Timeless (Captain America x Reader)

Chapter Eighty-Six

Steve left to go see Wanda, Y/N was on her way when Friday notified her that Tony had arrived, and with a friend. On her way to the conference room to meet with Tony Y/N was met by Steve, he looked worried.

"Who did Tony bring with him?" she asked Steve as they walked down the halls together.

Steve shook his head, "Someone that doesn't particularly like us at the moment," he told her. "Tony brought Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross," Steve added.

Y/N sighed, knowing that Ross was always against the Avengers from the beginning, he made that especially clear after the Hydra attack in Washington D.C. when the helicarriers crashed.

"He's not exactly our friend," Y/N mentioned.

"I know," Steve said flatly. Y/N and he both knew why Ross was here, what Wanda did brought him here, he wanted someone to blame. However, Ross didn't know that Wanda was already blaming herself for what had happened, more than she should.

Y/N and Steve walked into the conference room, everyone sat around the table, everyone except for Tony, he sat off to the side all alone. But Y/N didn't question it as she sat down, sharing a not so happy glance with Secretary Ross. Steve sat down by Y/N, not feeling happy with the situation they were faced with either.

The entire room was silent, that was until Secretary Ross began speaking. "Five years ago, I had a heart attack. I dropped right in the middle of my backswing. Turned out it was the best round of my life, because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass... I found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me: Perspective. 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'."

Natasha looked up at Ross, "And what word would you use; Mr. Secretary?" she asked him.

"How about 'dangerous'?" he suggested. "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?" he questioned.

Steve noticed how Y/N grew tense, clearly wanting to speak her mind. He put a comforting hand on her thigh to calm her down before she did or said something that she would later regret. Y/N sighed as Ross continued with his little presentation. He pulled up a slide show,

"New York," he said as he showed pictures of the Chitauri battle. The footage showed Chitauri Leviathans, terrified citizens, soldiers firing guns, and the Hulk smashing into a building and sending a dust cloud over the city.

Rhodey looked back at Natasha with regret written all over his face as Ross continued, "Washington D.C.," he said as footage of the three Insight helicarriers firing on each other appeared, the destroyed Triskelion was shown next. As well as a helicarrier crashing into the Potomac and throwing up a massive wave, engulfing citizens.

Sam looked down, as did Steve and Y/N, not wanting to remember what happened on that day.

"Sokovia," Ross spoke as images of terrified citizens were shown, then the city rising into the sky and then dropping down. Footage of Y/N falling off of the piece of city and then Tony catching her bloodied form was also shown.

Y/N looked down, Steve saw how the images had a particular effect on her as Ross continued to show footage of Lagos as well, those images hit Wanda in a certain place.

Steve intervened, "Okay, that's enough," he told Ross thickly. Y/N took Steve's hand that rested on her leg into her hand, his thumb brushing softly over her knuckles.

"Now, Mr. Secretary, since you clearly think that you are so much better than us. Enlighten me as to what would have happened had the Avengers never intervened, had the Avengers Initiative never become a reality?" Y/N asked, obviously wanting to get some answers out of Ross.

Ross smirked at her little comment, "Why don't you enlighten me as to what would have happened had your best friend never become a corrupt Hydra assassin?" he countered.

Ross's words struck a nerve with Y/N, but Steve held her back, not wanting to make an already bad situation worse.

"For the past four years, you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision," Ross added. "That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution," he said placing a thick document on the conference table in front of the team.

The document is passed around the table from team member to team member, "The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries... it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary," Ross explained.

Steve furrowed his brows, "The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done that," he said to everyone.

"Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?" Ross asked as Steve looked up to meet him with an angry gaze.

"If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes... you can bet there'd be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground," Ross told everyone.

"So, there are contingencies," Rhodey guessed.

"Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords," Ross added, Steve glanced to the back of the room at Tony who had been oddly silent this whole time.

Nat looked to the team first, and then to Ross, "And if we come to a decision you don't like?" she wondered.

"Then you retire..."