Chapter Text
The sight in Manhattan was grim, more than any other time in the city’s troubled history. A crater lay in the heart of the metropolis, still smoking and raining ash, and at the epicenter of it all, a large letter “A” was half-buried in rubble. Midtown was practically disintegrated, and the rest of the districts weren’t much better. All throughout the borough, people lay in the streets, deaths ranging in the millions. The destruction of Avengers tower was only the beginning, setting off a sequence of dirty bombs and chemical attacks that rendered the once-proud city a wasteland. The toxin used in the attacks was a modified formula of the GR-27 “Devil’s Breath” virus, which was mutated to isolate and accelerate its lethal effects.
Particles of the radiation and the virus were blown south due to the weather, devastating Brooklyn and Staten Island, raising the death toll by thousands more. Queens and the Bronx remained relatively safe from the airborne threat, but the contaminated water supply still killed and hospitalized many. The rivers, though never shining examples of cleanliness, are now toxic by proximity alone. No villain, not Ultron, the Red Skull, or Thanos himself has devastated the city as much as it is now. No villain except for the cackling monster locked up in the RAFT, miles into the Atlantic.
Security was tighter than ever, Captains Yuri Watanabe and Jean DeWolff barking out orders to control the rowdy and rioting prisoners. A whole unit was stationed in front of the door to the interrogation cell holding Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, whose chilling laugh either terrified or infuriated everybody who heard it. Only one person was present in the same room, requested specifically by Osborn, the Amazing Spider-Man.
Peter Parker, at 24 years of age, has seen more evil than most others during his almost decade-long tenure as the city’s protector. A lot of it has been from Osborn himself, but he couldn’t help the feelings of horror and disgust at the idea of what his best friend’s father had done to the city, his city.
“Where’d you get the bombs Norman?! Who gave you the mutated Devil’s Breath?!” Spider-Man’s costume was battered and torn, clearly the marks of a recent struggle. Osborn’s attack was calculated and detailed, a two-pronged attack by as many villains as Osborn could contact, both imprisoned and otherwise. The main roster of Avengers, Peter included, had been fighting a new version of the Masters of Evil near the Canadian border, led in the field by the Crimson Cowl a.k.a. Justine Hammer. Simultaneously, many of the local New York heroes and vigilantes were occupied by villains on rampages spread out around the city.
It was a seemingly “normal” villain plot until Mysterio and Mr. Fear managed to…
“How did you get into Avengers tower?! You were on the other side of Queens when the New Warriors caught you, who were you conspiring with?!”
The menacing smile continued to stretch across the former-CEO’s face. “So many questions, I didn’t know you were such a fan of my work Spidey-Boy! You should’ve told me, I woulda’ cut you in on some of the action. I always thought we’d make a great team, you and I.”
Peter’s vitriolic reply was cut off by an explosion, and there stood Iron Man and Captain America, Iron Man’s repulsor raised and clearly responsible for the intrusion.
“Guys, what are you doing here? You can’t be here, especially not like this!” Spider-Man made several strides towards the heroes, only to suddenly be slammed into the wall by a Vibranium shield. Iron Man immediately shot a device at the stunned hero, wrapping his arms and torso in a metal clamp that was seemingly as strong as the armor it was shot out from, pinning him to the wall. Peter was confused why he couldn’t sense it coming, only to see an antenna perched on Iron Man’s right shoulder. He knew that Tony had been developing some sort of short-wave technology, but he didn’t think it was gonna be used to block his Spider-Sense. “What the hell!”
Neither seemed to care to acknowledge their teammate, focusing all of their rage on the prisoner before them. Norman just cackled, “Ah, if it isn’t my second and fifth favorite Avengers. I’ll let you two figure out who’s first.” His shackled hand pointed to the incapacitated hero who was furiously struggling to escape his own confinement.
Iron Man slammed his fist into the table, reducing it to scrap metal. “Damn you, you freak! How could you…Pepper…Morgan.” His head slowly lowered. Captain America stepped around the grieving hero and grabbed Goblin, lifting him in the air with one hand around his throat.
“They drugged us, violated us. Made me…” A far off look appeared in his eyes, looking more and more like the shell-shocked soldiers he led during WWII. Steve Rogers, once the unshakeable heart and leader of the Avengers, was a broken shell of himself, shield stained with blood, but not from any villain.
The smile wouldn’t leave his face, and Peter had never seen Norman look so deranged. “Oh I know, such a shame I wasn’t there to witness. Seeing the star and stripes run red must’ve been quite the sight. And Stark, you should know better than to keep your family in the most villain-populated city on earth. Even Parker over there knows better.” Iron Man roared with rage and suddenly flew forward grabbing Osborn from Steve’s grip and slamming him into a wall, cracking it.
The repulsor began charging, burning at Norman’s skin from the proximity to his face. “Tony, stop!” Peter suddenly called from his position. The metal that had trapped him was beginning to give out from the pressure he exerted.
“That’s why I like you Stark, always so emotional, so unstable. Honestly, I liked you even better when you couldn’t put down the bottle. Never had any luck breaking this one,” He nodded his head towards Spider-Man. “And good ‘ol Mr. Rogers there was just as a favor for a friend, but you, my dear competitor, breaking you was just for some fun. Figured I deserved to play on easy mode for a bit after all I’ve do–” The legendary shield was buried in the wall, just as Spider-Man snapped the metal bonds from his arms. Peter remained frozen in his position, seeing Tony step back in shock at the sight of Norman Osborn’s body, bisected by the force of the shield slamming into his body. Peter retched at the sight of his twisted smile, remaining even in death.
Steve ripped the shield out of the wall, glaring at the torso that dropped to the floor. Blood stained the star in the middle, both the blood of Osborn and the blood of Natasha Romanov, the Black Widow. Even with his greatest enemy dead before him, Peter’s Spider-Sense never quieted from its low hum.
—----------------------------—
1 Month Later
Harlem, Manhattan
The news articles were the worst part of it all. The people and the media blamed the Avengers for what happened that day, not knowing that the Avengers themselves were just as much victims as New York was. Several heroes died that day, several more heroes had families or loved ones that perished either in the initial attack or the aftermath.
They did everything they could do to help whoever was left, heroes who were impervious to the effects of the radiation and Devil’s Breath made constant patrols to find any survivors. Iron Man repurposed Chemistro’s technology to clear the city. Spider-Man enlisted the help of a younger hero, Hazmat, to use her normally-destructive powers to absorb the radiation.
Carol Danvers, the half-Kree hero known as Captain Marvel, stood beside Captain America as clean up efforts continued. So far, most of Harlem and the Upper East Side have had air conditions brought back to normal, but it didn’t stop the clench in his heart when he saw Luke Cage mourning the deaths of his wife, Jessica Jones, and their daughter Danielle.
“I never would’ve imagined that something like this would ever happen to us, to the city. I thought that by doing it this way, I could leave the war behind. I naively thought that if I fought with the ideals of a ‘superhero’ I could protect the people, even inspire them. I forgot that the fight against evil’s a war, and only the soldiers willing to do whatever it takes are the ones who can win that war.”
“There was no way you could’ve known Steve. The things those bastards made you do…nobody blames you for any of it.” She rested her hand on his shoulder.
“They should. I failed them, not just the people, but the heroes that trust me to lead them too.” He turns his shoulder, making the comforting hand drop. “They relied on me to make the calls that protect them and protect the planet, and I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t even protect her.” He folds his hand together, paying more attention to the band on his right ring finger.”
“It was on all of us. We knew we were facing Mysterio, a guy that can slip under Spider-Man’s senses. You didn’t fail us, we failed you.”
“No Carol, I’m done letting others take responsibility for my failures, done making other people suffer for them.” Tears stained the linings of the famous cowl. “Something has to give, the way we operate needs to change, before something even worse happens.
Carol seemed confused and opened her mouth to inquire, but the distant roar of repulsors grew louder as Iron Man approached with a burst of speed.
“Steve!” Iron Man flew over to the two captains, landing in front of them and raised the hologram projected from his arm to Steve. “They found Fagan. Madripoor.”
Steve grimaced at that. Alan Fagan, the newest Mr. Fear, had escaped from the Avengers on that day, only after he and Mysterio had warped their minds. Apparently he escaped to Madripoor, a country infamous for their corruption, and they had no way to legally arrest him with Madripoor’s lack of criminal extradition.
The thought that the man who broke them down and violated them so intimately could get away without any repercussion angered Steve. Madripoor as a whole angered him; it was a city of blatant corruption, practically encouraged by their prince who kept the status quo at the expense of the innocent. He had let Prince Baran go unpunished for long enough.
“Avengers Assemble.” He spoke into the headset with grit teeth. “Get the Quinjet ready. We’ve shown a lot of leniency to that cesspool. No more.” His jaw clenched and he marched away as Tony flew to gather more of the team.
—----------------------------—
Upper East Side, Manhattan
“C’mon Jennifer, just breathe. You got this.” He stood slightly behind the youngest member of the Avengers Academy, a team formed by the Avengers made up of the victims of Osborn’s previous H.A.M.M.E.R. Initiative. Originally, the team had been formed to prevent the more unstable of the young heroes from turning towards villainy, but Peter had taken it upon himself to truly mentor them to become great heroes. He had always felt a strong pull towards teaching.
“I’m exhausted, Mr. Parker, and it feels like we’ve barely made a dent in all this. I don’t know how much help a walking nuke is in a city blown up by a dirty bomb.” She lowers her arms in a huff. “Why are we even here? The real Avengers seem to be taking care of this mess just fine.”
Peter placed his hand on her shoulder and lightly spun her to face him. “First of all, you are making a difference. Even with my tolerance to radiation, it wouldn’t have been safe for me to be here without your help.” He gestured to the air around them, significantly clearer from the radiation clouds. “Secondly, you all are real Avengers. As long as you bear that title, you have a responsibility to help the people who need it. I get it, it’s hard to feel helpful when you have all that teenage angst weighing you down, but I’ve been drilling it into your heads that–”
“With great power, there must also come great responsibility. Get a new catchphrase, it’s getting old.” Another young hero interrupted. Mettle, the Iridium-skinned teen, was seen pushing his way out of a pile of rubble, his enhanced strength easily moving the mounds of concrete.
Peter was the king of snark, the OG teenage super-smartass, so he wasn’t always used to being on the receiving end of it. Shaking it off, Peter asks, “Any survivors, Ken?”
The teen rolls his eyes. “Yeah, that’s why I came out from the subway alone.” He marches off, hands clenching, clearly distressed by the lack of success.
Peter seems to understand, not reacting to the sour tone. “Hey, I get it–” Iron Man crashed down, interrupting what was sure to be a heartfelt speech.
“Why aren’t you responding.” No pleasantries, no greeting, not even any emotion in his voice.
Peter responded in kind. Normally, he’d come up with some sort of quip or joke, but standing in the ruins of what was once a strong and proud city killed any mirth he might’ve had. “To what? What’s going on, Tony?”
“Fear’s in Madripoor, we’re bringing him in.” The Iron Man mask seemed much more menacing than normal, the red and gold colors being less vibrant than what they should be.
Peter gave a double-take. “What? Tony, we still have work to do here. No matter how slim the chance, there could be survivors. That’s more important than hunting down some C-lister halfway around the world.”
“What he did to Steve is unforgivable. What they did to all of us can’t go unpunished.” Tony’s voice started gaining a bit of edge. “We sent out the call, the Quinjet’s gonna be here soon. Will you be there?”
Peter stared at Tony, “No…we’re needed here, and this is where I’ll be.”
Tony scoffed. “Fagan’s one of yours isn’t he? Just another one of your rogues that we have to take responsibility for.” He flew away without waiting for a response.
“Dude, did you just say no to Iron Man and Captain America?” Hazmat looked at him like he was stupid.
“*Sigh* I guess so.” He turned away from the retreating form of Iron Man to focus once more at the task at hand. “Let’s get back to work, shall we?”
—----------------------------—
The news reports were overwhelming, all detailing the overwhelming attack and quick surrender in Madripoor. The Avengers were practically a paramilitary force, moving in quickly and striking before the enemy realized they were even there.
Captain America himself led the attack on Madripoor’s ruling headquarters, overwhelming the capital alongside Captain Marvel, Yellowjacket, Tigra, Mockingbird, and Luke Cage. The brutality was something never seen from the Avengers, with Steve beating a man into a coma, and Luke breaking a man to the point of paralyzation. Carol and Bobbi seemed to be the only ones disconcerted by the change, but put it aside to support their teammates.
Meanwhile, Iron Man, Thor, War Machine, and The Vision launched attacks from the sky. While none were particularly eager in helping the pilots for the fallen aircrafts, Tony held an extreme apathy for them. All of this was meant to smoke out Fagan; though their contact gave them an approximate location, hiding in Madripoor isn’t exactly a challenge.
In the streets, Falcon led the Wasp, She-Hulk, and Hawkeye in the hunt for Mr. Fear.
“Anybody else getting a bad feeling about the way we’re going about this. Jen, as a lawyer, do you really have nothing to say about all this?” Hawkeye grappled from the rooftops, using his keen vision to sweep through the busy, panicking citizens.
“Sure, this isn’t ideal, but I’m also not about to abandon some of our best friends in their time of need.” She grunted as she bounded forward, blocks at a time.
“Jen’s right, Steve’s hurting, and we have to be there to support him. If we don’t, who will?” Falcon’s voice was full of compassion, but also a bit of uncertainty.
Nadia Van Dyne, the new Wasp, stayed silent, not knowing much of the team well enough to give her own input.
Hawkeye notices something peculiar, not to say the people of Madripoor were normal, but he spotted the cowl of their prime target. “Uh…I think I spotted him. Didn’t think he was that stupid, either that or really ballsy.”
“Tracing your location, don’t engage without backup.” Falcon swerved in midair, racing to catch their main target.
Rain began to fall as the four Avengers closed in on their target’s location. Mr. Fear walked through the busy streets, blissfully unaware of the danger he was in. Hawkeye zipped down from a grappling hook attached to an arrow, kicking him in the back, sending the villain flying face first into the dirt.
Fear scrambled to his feet and ran away after noticing the archer, only to collide with what felt like a brick wall. She-Hulk loomed over him, a scowl marking her face.Falcon landed on the left, the engines of his wings not making a sound. Wasp enlarged on his right, a yellow glow emanating from her wrist.
She-Hulk leaned forward, ripping off the mask of the cowardly villain, only to find it wasn’t a villain at all. A teenage boy lay on the ground, eyes wide with fear. Clint’s own eyes widened, seeing what was obviously not Alan Fagan.
“Where did you get this?” Clint spoke in Filipino to the clearly native boy.
“I…I’ll show you. I promise. Please don’t hurt me.” He was visibly terrified.
Clint was immediately remorseful. “I’m sorry, nobody’s gonna hurt you, just lead us to where you found this.”
It was pouring by the time the kid led them to where he found the cowl, an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Lowtown. The kid just pointed and ran away, none of the Avengers felt any need to go after him. Cowl in hand, Hawkeye marched into the warehouse, and came upon a terrible sight. Hanging from chains in the middle of the service room, was the body of Alan Fagan. Mr. Fear was mutilated, body parts mangled and shredded. The only part of his body not affected was his face, most likely on purpose.
“Christ. What the hell did this?” Jen scrunched her nose up in disgust. “Gored and strung up. Fagan was a bastard, but not even he deserved that.”
“For what he did to Steve and Natasha, he deserved worse.” Falcon spat on the floor. He had been close to both of them, seen how their relationship progressed, and to see it end the way it did…
Clint stared in concern, not at the body–he’s seen worse in his long career of espionage–but at Falcon’s reaction to the body. Sam Wilson has always been one of the most down-to-earth and moral members of the Avengers, someone Clint relates to and respects. To hear him speak with such bitterness and callousness was worrying to him.
“Steve, we found him. Or what’s left of him anyway. Fagan was murdered, no leads on the murder and no obvious calling cards.” Sam reached up for the comm unit in his ear.
Steve still occupied the state capitol, standing before Prince Faran, the ruling monarch of Madripoor, and Chancellor Pagani, the elected official who governed the country. He was flanked by Luke to his left and Carol to his right. The others stood around the room they had cornered the two political officials in, keeping watch over the unarmed guards.
Steve stared at the two impassively as Sam’s message was relayed. He stalked forward and grabbed the Chancellor by the collar, and the closer he got to his face, the further Steve’s scowl deepened. “What happened to Alan Fagan?” He spoke through grit teeth, almost whispering.
“I-I-I don’t kn-know. Wh-who is this you speak of?”
“Mr. Fear! You know everything that happens in this damn city, who killed Alan Fagan?!” He roared while lifting the man into the air.
“I don’t know! I didn’t know that he was even in the city!” The Chancellor cried out in fear for his life.
“Liar!” He threw the man back down to the floor. “Yellowjacket! Just as we discussed!”
The size-changing hero sharply nodded and shrunk out of view. Steve’s steely glare bored into the two cowardly officials. Steve grabbed the Chancellor’s shoulder, yanked him out of the room, while Luke grabbed the Prince and dragged him like a ragdoll. The rest of the Avengers followed the two, keeping a close watch on the guards.
Steve and Luke dragged the two out of the capitol, right through the heart of Hightown for all the residents to look on in shock, many pulling out phones to capture the event. A large shadow suddenly grew over the city, Yellowjacket standing at full height and looming over the terrified populace below. The flying Avengers all floated around the enlarged scientist, lightning crackling overhead as Thor spun the mighty Mjolnir. The people were terrified at the display of power, but Steve paid no mind as he yanked the Chancellor over to Lowtown, the impoverished, disenfranchised region of the corrupt city.
A large crowd began to gather, as Captain America held their governing official in the town square.
“These two men have exploited and stole from you all! Their own greed and corruption allowed for the abuse of this city! For too long, you all have stood powerless as they’ve broken and beaten you down, all for the sake of their luxury and position! They don’t care that their people are killed in the streets by the villains they allow to roam free, they don’t care that your children are starving and your families are torn apart! They will no longer be free to do as they please, no longer will they be allowed to abuse the people they swore to serve and protect!” The crowd began to rile up at the Captain’s words, years of injustice pushing them to a breaking point. “Show them what it means to feel powerless! Show them that they cannot get away with it anymore!” He threw the Chancellor to the ground, as Luke threw the prince right next to face, face down in the mud.
The group that had found Fagan’s body had caught up to the rest, watching on as the crowd began to flare up into a riot. Hawkeye stood speechless, as Jennifer seemed a bit unnerved.
Carol was floating in the air, horrified as the crowd swarmed the two, beating them bloody. Their screams haunted Carol, but she couldn’t find the nerve to speak up. Steve stood by, watching everything unfold with a sneer. He had hoped to feel vindicated when he brought in Fagan, but seeing the Prince and Chancellor face true justice was a fine consolation.
The giant that loomed over the horizon dissuaded any military response, and the presence of the Thunder God brought fear to the hearts of the people watching. All of it was caught on camera, showing how quickly the Avengers brought one of the most dangerous cities to its knees in one night.
The people of Lowtown swept through the rest of the city, trashing Hightown and brutalizing the upper class. It was a bloodbath, and the Avengers stood by without any intervention.
—----------------------------—
Weeks Later
The North Pole
An assembly had been called at Avengers Mountain, the secret base for the Avengers carved out of the corpse of a dead Celestial. All Avengers, current roster, reserve, or otherwise had been gathered. The most powerful group of people stood in the war room, with more being teleported in.
Peter exhaled as he appeared in the “heart” of the Progenitor, a space that acted as the Avengers’ teleportation room. He still felt weird about taking up residence in a giant corpse, but he couldn’t deny Tony’s ingenuity, every part of the Mountain was a marvel to behold.
“Hey Pete, hold up!” Johnny Storm, the Human Torch caught up to Peter as he passed the strength and conditioning room. “Hey man, you alright?”
“Hey Johnny.” The two bumped fists in greeting. “I’m ok, just…exhausted. We’ve been finding a few survivors, but it’s unlikely that many are gonna make it, even fewer that won’t have to live with some debilitating illness for the rest of their life.” He shook his head in disappointment. “I managed to convince Logan to bring a few X-Men to help out. Hope copied Hazmat’s powers and has been helping to clear the city. Storm’s helped in trying to bring a clean atmosphere back. Apparently he’s gonna try to track down Elixir, hopefully that guy can help the victims before it’s too late. It’s slow, but we’ve put a real dent in the problem.”
Johnny stopped the both of them as they reached the war room. “I’m sorry we weren’t there.” He put his hands on Peter’s shoulders. “How’s May?”
“Devastated, of course. Her and John are okay though, luckily safe and sound in Forest Hills.” He ducked his head down. “MJ called.”
Johnny winced. “How did that go?” He lowered his arms.
“Well enough, she asked how we were doing. I asked how she was doing. Then stupidly asked if she was coming back. This whole mess made her even more afraid of this life, as if a telepathic stalker wasn’t enough. There was always a little sliver of a chance we could fix things, but now it looks like she’s never leaving LA.” He chuckled humorlessly.
Johnny looked like he didn’t really know what to say. “That’s rough, buddy.”
Now Peter actually snorted. Johnny always said the right thing when it counted, even if he didn’t mean to. Peter nodded his head towards the door to give him an out, and Johnny quickly took it.
The two stepped into what looked like the start of a serious discussion. It was a bit overwhelming, seeing the sheer numbers of Earth’s Mightiest. Several of the core Avengers were surrounding a hologram table, Captains America and Marvel, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, She-Hulk, Wasp, and Yellowjacket. Around them, Falcon, Spider-Woman, Black Panther, and Quicksilver were chatting with several of the West Coast Avengers, including Wonder Man, Tigra, Hercules, War Machine, and Mockingbird. Scattered around were the likes of Scarlet Witch, Vision, Namor, and Nova, and huddled away in a corner were Luke Cage and Daredevil, both of whom looked haggard and exhausted.
Many other street level heroes were present, as were a few powerhouses like Hyperion, Starbrand and Ghost Rider, thankfully as Robbie Reyes and not the flaming skull.
The rest of the Fantastic Four were also there, waving the two over, and as they went, he managed to spot Wolverine and a few of the more Avengers-oriented X-Men.
Captain America spotted them as they entered. “Finally. Gather around everyone.” He paused, opening his mouth to speak, but closing it a few times. His fists clenched as he seemed to figure out what to say. “I know how this must seem to you all. I know how many of you must be feeling. We’ve been through dark times, but…this time was different.” His jaw slightly trembled. “When I became Captain America, I fought for a country at war. It wasn’t about virtue or heroics, it was about doing the right thing for the most people, no matter what it took from us. When I woke up from the ice, things were easier, more simple. There were clear lines in the sand, heroes were good, villains were evil. I never lost sight of reality, but I fought with a hope that the world had changed, that my war was over.”
He gripped the edges of the table, slightly cracking the screen. All present were enraptured by the speech, no matter how they felt about it. “No more.” The room suddenly felt a few degrees cooler, even the Human Torch had to suppress a shiver.
He looked up, eyes not focusing on anything or anyone. Tony stood next to him, expressionless, but the unsteadiness in his stance and the dilation of his eyes told Peter that he’d likely broken his sobriety.
“I failed you all. I led you with the naivete of a child, and the optimism of a fool. The world has changed, but the war has not, and I cannot stand by, holding on to my ‘sacred’ virtues while the world continues to burn around me.”
He swiped his hand along the hologram, displaying the Prince and Chancellor of Madripoor being lynched by the impoverished people of the corrupt nation. “Prince Baran and Chancellor Pagani exploited and abused their people, continuing a legacy of corruption that has existed since before I even became Captain America. They knowingly housed and abetted the most heinous of villains and monsters. No more.”
He swiped again, revealing the Captain’s face, fixed in determination, eyes unyielding. “The Avengers cannot continue like we have. Stepping in after the damage is being done only brings about pain. From now on, no matter who it is, no matter what authority or power they have, no more innocent lives will be taken. No. More.”
He began to move through the crowd, which parted like the Red Sea. The only sound was of his footsteps, until– “I’ll be speaking to the United Nations in an hour. I hope you all are there by my side, if not out of agreement, in respect to the Avengers.” Iron Man followed his step and stood by his side, both waiting for a reaction.
“I’ll be there.” Luke spoke up, drawing all eyes towards him. “Fuck this spandex circus. I tried playing the part of a ‘superhero’ and all it got me was a dead family. I’m done fighting on their terms.” Steve nodded, easily recognizing the kindred spirit.
Thor voiced his opinion next. “I once told you that I trusted you to lead me to Hel and back. I meant it then, and I mean it now. You have my support Steven.”
Several more voiced their support or agreement. Peter looked around, stunned by the turn of events.
Doctor Voodoo stepped forward, with Starbrand and Hellstrom. “The sorcerers of earth are under enough scrutiny as it is, our world is a lot more complicated than that of terrorists and supervillains. Respectfully, we cannot take a stance, no matter how thoughtful or righteous.” He tapped his staff to the floor, and the three disappeared in a flash of light. Tony looked pissed, finally showing some real emotion, while Cap looked on stoically.
The few that hadn’t spoken up looked either nervous or concerned. Wolverine didn’t outwardly display how he felt, but knowing the stubborn bastard as long as Peter has, he knew that Logan wasn’t as on-board as others. Seeing nobody disagree was beginning to frustrate Peter, a group of the Earth’s Mightiest couldn’t even speak up for common sense.
Peter stepped forward, Johnny reached for him, but Peter quickly maneuvered out of his reach. He marched up to the two iconic figureheads of the Avengers, two of the most influential people on the planet. Captain America stared him down, unsure of what he was picking up from the expressionless mask.
“Don’t do this Steve. Please.” His voice was low, just enough so that the super soldier’s enhanced senses could pick it up. He idolized Steve Rogers, a man whose indomitable will had shaped Peter’s own worldview. “I know you're hurting, more than anyone else, I understand what you’re going through. This isn’t the way to do this, you need time to grieve.”
The man’s eyes flicked down, but quickly looked back up. There was a sliver of something in his eyes, something Peter couldn’t fully identify, but he took it as a good sign…until Steve responded. “Will you stand with us?” And with that, Peter’s mind was made.
Steve looked down to see Spider-Man’s Avengers card, given to all of the active Avengers. He said nothing, but no words needed to be spoken anyway. Steve took the card from his grasp, and Spider-Man swiftly walked out the door. Everybody was stunned. Despite what people like to say, and how Spider-Man portrays himself, Peter was an extremely influential figure among the heroes, a guy who's seen and done it all, but still fights for the little guy every day.
More movement occurred, with Daredevil following the open door. The vigilante didn’t have an Avengers card himself, but his action was clear as day, trailing Spider-Man and ignoring the small noise of protest from Luke.
The present X-Men were next. “James…please don’t…” Words fell on deaf ears as Wolverine also handed over his membership card.
“Mutants are already hated and hunted. I’m not giving them any more reason to, not even for you Steve.” A few of the mutants present seemed to disagree, but still followed the headmaster of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.
Steve stood by visually unphased, but his hands clenched together tightly enough to strain the gloves to the point of tearing. Many others stood by and watched the interactions with a nervous gaze; several still seemed reluctant to follow Steve’s request, but were either too scared or too unsure to leave the room.
“I’ll see you all at the UN tomorrow.” Without another word, Steve left the room, with Iron Man right by his side. Lines had been drawn, and knowingly or not, the actions today would change the course of history.