delicate | tony stark's daughter (II) ✓

FOUR

chapter four;
charles spencer

LUCY SAT ON THE CHAIR, LISTENING TO RHODEY AND SAM ARGUING FOR THE LAST FORTY FIVE MINUTES. She sighed and shook her head. "I think I'm gonna throw up" she muttered. Natasha turned to her and gave her an apologetic smile.

"I have an equation" Vision said. Lucy turned to him and raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, this will clear it up" Sam commented. All eyes turned to Vision as he spoke.

"In the eight years since Mr. Stark announces himself as Iron Man, the number of enhanced person grows exponentially. During the same period, the number of potentially world ending events has risen at a commensurate rate" he said. Lucy furrowed her eyebrows.

"So, it's our fault?" she asked. Vision shook his head.

"I'm saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge, challenge incites conflict, and conflict breeds catastrophe" he said. "Oversight. Oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand" he added.

"Boom" Rhodey commented. Lucy sighed and rested her head on the seat. She could practically feel the conflict coming. She knew that some of the team will agree and some will not, and the only thing she could do was to hope that it won't tear the team apart.

"Tony" Natasha called out. "You're being uncharacteristically non hyper verbal" she said. Lucy turned to Tony who had his hand on his head.

"That's because he's made up his mind" Steve said. Tony turned to Steve.

"Boy, you know me so well" he sighed, before standing up. "Actually, I'm nursing my electromagnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain, it's discomfort" he said as he walk into the kitchen. He took a mug and stopped at the sink. "Who put coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for biker gang?" he said.

He placed his phone on the bread basket and pressed its screen. A picture of a boy popped up. He looked like he could be a few years older than Lucy. Tony looked around, pretending to not see the picture until his eyes landed on it. "Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way" he said, pointing at the picture.

"He's a great kid. Computer engineering, three point six GPA, had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall" he said as he poured coffee into his cup. "But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul before he parked it behind the desk. See the world, maybe be a service" he continued. "Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Laurderdale, which is what I'd do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun" he said.

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as to where he is bringing this story into. "He decided to spend his summer building sustainable houses for the poor. Guess where? Sokovia" he said. Lucy's breath hitched and she sighed. Her eyes shifted downwards, guilt building up inside her.

He was a good person. His whole future was lined up in front of him. But, he couldn't experience any of those, because he's dead. And there's a possibility that she caused it. "He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we wouldn't know because we dropped a building on him while we're kicking ass" he said.

Lucy bit her bottom lip and shook her head. "There's no decision making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that is, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys" he said. Lucy could see where he's coming as she nodded.

"Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up" Steve said.

"Who said we're giving up?" Tony asked.

"We are if we're not taking responsibilities for our action" Steve said. "This document just shifts the blame"

"I'm sorry, Steve. That is dangerously arrogant" Rhodey said, cutting Steve off. "This is the UN we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not Hydra, it's not S.H.I.E.L.D-"

"No, but it's run by people with agendas, and agendas changed" Steve argued.

"That's good. That's why I'm here. When I realised what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stop manufacturing" Tony said. Lucy sunk in her seat, feeling the tension rising.

"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's somewhere we need to go and they don't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own"

"But, they're going to make us do this" Lucy chimed in. All heads turned to her. "The only options here is we either sign this and the Avengers will still operate, just under the supervision of the UN, or we don't sign this and the Avengers doesn't operate at all" she said. Tony nodded as his daughter's statement. "If we don't do this now.. they're going to make us do this" she said. "That isn't going to be pretty" she shook her head.

Tony pointed at his daughter. "That is exactly my point" he said.

"You're saying they'll come for me" Wanda said.

"If they come for you, they'll come for me too, Wanda" Lucy said. "That's why we should sign it. Better now than later" Lucy added.

"Maybe, Tony's right" Natasha said. Lucy turned to her. "If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer it. If we take it off-"

"Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?" Sam asked, cutting her off. Natasha shook her head.

"I'm just reading the terrain. We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back" she said.

"Focus up. I'm sorry, did I just mishear you or did you agree with me?" Tony asked. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I want to take it back now..." Natasha said. Lucy's attention shifted to Steve who pulled out his phone. He took a look at it, a sudden sadness wash over his face, before standing up.

"I have to go" he said as he put the booklet down and walked out of the room.