Winter Love || Bucky Barnes

9: Sokovia Accords

I was sitting on my bed reading a book when Bucky came into my room. "Hey," I said with a smile. "Hey," he replied with a smile and sat down next to me on the bed. I looked up and my gaze lingered on the TV, where a familiar face appeared. Wanda Maximoff. I quickly turned up the volume, but I didn't like what I heard at all. Wanda had accidentally killed several people on a mission and a lot of people were upset about it.
My breath caught in my throat.
"I have to go," I whispered and hurried out, straight to Wanda's room.

She sat on the bed while Steve talked to her. "This job . . . we try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn't mean everybody. But if we can't find a way to live with that, next time . . . maybe nobody gets saved."

Suddenly, a person materialized through the wall. Wanda looked at Vision, shaking her head. "Vis! We talked about this."

"Yes, but the door was open, so I assumed that..."

He gestured to the door and then added "Captain Rogers wanted to know when Mr. Stark would arrive."

Steve smiled at him. "Thank you. We'll be right down."

***

The Secretary of State, Thaddeus Ross, was standing at the head of a table and we were gathered around.

He started to talk in a serious tone. "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 Romanoff asked defiantly "And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?"

"How about dangerous?"

I couldn't believe what he said. We weren't dangerous, we saved the world. He continued speaking, making me cross my arms in front of my chest. "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?"

Ross activated a screen behind him. News footage from past Avengers and Shield matters flashed on the screen. We saw burning houses, screaming people and bodies from the last mission. Wanda looked down sadly, whereupon Steve said, "Okay, that's enough!"

"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. But I think we have a solution." He placed a thick document on the desk.

"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." I was stunned and stared at the document in disbelief. He couldn't be serious.

"Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. Talk it over."

"And if we come to a decision you don't like?" Natasha wanted to know.

"Then you retire."

***

While everyone was arguing, I sat on the couch and nervously played around with the diamond ring that Bucky had given me many years ago. I still couldn't believe what had just happened. I was pulled out of my thoughts when Tony said my name. "What do you think, Connie?"

I looked up. "Huh?"

"We want to know what you think about the accords."

"Oh, yeah. I am not in favor of this. We have saved many people even without instructions. If we wait for a mission to be approved first, it could sometimes be too late. For example, they would have taken Bucky straight to prison without even giving us a chance."

"So, it is just about your soldier friend?"

"No, not just about him, about so much more. What will they do to Wanda? They won't just forgive her; they'll lock her up."

"She's right Tony." Steve supported me. "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."

"If we don't do this now, it's going to be done to us later. That's the fact. That won't be pretty."
I sighed, stroked my hair and stood up. I couldn't stay in this room another second. I really needed some fresh air.