Whatever it Takes: Civil War

Chapter 3

Bruce was pacing, staying on what Natasha declared to be his own side of the room. Sam and Rhodey were arguing, causing Tony to roll his eyes at them while Steve was reading the accords that Ross left for the team to look over.

Vision interrupted the former military men who were at odds regarding the accords and Ross, "I have an equation."

"Oh, this will clear it up," Sam said.

"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."

"Are you saying it's our fault," Steve asked.

"I'm saying there may be a causality," Vision replied. "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," Rhodey said to Sam.

"Tony," Natasha said. "You are being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal."

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

Natasha glanced at Bruce, who had stopped pacing, giving his attention to his friend.

Tony takes his hand off of his face stating, "Boy, you know me so well." As he gets off the couch and into the kitchen area he continued, "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 biker gang?"

The engineer pulls out a device and a holographic image of a boy pops up.

"Oh, that's Charles Spenser by the way," Tony said. "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 like fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where. Sokovia. He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. We won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were-"

"Tony," Bruce interrupted.

Natasha shifted her gaze from Tony to Bruce, who was shaking his head slightly. She knew Bruce felt just as guilty about Ultron as his lab partner did.

"What Bruce," Tony asked. "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 boundaryless we're no better than the bad guys."

"Normally, I'd agree, but..." Bruce trailed off and shook his head, as if he didn't know what to do and began to pace again.

"Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up," Steve added.

"Who said we're giving up," Tony asked.

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

"I'm sorry, Steve," Rhodey piped up. "That is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not S.H.I.E.L.D., it's not HYDRA."

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

"That's good," Tony said as he walked toward where Steve was sitting. "That's why I'm here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing."

"Tony, you chose to do that," Steve said. "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."

Tony was quick to reply, "If we don't do this now, it's going to be done to us later. That's the fact. That won't be pretty."

Wanda spoke up from where she was sitting between Pietro and Vision, "You'll saying they'll come for me."

"We would protect you," Vision responds.

The two them had gotten closer in the last year. Natasha thought it was nice at least one thing stayed the same.

For a brief second Natasha allowed herself to wonder if Vision could still be saved but stopped before going down that route.

"Bruce what about you," Tony asked, breaking Natasha out of her thoughts.

"You're both right and you're both wrong," he said regarding Tony and Steve's stances on the accords.

"After everything Ultron did, we need to be put in place," Tony said.

"You think I don't feel guilty about that?"

"You don't act like it," Tony snapped.

"Ultron was your idea, Tony!"

"Who went along with it?!"

"Look, I screwed up, I admit that!" Bruce's eyes flashed green then he took a breath and calmy said, "I have spent years dealing with the death and destruction the Hulk caused. I've learned to live with it and mask my guilt. Yes, we need to be put in check. Yes, the government could get it wrong. We've made mistakes and a lot of them. But at the end of the day, I don't trust Ross. He always has an agenda. Whether you sign the accords or not, you need to be careful. I'm not taking a side; I'm just warning you. Look, I want peace as much as everyone else in this room, but there needs to be another way to do it."

"This appears to be less about accountability for you and more about Ross, Dr. Banner," Vision said.

"You don't know Ross the way I do," Bruce told, not just Vision, but everyone in the room.

"What about you Nat," Steve asked, now that Bruce made himself clear.

"Maybe Tony's right," Natasha said with as much courage as she could muster, but avoided Bruce's gaze that she knew was on her. "If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off... We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back."

Natasha hated saying it, but she needed to act like the last time. The team didn't need to know about Ross' deal concerning Bruce, and she wanted to keep the team together, even half of it.

She noticed Steve check his cellphone and excuse himself from the room. Natasha knew Peggy was gone and that Steve needed a minute to himself.

After the team went their separate ways, Natasha found Steve on the stairs. She sat next to him and asked, "You okay?"

"Peggy's gone," he said, his voice was laced with emotion and he had clearly been crying.

"I'm so sorry."

Steve nodded and took a shaky breath as if trying to keep himself composed. "I'm gonna go to London for a few days before the funeral. I'll leave in the morning. Can we change the subject?"

"I know about Barnes killing Howard and Maria Stark." His head snapped towards her and she asked, "Does Tony know yet?"

"No. It wasn't Bucky's fault."

"I know, but Tony deserves to know the truth about his parents and it needs to come from you because you're closest to Barnes. If Tony finds out another way, he'll feel betrayed. And it won't help that you knew his father."

"We both know Tony will go after Bucky. If he sees him."

"Which is why you need to tell him sooner rather than later. Tony won't hurt him after he's had time. What happens if the government captures Barnes now that they're involved with the team? What if Tony finds out another way and you're in the crossfire?"

She got up and left Steve to mull over that, hoping she knocked some sense into Steve. Maybe this would prevent the biggest part of his and Tony's fallout. But the truth was that this was out of her control.