Everly || Steve Rogers

57. Sokovia Accords

Secretary Ross let out a deep sigh as he rubbed the palms of his hands together. "Five years ago I had a heart attack..." He grabbed onto an imaginary golf club and swung it back. "and dropped right in the middle of my backswing." He leaned his hands on the table where the Avengers sat before him. Everly folded her arms over her chest and peeked over her shoulder. Tony had pushed his chair into the far corner, his eyebrows knitted in the slightest as if he were thinking. "Turned out it was the best round of my life because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass..." Ross continued. "I found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me. Perspective. The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt." The Secretary nodded as his eyes flicked between each person sitting before him. "You have fought for us... protected us, risked your lives... but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some..." He paused and a lump formed in Everly's throat as she peered down at the wooden table. "Who would prefer the word 'vigilantes.'"

"What word would you use, Mr. Secretary?" Natasha asked as she forced a smile to her face. He stared at the red head for a second before answering.

"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?"

Everly's frown only deepened as she glared at the man before them. "Unconcerned?" The fact that he saw them as people who took innocent life without a second thought angered her. He rose a challenging brow as he stepped aside and clicked on the large screen behind him.

He bowed his head as the video played out before the group. "New York." He said as a giant Chitauri worm curled around a building. The camera panned to the civilians on the streets who cried out in horror, Hulk bouncing between buildings above them and showering the ground in debris. Everly glanced at Steve across the table, his head propped up with his hand. His expression remained unreadable and would appear to anyone else that he was unaffected by the footage. However, she could see the guilt and sadness that flashed through his eyes.

"Washington, D.C." Ross said again. Everly's eyes widened in the slightest when she saw the three flaming helicarriers hovering in the sky as again screams filled the air. The next shot showed the massive aircraft as it plunged into the water. She drew in a shaky breath and her chest felt heavy.

"Sokovia." The video showed the entire city as it was slowly lifted from the ground. She couldn't help but glance worriedly at Wanda who watched intently as a building collapsed and a cloud of smoke filled the sky.

"Lagos." This wound was fresh. Sirens wailed as smoke rolled out from the building's middle stories. A few people were hauled out in bags and a motionless women lay amongst the ash crossed the screen. Wanda quickly dipped her head and blinked away the tears that had formed in her eyes.

"Okay. That's enough." Steve said, his gaze locked onto the Maximoff as he dropped his arm to the table. Everly huffed when the screen faded away and Secretary Ross stepped out in front of them once again, his arms folded behind his back.

"For the past four years, you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate." Everly furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as Ross's assistant handed him a thick book. "But I think we have a solution." He placed the book on the table in front of Wanda and she slowly scooped it up. "The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries." She slid the book across to Rhodes after flipping through a few of its pages. "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."