Healing Each Other (Loki Fanfiction)

Chapter 28

We all sit down at a long conference table. I can easily feel a general air of discomfort coming from everyone in the room. It's the first time I've ever seen Secretary Ross. I don't like to judge people before I meet them, but this man seems downright unpleasant. He begins to speak.

"Five years ago, I had a heart attack. Turns out it was the best round of my life, because after thirteen hours in surgery, I found something forty years in the army had not taught me: perspective. The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt," the Secretary says, pacing in front of us. I can't help but feel like a reprimanded child. "You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives. But while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some who prefer the term vigilantes."

"And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?" Natasha asks, leaning back on her chair. I could cut the tension in the room with a knife.

"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." He clicks a button, and videos appear on the screen. "New York. Washington D.C. Sokovia. Lagos."

Everyone watches guiltily as images flash across. Moments of mass destruction, civilians injured. I remember fighting as an agent in the battle of New York, how many children I evacuated from buildings and how many still didn't make it in time. It still haunts me sometimes. Tony won't even look up at the screen.

"That's enough," I snap protectively. Wanda looks ready to die. "There's no need to be insulting about this, Mr. Secretary."

"Just because you are not in this particular video, Miss Banner, does not mean I have no problems with you."

"Excuse me?" I ask, standing up and leaning my hands on the table. "What have I done?"

"While you have only been the heroine Sol for a matter of months, I refuse to believe all there is to your powers is healing. I have seen other Asgardians in combat who display far more strength than you. You are also a secret agent trained to kill. And forgive me for not wanting to trust the sister of the Hulk rage monster."

"I save people!" I screech. "How dare you say all that to me!" If Loki was here, this man would be dead already. Sparks dance around my fingers, and I force myself to stay in check. Anger would only prove him right.

"Eliza, back down," Tony mutters roughly, putting a hand on my arm in warning. I slowly sink into my seat, my eyes not leaving the Secretary the entire time.

"For the past several 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 pulls a stack of papers out of his bag and hands it to Wanda. She handles it gently, like it could burn her. "The Sokovia Accords, approved by one hundred seventeen companies, states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they will operate under the supervision of a UN panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary."

What? The idea seems ridiculous. Operating under supervision? What if I need to help someone but don't get clearance to go?

"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place," Steve insists. "I feel we've done that."

"Tell me, Captain, could you tell me where Thor is now? Or Miss Banner, could you tell me the whereabouts of your brother? If I misplaced a couple of megaton nukes, you can bet there would be consequences." He walks around the table, trying to make us uncomfortable. In my case, it's working. "Compromise, reassurance, that's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground."