(Attendance please…)
….
Everyone's gaze snapped to Rhodey. It was one of their own, standing before them as the opposition. Gojo glanced at Tony, who looked completely nonchalant.
Of course, he already knew. No surprise there. But Gojo had to admit, this wasn't the cliché Tony had hinted at.
This was… surprising, yes. And a masterstroke of political maneuvering.
After the Ultron incident and the government's failed attempt to capture Gojo, they needed a new strategy.
A direct confrontation with the Avengers was risky. So, it seemed they had decided to play the relationship card.
And who better to make the Avengers understand the government's perspective, to sell them on the importance of oversight, than one of their own—a man who was both an Avenger and a loyal soldier of the United States?
Yes, you all guessed right. It was none other than Colonel James Rhodes, or perhaps now, Secretary of State Rhodes.
"Since when?" Steve asked, his voice low and tight.
"I know all of you have questions, and I understand," Rhodey said, his tone professional but with an underlying weariness. "And to answer your question, Captain… it started a year ago."
"After the Ultron incident, huh?" Steve said, the pieces clicking into place.
Sam Wilson, looking betrayed, added, "So when exactly were you going to tell us about this, Rhodey? If not for this… this meeting?"
"I don't think there was anything to tell," Rhodey countered. "I got a promotion. I thought it was because of my service, my involvement in the Ultron incident, and so on. This… this is a recent development."
Natasha, ever perceptive, cut to the heart of it. "This isn't just about what happened in Lagos, is it? The government was never going to let us continue operating independently, were they?"
Rhodey looked at her, his expression grim. "Would you?" he asked. "Would you let an independent group with the power to take down entire organizations, to level cities like they were made of LEGO pieces, just do whatever they want with no oversight?"
"So, the answer to my question is 'yes,' then," Natasha stated flatly.
Rhodey sighed. "I'm still on your side, Nat," he said, trying to reassure her. "If you're worried about that."
"I don't think the government is on our side, Rhodey," Steve said, his voice firm. "They want to control us."
Rhodey straightened his back, his posture shifting from that of a friend to that of an official. "It all started with the invasion of New York," he began, his voice taking on the tone of a prepared statement.
"A literal wormhole, tearing a hole straight into the sky, opened by aliens. What could have been the start of a full-scale alien invasion of Earth was stopped by the Avengers. And I assure you, the government, the people of the world, we are all grateful for what you did."
He coughed, then continued, his voice a little softer, more personal. "I've never said this to any of you before, but I think you deserve to hear the truth. Maybe it can be a bridge of trust between us, a sign that the government isn't the same entity it was. The governments of the world… they were never going to be comfortable letting a private organization of only six people who could fight off an entire alien army by themselves remain completely independent."
"The government didn't have to worry so much when there was S.H.I.E.L.D.," Rhodey explained. "It was under their control, and under S.H.I.E.L.D. were the Avengers. But that all changed when Captain America found out that S.H.I.E.L.D. was mixed up with HYDRA, that even the highest levels of the government were compromised. So, the Avengers became an entirely independent organization, funded and controlled not by any government, but entirely by Stark Industries."
"Why?" Steve asked, his voice filled with a weary frustration. "We only ever did what we had to do to protect people. Why does this have to be such a big deal?"
"It is a big deal, Steve, if you really think about it," Rhodey replied. "But the government didn't have anything to hold over you at that time. Other countries didn't really care, because you were doing the protecting. But what the Avengers did in Lagos… the news is on fire. You blew up a building, with very important people from another country inside it, in their own country. You crossed a threshold. You can no longer operate as a private, independent organization."
"And now," Rhodey continued, "other countries, one hundred and seventeen of them, are on board with the United States and the Wakandan government to put limitations on you. You will still do what you always do, but from now on, you will do it on government orders, when and where you are told."
"So, we only save people when the government orders us to?" Steve countered. "And we only protect the people they tell us to protect?"
"At least you can still do what you want to do, albeit under orders," Rhodey said. "And that is what this meeting is about. From here on out, the Avengers will work under a UN panel, and you will be put under limitations. And if anyone tries to act independently again, they will be put on trial, no matter what their reasons were."
"What if we don't sign?" Natasha asked, her voice dangerously quiet.
"Then you will be removed from the Avengers," Rhodey stated flatly. "You will retire. And if you are found doing any 'Avengers-style' activity, you will be considered a vigilante, a criminal, and you will be put on trial."
Gojo, who had been listening with a sort of detached amusement, finally lifted his hand. "Hmm, I don't quite understand," he said. "Why was I called here if this is all an internal 'Avengers' thing? Don't worry, I'm enjoying the show, but I don't see why I was given a front-row seat to this IMAX-level drama."
Rhodey turned his attention to Gojo. "First of all, General Ross is no longer in any position of authority within the government. He did not get a direct order for his actions against you a year ago. That was all Ross's doing. He did request authorization from the President to capture you for… further studies, but it was never approved. So, officially, the government had nothing to do with that operation."
"Not to be that complaining guy on every question," Gojo said, "but if this is all you wanted to say to me, you could have just sent it in an email. It would have had the same effect on me."
"I know you don't trust the government, Satoru," Rhodey said, his tone serious. "But an individual like you, someone who is supposedly even more powerful than the entire Avengers team, is a matter of great concern when it comes to the security of the United States of America, and the world."
"And…" Gojo prompted, "…and I helped the Avengers save the world from an evil AI and a city-sized meteor. You left out the good parts."
"Nobody is denying that," Rhodey conceded. "But an individual such as yourself cannot be allowed to operate without any limitations. Someone who can wipe out an entire city with, apparently, not so much of a problem, with the only cost being some of your clothes in the process. And thus," he said, his voice taking on an official tone, "the Avengers are extending a formal invitation for you to join the team as a core member, under my supervision."
Gojo laughed. "Didn't I already decline the Avengers' offer previously? I'm not really in the 'saving people' business. And to put things more clearly, the government didn't do a single thing when I was being labeled as a mass murderer by every newspaper and TV channel in the country. On the contrary, I think they were quite glad that all the blame for everything was pinned on me."
"The government had no involvement in that matter, whatsoever," Rhodey stated firmly. "That video was posted by some civilian. It was not a government leak."
"And what if I, you know, don't want to be in the Avengers again?" Gojo asked. "I mean, it's not like I go out of my way looking for people to save. I don't even use my powers, not unless I have to."
Rhodey then, with a tap on his tablet, played a video on the large screen behind him. The video showed Gojo, from a high vantage point, on top of a tall building. Below, in an alley between two buildings, some thugs were harassing a man, clearly trying to rob him. The video then showed Gojo jumping from the building, landing effortlessly, and then, in a blur of motion, beating the living daylights out of every single one of the thugs. Then, the video cut out.
"They were going to kill that man," Gojo said flatly. "And I only used my fists there, not my powers."
"I'm not asking anyone to sign now, or immediately," Rhodey said, his gaze sweeping across the room. "This is a serious matter. These Accords have been signed by almost every country on the planet. I want all of you to put your egos, big or small, aside, and just think about this carefully."
"You save people as Avengers," he said. "Just do it under my supervision, on government orders. That's all there is to it. And the government will only get involved when it comes to operations outside of the country. If it's within the United States, you can still be the Avengers, just under my supervision."
Bruce Banner, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke. "I… I don't think there's anything wrong with this," he said quietly. "Captain, I think you should reconsider it."
Steve looked at Tony, then at Bruce, then at Jarvis. "I'm right to assume that you, Jarvis, and Tony are already on board with this, then?"
Tony lifted himself up, his decision made. "We are," he said. "And you should be, too, Steve. By casting aside your ego, and whatever else is denying you from signing it. If you're not signing it, then I think you're just operating under some big ego that doesn't want to be under anyone's command."
"Says the one who swore at a whole government committee when they asked for your suit, huh?!" Sam Wilson retorted.
"And I'm still on that," Tony shot back. "I'm not giving anyone my suit. Not even the government."
Rhodey interjected, placing a thick binder containing the Sokovia Accords on the table. "In this binder is everything you need to know," he said. "You are free to read it among yourselves. You all have a few days to decide."
Gojo was about to say something, a definitive "no," when Rhodey held up a hand, looking directly at him. "No, don't say anything now, Satoru. Just… think it over. Even if you're just going to reject it in the end. I'm not forcing anyone to sign. But I am requesting, as a friend, and as someone who has fought alongside you, that you read this… and then, just tell me whatever you've decided in the next few days. Whatever you decide, it will be respected, and it won't be forced."
Steve, his expression grim, asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "And in the scenario where we don't sign it?"
Rhodey sighed, the weight of his position clear on his face. "Well, you already have a few days to decide. But, under that hypothetical… if you don't sign it… you should probably start searching for another job."
….
A/N: First of all Check out my yet another new fic and its chapter 1. Its Reinhard Van Astrea x Tensura. I know i know another fic. Add it to your library and comment on it if you like.
And now: So, how was it?! Hoped you liked it. I know i said i will upload it yesterday but I was sick yesterday so i wasn't able to write the chapter. And i didn't want to dragged this any longer so i made the chapter longer and i finished the whole meeting. So meeting is over.
And dont say this chapter was short.
Q: Did You add my new fic to your library?
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