Choices || CAPTAIN AMERICA (Book 4)

Chapter 2

The meeting room felt stifling, the tension building with each word Secretary Ross spoke. I leaned back in my chair, arms crossed, my eyes darting between the others gathered around the table. Steve was next to me, sitting ramrod straight, jaw tight. I could feel the frustration rolling off him in waves, and I knew exactly why. This was going to be a fight—a political one. The kind Steve hated. The kind I hated, too, but I wasn't about to sit quietly while Ross handed down his judgments like we were reckless children.

Ross stood at the head of the table, commanding the room with the air of a man who believed every word he said was gospel. His tone was matter-of-fact, almost casual, as if he hadn't just insinuated that we were more of a threat than a solution.

"Five years ago, I had a heart attack," he started, his voice smooth, deliberate. "I dropped right in the middle of my back-swing. 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."

I raised an eyebrow, already sensing where this was going.

"The world owes the Avengers an un-payable 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, ever the sharp one, chimed in before I could. "And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?"

Ross didn't even hesitate. "How about 'dangerous'? 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?"

I scoffed quietly, leaning forward now, resting my elbows on the table. "Unconcerned? You've got to be kidding me."

Steve shot me a warning glance, but I wasn't about to back down. This wasn't just some bureaucrat with an agenda. This was someone who didn't understand what we went through out there.

Ross wasn't fazed. He pressed a button on a remote, and the large screen behind him came to life with images that were all too familiar.

"New York," he said, the footage showing the Battle of New York, the Chitauri invasion, the destruction that had come in the wake of saving the world.

I saw Tony's eyes flicker, his face tightening for a split second before he masked it again.

"Washington DC," Ross continued. The helicarriers, SHIELD's corruption laid bare, the destruction we had no choice but to cause in order to stop something far worse. Sam looked down, silent, but I could see the frustration etched on his face.

"Sokovia."

I braced myself for this one. I could feel Wanda tense beside me as the footage played. The city rising into the sky, buildings crumbling, citizens running in terror. Tony's hand tightened into a fist. Wanda's eyes stayed glued to the screen, even though I knew it was killing her inside.

Then, Lagos. The burning building. The dead. The guilt that had followed us back from that mission hung over the room like a dark cloud. Wanda swallowed hard, her fingers clutching the armrest of her chair as Ross continued his parade of horrors.

"Okay, that's enough," Steve said, his voice firm but calm. He leaned forward, cutting Ross off, clearly done with the emotional manipulation.

Ross nodded to his aide, and the screen went dark, but the damage was done. We'd seen it all before, lived it. But having it thrown back in our faces like this? It burned.

"For the past four years, you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision," Ross continued, stepping back into his lecture mode. "That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution."