I promise I won't drastically change the plot, but some modifications are necessary for future developments.
Don't get hung up on the fact that the agreement is only a draft.
Thank you everyone.
The aftershocks of the Lagos explosion lingered for two whole weeks.
No one had an easy time in the past two weeks.
Tony locked himself in Stark Tower, reviewing the operation footage over and over again and checking the casualty list; Wanda stayed indoors, cutting off almost all communication, letting guilt gnaw at her heart.
That uncontrollable accident, like a layer of gray fog, shrouded the entire SSC team.
Lynn had ended her trip a week earlier and returned to New York with Natasha. The brief respite of the mountains and countryside could not withstand the torrent of life, and the peaceful leisure was ultimately just a fleeting moment of warmth in the cracks.
Their gradually returning to a stable life was completely shattered by an urgent notice from the coalition government.
Lynn watched as Tony put down the phone.
He knew that even without the apocalyptic crisis of Sokovia's launch and crash, the nationwide panic caused by Ultron's rampage in the streets of South Korea, coupled with the civilian casualties in downtown Lagos, ultimately solidified the United Nations' resolve.
The shackles of regulation have arrived as expected.
Upon receiving the official notification, Tony immediately instructed JARVIS to contact all members one by one. The group, which had been on hiatus for rest and recuperation, was recalled and gathered at the newly completed SSC headquarters.
Inside the spacious and solemn high-level conference room, the floor-to-ceiling windows offered a view of New York's bustling skyline, yet the interior was deathly silent, devoid of any of its usual relaxed atmosphere.
On either side of the long conference table, everyone took their seats. The weariness and frustration in everyone's eyes had not yet dissipated; two weeks had already worn down everyone's sharpness.
Steve sat upright with his back straight, his expression calm and revealing no emotion.
Bucky sat to one side, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing his palms, his eyes revealing his disgust for the past conflicts.
Wanda kept her eyes lowered, her long eyelashes concealing the darkness in them, and remained silent throughout. Pietro by her side, his expression tense.
Tony leaned back in his chair, one hand pressed against his forehead, looking weary and silent. Banner and Ivan sat beside him.
Natasha sat relaxed but with sharp eyes, constantly observing the atmosphere. Lynn sat casually with a calm expression, as if he had already anticipated today's situation.
Once everyone had arrived, the main door to the conference room was pushed open from the outside.
Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross, dressed in a formal suit, entered the room with a serious expression and no smile. He stood at the head of the table, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone present, exuding a powerful aura.
After confirming that no one was absent, Thaddeus Ross cleared his throat lightly, his deep voice slowly echoing in the silent conference room.
The whole world owes you a favor.
His opening words, seemingly fair, contained not a trace of warmth. "Time and time again you have stepped forward, risking your lives to stand in front of the world and prevent crises. Many people regard you as saviors and superheroes."
"But in many other countries, and among many ordinary people, you have another name: vigilante police."
Thaddeus Ross's tone lowered slightly, gradually hardening, "And in my view, you are a hidden danger, a lurking threat. You are a group of people who have settled in the United States, wielding top-tier superhuman strength, who have long operated outside all rules, arbitrarily crossing national borders, ignoring the sovereignty of other countries, acting on their own judgment, and imposing their personal will on ordinary people."
"You act without regard for the occasion, the location, the safety of innocent people, or the consequences of your actions."
His sharp gaze swept over the crowd, his words ringing with conviction and a strong sense of accusation. "If we strip away the aura of heroism and judge you by the standards of ordinary people, how would you define yourselves?"
"The alien invasion of New York, the internal rebellion in Washington, the crisis in South Korea, and now the Lagos bombing... For the past few years, you have gone to the battlefield without any oversight or rules, driven only by passion and personal judgment. You did prevent the apocalypse, but in the end, countless civilians were killed or wounded, countless families were torn apart, and incalculable cities were destroyed."
"Governments around the world can no longer tolerate this."
Thaddeus Ross's tone was firm and unwavering. "All nations are afraid that you will descend upon their territory without warning and start wars without control. Therefore, 117 nations jointly submitted a report to the United Nations, which ultimately finalized a unified solution."
"End your disorderly actions at the rule level."
The atmosphere inside the room instantly plummeted to freezing point, and everyone's expression quietly turned solemn.
"SSC is no longer an unregulated private organization."
Thaddeus Ross's gaze sharpened as he clearly announced the final plan, "Every action you take will be subject to review and control by the United Nations special monitoring team. There is only one core rule: you are only permitted to act after the monitoring team determines the necessity of the situation and relays this to you. Unauthorized action is strictly prohibited in non-urgent and non-essential situations."
This statement completely crossed the line for everyone.
Steve's brows furrowed suddenly, and he could no longer hold back, interrupting him.
"Our initial goal in establishing SSC was to protect the world and prevent disasters."
His voice was steady and powerful, carrying an undeniable firmness. "We acknowledge that actions involve casualties, but every injury we inadvertently caused has contributed to preventing a greater disaster. The casualties we prevented far outweighed those we caused."
Thaddeus Ross remained expressionless, unconvinced, and simply countered with, "If I allowed a nuclear weapon with a yield of ten megatons to circulate freely without any control, what do you think the final result would be?"
"You make appropriate compromises and accept regulation in exchange for rule-based protection."
His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority. "This is currently the only compromise, and also the safest solution. We are not completely depriving you of your freedom of action, but merely adding a shackle to this power capable of overturning the world."
Just as the two sides were at an impasse, Lynn, who had been silently observing, suddenly raised his eyes, a faint smile on his lips, and asked in a calm tone.
I have a question.
"If a sudden emergency disaster or crisis occurs that is beyond anyone's control, and the oversight team doesn't have time to approve it, should we just watch the disaster unfold, or should we prioritize rescuing people?"
This is a question that everyone is concerned about, but no one dares to ask first.
Thaddeus Ross glanced at him, his tone softening slightly, but he still maintained absolute control. "This document is currently only a preliminary draft. In three days, the United Nations will hold a formal meeting in Vienna to discuss all the details and supplement all the contingency plans. You can send representatives to the meeting to finalize the rules yourself."
Natasha's gaze turned slightly cold as she pressed on, "What if we refuse to sign this agreement?"
This one sentence completely tore away all the pretense of gentleness.
The last trace of calm on Thaddeus Ross's face vanished completely, replaced by a cold, authoritative aura that suddenly filled the entire conference room.
"Then retire!"
"Countries currently lack the military force to confront you, but they have the power to define your identity."
His words were cold and uncompromising. "From the moment you refused oversight, acted on your own, and disregarded United Nations rules, you ceased to be heroes protecting the world, and became the common enemy of all United Nations member states."
As soon as he finished speaking, Thaddeus Ross turned and left the conference room without lingering. The soft sound of the door closing seemed to mark a boundary, pushing the team to the brink of collapse.
The oppressive silence lasted only two seconds before a fierce argument erupted.
The team, which was originally in perfect harmony, was suddenly and clearly divided into two camps.
James Rhodes was the first to stand in favor of regulation, believing that power must bear responsibility; Sam, on the other hand, firmly opposed it, believing that the hero's heart should not be bound by rules, and that the right to choose to save lives should not be left to politicians.
With both sides sticking to their own version of events, the argument escalated, and the atmosphere in the meeting room completely spiraled out of control.
Just as everyone was arguing fiercely and their disagreements were getting worse, JARVIS's gentle and calm voice suddenly rang out in the room, drowning out all the noise.
"Excuse my boldness, but I have a data analysis conclusion that I would like to report to you all."
Everyone instinctively glanced sideways.
"Since Mr. Tony publicly revealed his identity Iron Man and superhumans officially entered the public eye, the number of superhumans exposed globally has exploded. At the same time, extreme crises and high-risk events capable of destroying the world are also rising exponentially."
JARVIS's voice was objective and calm. "Data analysis shows a very strong causal relationship between the two. The overall improvement in Earth's combat power has attracted more challenges, which inevitably lead to conflict, and conflict inevitably brings casualties. The stronger the combat power, the larger the scale of the conflict, and the more severe the collateral damage."
"Based on rational judgment, I believe that regulation is not a constraint, but a necessary check and balance. We should not oppose this regulation."
After listening to JARVIS's analysis, Natasha turned her gaze to Tony, who had remained silent, and asked softly with a hint of doubt, "Mr. Tony Stark, you've been silent since the beginning of the meeting. Why are you unusually quiet today?"
Before Tony could answer, Lynn had already raised his hand and gently placed it on Natasha's shoulder beside him, a knowing smile on his lips, answering for him.
Because he already knew the answer in his heart.
Tony looked up, his eyes reflecting the weariness and heaviness that had settled over the past two weeks. He raised his hand to activate the desktop holographic projector, and countless clear photos and statistics instantly filled the space in front of him.
The images show ruins after battles, wounded civilians, and silent tombstones; each set of data is glaring and heavy.
"I haven't rested for the past two weeks; I've been reviewing all operations and tallying all casualties."
Tony's voice was hoarse and low, filled with unprecedented seriousness and self-reproach. "Over the years, countless civilians have died because of our battles, and countless more have gone missing, been seriously injured, or displaced. The vast majority of them were young people under thirty, whose lives had just begun, but were completely ended because of our recklessness."
"We have always acted arbitrarily, without approvals, contingency plans, or decision-making processes, relying solely on overwhelming force to resolve crises head-on."
He looked up at the crowd, his tone heavy and firm. "We must shoulder this responsibility. Unbridled and unrestrained power will only make us more reckless and unscrupulous. Aside from our identity as heroes, what difference is there between us and terrorists when we wantonly interfere in the lives of others and cause casualties?"
Tony's question was deafening, striking hard at everyone's hearts.
Steve immediately retorted, his tone urgent and firm. " Tony, you can't completely compromise and back down just because of accidental injuries or deaths!"
"This agreement is not about taking responsibility, it's about shirking it! It's a constraint!"
His brow furrowed, his words earnest. "Once we sign, we completely relinquish our right to choose. If the oversight team encounters problems in the future and prohibits us from going to rescue sites, or if a crisis strikes and the oversight team shirks responsibility and refuses to approve our applications, will we stand by and watch the disaster unfold, or will we defy the rules and step in to save lives?"
"We may not be perfect, we may make mistakes and slip up, but we cannot allow outsiders to control good and evil, or politicians to dictate justice!"
The dispute escalated again, with voices clashing and neither side willing to back down. Former teammates who fought side by side were now on opposing sides, and the rift was widening rapidly.
Listening to the endless infighting and confrontation around him, Lynn finally lost all patience.
He slightly lowered his wrist, then suddenly raised his hand and slammed it on the table.
Thud--
A muffled bang exploded, and five-colored energy particles instantly spread from his palm, a gentle yet extremely oppressive energy field instantly covering the entire conference room.
The noisy argument suddenly stopped, and everyone froze, falling silent instantly.
Lynn glanced around at the diverse expressions on everyone's faces, his tone a mix of helplessness and clarity. "They've only provided a draft, a suggestion. The formal negotiations, bargaining, and rule-changing process haven't even begun, and you're already arguing amongst yourselves, completely at odds?"
The tense atmosphere eased slightly, and the impulsiveness in everyone's eyes gradually faded, leaving only silence and solemnity.
Just then, Steve's personal cell phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.
The screen lit up, and a short text message popped up silently.
The few words contained completely shattered all of Steve's resolve and tension.
Peggy Carter passed away peacefully in her sleep.
The noise inside was still lingering, the afterglow of the argument still hanging in the air, but Steve's world had instantly fallen into complete silence.
All the sharpness, determination, and stubbornness in his eyes faded away, leaving only endless emptiness and weariness.
After a long while, he slowly stood up, his voice low and hoarse, carrying an undisguised weariness.
"I have personal matters to attend to, I must go now."
"We have three days left. We can discuss the agreement later."
He offered no further explanation, ignored the stares of the crowd, and turned to walk straight out of the conference room. For the first time, his tall figure revealed an undeniable sense of loneliness and weariness.
Back in his private lounge, Steve removed his combat uniform and changed into a neat and solemn black suit.
Outside the window, New York lights blazed, and the world's conflicts continued unabated, but his old era had come to a complete end with Peggy's departure.
He straightened his collar, his gaze calmly fixed on the window, preparing to bid farewell to the most important person in his life, on their final journey.