The Shadow~ Peter Parker

Chapter 11

"Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor, which is one more than you have." Rhodey says to Sam after they had all gotten out of the meeting I wasn't allowed to attend. "So let's say we agree to this thing. How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?" Sam questions, "A 117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam, and you're just like, "No, that's cool. We got it.'" I glance between the two a bit confused, I didn't know what to do. "How long are you going to play both sides?" Sam asks him making me look away, I look to Steve who's flicking through the so called accords.

"I have an equation." Vision speaks up, "Oh, this will clear it up." Sam murmurs, "In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate." Steve's head snaps towards vision, "Are you saying it's our fault?" He asks, it couldn't have been. Hydra had been a thing for decades and they would've taken a ton of people down if it weren't for my brother, and if there had been accords at that time we probably would t have been able to do anything and so hydra would've succeeded.

"I'm saying there may be a causality. 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." Vision continues. "Boom."

I look to Tony is lying on the couch, one hand over his face. When Natasha speaks, he removes the hand to look at her, "Tony. You are being uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal." I felt like maybe I shouldn't even been here. "It's because he's already made up his mind." Steve says, "Boy, you know me so well." Tony says as he gets up and winces, rubbing the back of his head.

"Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache." He walks to the kitchen and grabs a mug. "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 for a biker gang?" He puts his phone in a basket and taps it. The phone projects an image of a smiling young man. He looks down, then back up, and pretends to notice the picture for the first time. "Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way. 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 fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia." I notice everyone wince at that.

"He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass." He takes a pill with some coffee, then faces us. "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 boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys." I understood what he was saying but I just didn't agree, "Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up." Steve tells him.

"Who said we're giving up?" Tony asks, "We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blames." Steve says. "I'm sorry. Steve. That - that is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not SHIELD, it's not HYDRA." Rhodey speaks up. "No, but it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change." I agreed with Steve I didn't trust anyone especially if they were high up in power, if hydra could infiltrate shield for so long without being detected who's to say something worse could affect them.

"That's good. That's why I'm here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stop manufacturing." Tony says, "Tony, you chose to do that. 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." I didn't wanna surrender my freedom to anyone, I was not going to just be another puppet.

"If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done to us later. That's the fact. That won't be pretty." Maybe he was right but I'd rather go down fighting for my freedom then give it up, I'd only just got it back. "You're saying they'll come for me." Wanda says for the first time. "We would protect you." Vision assures her. "Maybe Tony's right." Nat says making everyone especially Tony look at her, surprised.

"If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off -" who's to say we'd have one hand on the wheel I don't get it. "Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?" Sam asks, "I'm just . . . I'm reading the terrain. We have made . . . some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back." I was very conflicted but I was leaning more towards not signing, if I even had to.

"Focus up. I'm sorry, did I just mishear you or did you agree with me?" Tony asks making her scoff. "Oh, I want to take it back now." She says, "No, no, no. You can't retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented. Okay, case closed--I win." My attention moves to Steve as his phone buzzes. "I have to go." He says as he gets up sharply, dropping the Accords on the coffee table.

Quickly running after him, I find him at the bottom of the stairs, leaning against the banister, his head bowed. "Steve?" He looks up his eyes shining with tears, "what's wrong?" I question him softly, "she's gone." He tells me his voice breaking as my heart breaks. I wrap my arms around him and we cry together. I can't believe she was gone, I knew she was old but I just didn't think it'd be so soon.