned out it was the best round of my life because after thirteen hours of surgery and a triple bypass, I found something forty years in the army had never taught me. Perspective." He paced slowly from side to side in front of the table, where the Avengers were gathered, clad in a neat suit and combed back, grey hair. A little behind him, he had his governmental lackeys, who were probably important people also, but Luna didn't really care about their titles.

"That's wonderful, Secretary." Luna snarked back. "Wanna tell us why you're here?"
           
Steve shot her a sharp look.
           
Ross nodded, "Right you are, Avatar." He said, putting a mocking emphasis on her name. "The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives... but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some who would prefer the word 'vigilantes'."

Luna leaned back in her chair as she glanced around the table. Everybody was gathered in the upstate compound; Steve, Tony, Natasha, Rhodey, Sam, Vision, Wanda, Pietro and herself. The room was tense, it wasn't every day the Secretary of State paid you a house-visit, yet Luna could already feel where he was going with his story.

"What word would you use, Mr. Secretary?" Natasha asked.
           
"How about dangerous?" He replied. "What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?"

Luna blinked, and clenched her jaw. As much as she was put off by the man in front of her, she couldn't ignore the truth in his words. Anytime they went out, people got hurt. Every mission they went on, people got killed. She knew it wasn't their fault, they were saving people, as many as they could. Her mind went back to that fateful moment a few years ago; if she had never gone to Wakanda, her brother would've never gotten hurt. Luna shook the jarring thought out of her head.

"New York." Ross said and turned on the hologram; vivid images of the Battle of New York appeared in front of them; rubble falling onto homes, crushing god knows what; the Hulk leaping from skyscraper to skyscraper, destroying walls and windows and anything in his path.

Luna balled her fists and tried to keep her breathing steady, despite her mind racing through the memories of that day. Ever since then, she had had vivid nightmares. Nightmares where she decided not to go back, nightmares where they had lost.

Back then, Luna had thought it was awesome. She was battling for the fate of the world with Captain America, Iron Man and Thor! She missed the time where her mind had been free of those experiences, and not plagued by panic attacks and nightmares.

Ross continued, images of past battles appearing, each a bullet to the chests of the people present, "Washington, D.C., Sokovia... Lagos." The video stopped, focused on the lifeless body of a girl, no older than twenty. She was buried in rubble and dust and ashes.
           
Luna watched closely as Wanda's head dropped and instantly grabbed her hand. "That's enough, Ross." She said. "We remember, we were there."

"For the past few years you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate." Ross said. "But I think we have solution."
           
"What?" Luna began. "Make us a reality TV-show called 'Keeping up with the Avengers'?" She shrunk in her seat as she received the glowers of the people around the room. "Sorry... I make dumb jokes in tense situations."
           
Ross pushed a thick document across the table. "The Sokovia Accords." He said. "Approved by 117 countries. It states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization." He explained. "Instead, they'll act under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary."