Chapter Text
Regarding Investigations and Consequences
Steve Rogers was home. Despite the horror of the latest debacle – and what had Stark been thinking, messing around with tech like that! He should have told Steve what he was working on, he should never have had a look at that sceptre. If the sceptre even was involved in ULTRON, which Steve very much doubted.
No, that was all down to Stark's stupidity in messing with things he didn't understand – and who in their right mind would think some kind of artificial intelligence would be a good idea, let alone think Stark was in any way qualified to develop it? – not to mention his ego.
Nat was right, that ego influenced damn near everything the man did.
If he had just come to Steve and told him what he was doing, he would have been able to tell the man that he was in the wrong.
Honestly, everyone should know that Steve would know better than Stark in... well, everything really. Steve was, after all, a Good ManTM (made even more so thanks to his super soldier serum, that was why he had been chosen after all, Erskine had told him so); and Stark... well, he just wasn't. As everyone, worldwide, knew. Honestly, could the man not go a week without having to be in the media in some way? Steve really didn't understand some people...
But yes: despite the inappropriateness that was ULTRON and everything that had resulted from that, things were really looking up for Steve and his Avengers.
With the ULTRON fiasco, Stark had decided – and been strongly encouraged by the team, rightfully so – to take a step back from the team. Not that he was ever really on the team in the first place: he was just a consultant, after all. But that man not being around... Well. Steve couldn't say he would miss him.
Sure, he was useful in some respects – that suit was a heavy hitter, but he was sure they could just find another pilot for the Iron Man suit if it really came down to it. How hard could it be if Tony piloted it? He was just a civilian, after all, unlike the rest of them. Not to mention his money and resources, that was certainly useful. As much as he didn't like thinking that way about anyone, really that was about all the man was actually good for: paying the way.
Might as well use all that ill begotten blood money for good through funding the Avengers, after all.
As much as Steve despised it and thought people who thought of and relied on nothing else were deplorable, money really was an essential in the modern world. And, if you were going to be a superhero and save the world, you really did need some sort of funds.
And really, it had been partly on a little funding from a Stark that Steve had become Captain America in the first place, become super-human. Not that Tony could ever hope to live up to the greatness that had been Howard Stark – he had been a good friend – but he should at least attempt to make what little steps he could. It was only right after all that he continued where his father had left off. (Steve had been disappointed upon hearing about and then meeting the younger Stark. Howard would have been so disappointed...)
He would make sure Stark kept funding them now that he was gone as well. Steve had, after all, decided that this compound would be their permanent base, and had signed the paperwork to say so when Stark had handed him it.
He hadn't wanted to, seeing it as pointless and beneath him. However, Stark had said it would save problems down the road. Really, they were superheroes: whatever they did was fine, why would they need to justify it? However, he had consented in the end, as he didn't need any negativity pointed his way for ludicrous reasons. He hadn't bothered reading it, of course, he had far better things to do with his time. Just signed on the dotted line (so to speak) to be done with Stark quicker.
His leaving also took some of the negative public view away from the Avengers: they didn't want to be seen associating with the likes of him, not when the man was being investigated for creating ULTRON.
And really, why was an investigation even necessary? Stark was guilty, they all knew it. Still, Stark had said he was going through with it, so he wasn't about to complain; just as long as it all stayed far away from Steve and his people. It was, after all, neither his fault nor his problem.
Him being away also meant more peace for Steve to find his Bucky. It was necessary to hide the truth from Stark, after all: the man wasn't exactly stable at the best of times, and he was not about to put Buck in danger by having him around the engineer who could snap at any minute should he ever find that the Winter Soldier had almost certainly killed his parents.
Stark should be able to understand that it wasn't Bucky, but Steve wasn't about to put any faith in the man's reasoning skills or even simple common sense. Certainly not his emotional maturity, the man was little more than an overgrown child by all accounts! Really, the file he had been given on the man before meeting him had been too kind in some respects, in Steve's opinion.
No, it was far better that Stark was far away from Bucky, and anything relating to him.
Speaking of Bucky, Wanda Maximoff had been a gift from God Almighty Himself. He felt for her, he truly did: losing her family so early at Stark's hands, it was easy to understand her hatred of him. Then being tricked by HYDRA into working for them! She was just like him, after all: volunteering for a German scientist to experiment on her, to give her powers in order to fight for her country.
Not to mention, with her mental manipulation powers she might be able to help him with his Bucky. Who knew how much help the man would need to get rid of the Winter Soldier? He knew his friend was still in there – why else would he have pulled him out of that river but for the memory of their friendship, the reawakening of their deep connection even after seventy years apart? – but the fact that he hadn't come to find Steve yet despite knowing he had survived the ice and knew that Steve knew that Bucky had survived his fall told him that he might still be struggling to throw off HYDRA's decades of control. Why else wouldn't he have come to him, after all? But Steve would be there for his friend, he really would. He just had to find him first...
Then there was the public side of things: after all, with them accepting young Wanda as an Avenger – not that the public had any say, that was his decision as leader, but even Natasha had said before that it was important how the people saw them, and he was inclined to believe her as she knew people and how to understand the public – then they would have no problem accepting an unwilling, formerly brainwashed torture victim. Of course everything the Winter Soldier had done would be waived away in relation to Buck: after all, it was in no way his fault. And Steve himself could and would vouch for that. With Captain America supporting him, there was no way anyone would be able to speak out against his Buck!
Wanda was also powerful which meant that, even with Stark leaving, they still had a heavy hitter. Not to mention the Vision who was, while very strange, also apparently quite powerful. Not that they wouldn't all be wary around him, of course: after all, look at the last time Stark had dabbled in artificial intelligence... Still: Steve wasn't about to judge him because of Stark, and would at least give the... android? Was that the term that had been used? The strange red being a chance without his view of the... being being tainted by the association with his creator.
Steve had his family together, and a new, better team – all of whom would listen to him, and who would know better than to question or argue with him when he knew best. (Unlike some people.)
He even had Sam as an official Avenger now! And with Banner gone, that meant things were more relaxed amongst the team, with the threat of the man Hulking out now gone. He hadn't fully realised how oppressive that stress was until it was gone.
He was concerned about the other man, of course: he had disappeared after the battle, and not even Nat's resources had been able to find him. Still: there wasn't much else they could do to find him. If he needed help, he should surely call. And really, running off after a battle? They at least knew he was most likely still alive – the Big Guy was notoriously hard to kill, after all. No, this was probably just Dr Banner hiding from his problems again, no doubt. A pity: he hoped he would turn up again soon. Not to rejoin the team of course , but just to make sure he was alright. Steve looked after his team.
Thor he liked well enough, but he wasn't overly bothered that he had left. No one had been particularly close personally to the alien, so no one had really said anything about his departure.
All in all, life was looking good post-ULTRON. Life was looking very good.
So of course that's when things started to go wrong for Steve and his Avengers.
***
It had been a beautiful day, a few weeks after ULTRON and returning to the US, when they came around one otherwise calm and quiet mid morning.
Steve didn't know what was going on when the convoy of black unmarked cars and vans – were they armoured? he thought they were... – pulled up to the compound, but he didn't like it.
He liked it even less when they told him who they were.
Who the hell did this alphabet soup of agencies think they were to come around bothering the Avengers?!
"Mr Rogers, if you would stay calm and stop all this pointless blustering, you might actually hear why we are here," One of the agents who seemed to be in charge – Steve hadn't caught his name, had he even given it? That was rude not to do so – said dryly, looking moments away from rolling his eyes. Which, Steve thought, was beyond uncalled for! "Now, if you would please call your 'team' together, they can all be brought up to speed on what is happening at once. You were informed we were coming today, Mr Rogers, it is hardly our fault if you apparently forgot."
Steve scowled at the man, affronted and annoyed that he dared lie straight to his face. "I never got any phone calls!"
"You received an official notice by email, sir, and a follow up three days ago to remind you." (Not strictly procedure, but there were those on the panel selected who felt that it was likely the man might have ignored or – more optimistically – missed the original email. Evidently, they had been correct. Jesus Christ.) "As we did not hear back from you to say otherwise, we assumed that this time would be suitable. Now, if you please," And not leaving Steve any room to reply, he somehow managed to herd Steve back through to the common area, where the others had gathered as well.
"Steve?" Sam asked, looking concerned as Steve walked into the room followed by multiple suits. "What's going on?"
"I'm Agent Ross with the CIA – no relation – this is Special Agent Morris with the F.B.I., and Dr Yavas, liaison with the UN investigative panel. We are here to talk to you about the incident concerning the entity known as 'ULTRON', and related matters. There's going to be some changes around here, folks."
Steve immediately scowled. The nerve of these people, coming in here bothering them about that! Wanda didn't need the reminder, she had lost her brother that day. "Then you should be talking to Stark, not us," He snapped sharply. "It was his fault."
"We have spoken with Dr Stark." Came the dry reply. "There has been an extensive ongoing investigation into the matter, and Dr Stark has co-operated fully. Unlike the lot of you, I might add. And as it happens, ULTRON was not, in fact, Dr Stark's fault. He did not create it."
There was a beat of disbelieving silence at that, before Nat scoffed. "Can't be very good at your job then, 'Agent'. Anyone with a brain knows Stark created that thing."
"Ms Romanoff, as your 'brain' has already proven to be questionable at best in the past, you are hardly qualified to be making such judgements."
Nat scowled, furious at the slight. "Excuse me?!"
"We'll get to you in a few minutes, Ms Romanoff, never you fear. And I simply meant that your decision making – and observational – skills have proven in recent years to be... well. Lacking.
"Now." The Agent gave them all a decidedly cold smile, and Steve saw Sam shifting uncomfortably under it. He wanted to reassure him, tell him that this would all be alright, that it was some sort of mistake, but the so-called 'C.I.A. agent' continued speaking before he could do much more than open his mouth. "I am here today to share with you the result of that investigation, and to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice."
"Stark's locked up then?" Nat sneered, looking disgusted, "Bastard'll just buy his way out, you know."
"Are you hard of hearing, Ms Romanoff?" Dr Yavas spoke up, deceptively sweetly. "Agent Ross distinctly said Dr Stark was not responsible. A full investigation has been undertaken, and he has been cleared of all suspicion."
"Then why come here to find whoever's responsible? Who is responsible?"
"Who indeed?" She gave them a cold smile. "First off, who among you know of the UN investigative panel?"
No one raised their hands, and she looked around in disgusted disbelief.
"Seriously? Don't any of you ever even watch the news? What do you people do all day?! You don't even have jobs! And no, Mr Rogers," She added sharply, seeing him open his mouth to reply. "'Avenging' is not a real job.
"Simply put, the UN panel investigates any occurrence that is out of the ordinary – whether enhanced, alien, magic, or similar – and which crosses international borders. For example, they investigated and tried Prince Loki of Asgard and Jötunheim within the ICC for his role in the invasion of New York back in 2012."
Steve was surprised to hear this. He had had no idea Loki had got a trial on Earth: he was pretty sure Thor had taken the bastard back to Asgard to be sentenced there (and he had been there, he had witnessed their departure) before anyone could get their hands on him – much to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s displeasure. They had wanted to question him before he left the planet, as far as Steve knew.
Yavas, however, did not expand on this topic. No matter, Steve was sure Nat would know. Though why she had neglected to tell him about it... No, she probably hadn't heard either, but he was sure she could find out. She was great like that.
"Now. The UN has investigated for the past three months, gathering and reviewing all possible evidence, and has come to the conclusion that Dr Stark was not responsible for the being calling itself 'Ultron' coming online."
Clint scoffed at that. "All due respect, but everyone knows Stark created the murder bot. Whatever 'evidence' he provided was obviously faked,"
"The evidence was gathered by parties independent of Dr Stark, and he made all his own footage from both the Iron Man suit, the quin-jet and Stark Tower available to us," The doctor responded coldly. "Shall I outline the course of events as established during the course of the investigation for you? Don't worry, I'll use small words." No one was liking that cold, cold smile at all.
"Back in 2012, the artefact known as 'Loki's Sceptre' was acquired by Strategic Homeland Information Enforcement and Logistics Division and later lost to HYDRA – a fact overlooked in that idiotic data dump you morons did two years later. And make no mistake, we'll be coming back to that.
"While in HYDRA's hands, they used it for human experimentation. Among the volunteers for this were the Maximoff twins, both of whom survived.
"Do not even think about it Maximoff, if you attempt to harm anyone here in any way the consequences will be severe.
"As I was saying, the sceptre – as you know – was kept in a HYDRA base in Sokovia, and the Maximoffs joined the ranks. Thanks in large part to the Data Dump of 2014, the files were easy enough to obtain. The contents of which are... disturbing, to say the least.
"Over the course of the intervening years until the 'Avengers' found and reclaimed the sceptre, the Maximoff twins trained their powers.
"Now, I am sure you are all aware – though why you all seem to have conveniently forgotten she used it on you, I have no idea – Ms Maximoff can create visions, drive people into their fears.
"When Dr Stark found the sceptre in that hidden room, she manipulated his mind: showed him his greatest fear, and placed a strong compulsion on him. In her own words, she 'wanted him to destroy himself.'
"The result of this vision was ULTRON. Of course, Ms Maximoff was not the only one at fault there, but her actions directly resulted in its creation. Stop interrupting me Rogers! Maximoff, try anything, and you will be taken down with lethal force. Do not test me.
"The sceptre contained a malicious consciousness, which we were already partly aware of due to Prince Loki's testimony. When it was taken back to Stark Tower by the Avengers, it managed to escape, for lack of a better word. That consciousness decided to take over the ULTRON program and become it: Stark did not create it. It just stole the name. All evidence agrees with Dr Stark's testimony that he and Dr Banner were not even close to an interface when they had scrapped the programme, and that it was only brought up again because of Ms Maximoff and her ludicrous desire for misguided revenge upon Dr Stark.
"QUIET, Maximoff! I will not tell you again.
"As I was saying, Prince Thor's Mjörnir-induced electrical spike fully released the artificial intelligence from the sceptre, which assimilated the ideas of the ULTRON programming but not its entirety. By escaping, it was able to access the internet therefore the world. Thus, in attempting to fulfil the ULTRON programme objective of 'saving the world' the entity newly calling itself ULTRON decided that the best way to do that from the information it had available – and let's be clear here, that was the internet, so damn near everything! – was to annihilate the human race.
"This is all highly simplified of course, as the actual explanations would be too complex for any of you to grasp going by the information available on you and what mental capabilities you have shown in the past. As it clearly shows, however, Dr Stark was not responsible for the entity known as ULTRON. "
There was a moment of disbelieving silence at this, before Steve and the other Avengers seemingly realised that the irreverent woman was apparently done with her little speech.
"Wait, are you trying to blame Wanda?" Steve demanded, incredulous and filling with righteous fury. How dare they! "She's just a kid!"
The agent who had introduced himself as Ross rolled his eyes, and glowered at Steve, while the other agents stared at him incredulously. "The twenty six year old woman is not a kid, Rogers. You saying so does not make it true. And yes," He added, turning his glare on Wanda. "We are here to ensure she is held accountable for her actions. Both before and during the ULTRON debacle."
Wanda seethed beside Steve, her powers coming into play as she glared with hatred at the agents. "This is Stark!" She cried, red seeping around her hands and pooling in the air around her. "Stark put you up to this! He hates me, he wants me dead! Steve – !"
"No, Ms Maximoff, you hate him and you want him dead. This is well documented – we have multiple incidences of un-doctored footage from various sources showing you yourself saying so. You were warned before, do not attempt to use your powers on us. We have been authorised to subdue you by any means if necessary, but it will only hurt your case. I suggest you come willingly to be questioned to fully establish your side of the tale, and do not attempt to harm anyone here in any way. Should you fight back, that will only add additional assault charges to your frankly already miles long list."
"Now wait just one moment!" Steve puffed up, affronted. How dare they! "Wanda hasn't done anything wrong! You have no right to threaten her, she's just a child!"
"Again, Rogers, she is not a child. Nowhere in the world is twenty six considered anything but an adult.
"And no one is threatening her. We are simply informing you all of what will happen if you attempt to resist arrest in any way – "
"Arrest?!" Sam yelped, looking at them in disbelief. "Why would you arrest her?!"
"Frankly, Mr Wilson, everyone here is under arrest. Well – detained for enquiry, if you prefer it that way. You will come quietly and submit to questioning, though you have the right to remain silent. A lawyer will be provided for you at the base if you so choose. No one is being threatened or being treated in any way different than any other person would be: the consequences of resisting arrest or attacking anyone are well known, and the rules are no different for the lot of you.
"As for Maximoff not doing anything wrong?" The agent stared at Steve in disbelief. "That there is a voluntary HYDRA agent."
"I was tricked!" Wanda shrieked, still furious and seething with anger, trembling in fear, though thankfully keeping her powers to herself for now. Steve hoped she would be able to hold on: she didn't have much training, the hold she had on her powers already was impressive and he was so proud of her.
Yavas snorted at this. "You have the power to read and manipulate minds, Maximoff. Even if, when you first volunteered, you believed they were S.H.I.E.L.D. – and let's be clear here, frankly everyone finds that debatable but if you want to use that as a defence, go for it – after you gained your powers do you really expect anyone to believe you did not know the truth?"
Steve scowled at this. "Wanda was tricked! She couldn't have known, she doesn't know how to use her powers purposefully like that!"
"Really?" Came the dry reply. "So are you claiming that she has little control?"
"She's training!"
"Then why did you decide you could add her to the Avengers?" She asked with a borderline malicious grin. "If she has little control, then she is a liability, and a danger to both the team and the public. Do you truly believe she should be out on the field?"
The Avengers had not really been out in the field since ULTRON – there had been little need to be. They had focused on bonding together as a team, and moving properly into the Compound.
They had been looking for Bucky, and had a couple of field trips as such, but mostly they had stayed quiet.
And thank God for that, though Steve would not realise that for some time. The public mostly knew very little about Wanda, just that she was now an 'Avenger' and that she had helped them in Sokovia.
Steve had no answer to that, but he didn't get the opportunity to reply anyway as Ross was already speaking again.
"Now. Are you all going to come quietly? Right now you are only being detained for questioning, not all of you will have charges levelled against you at the end of this no doubt. If you had bothered to answer your emails and co-operate with the investigation, we would not need to bring you in like this. And please be advised," He added, voice hardening as Steve shifted into a better fighting stance, prepared to protect his team. "We are authorised to take you in by force, if necessary."
Several guns were raised and pointed at them, as a tall, lean woman in a pantsuit came forwards at a gesture from Ross from where she had slipped in at the back a few minutes ago.
She was stunningly beautiful, but what struck Steve more was that she looked utterly unimpressed with them. With him. Her piercingly green eyes were positively disdainful as they raked him up and down, lips quirking as she raised her eyes to meet his with a mocking smirk.
Pale skin contrasted strikingly with luxuriously long jet black hair, and her folded arms drew Steve's gaze rather unwillingly to not unimpressive cleavage that the green shirt she wore beneath her dark suit jacket showcased in a way he did not like about this century. Really, why would women wear pantsuits? It was indecent. Still, at least that was better than the travesty that was apparently the 'mini skirt'. That was just asking for trouble... A girl should really cover up more.
Still, as much as Steve was utterly certain he had never met this woman before, there was something about her that made him feel he really should know who she was...
There was also something deeply unsettling about how she seemed utterly unconcerned about being faced with literal superheroes, all of whom could rip her apart as far as Steve was aware.
How she looked him in the eye and smirked, and how, if Steve was reading the room correctly (and he was), she was there to deal with him if necessary but, more importantly, with Wanda.
How could this strange woman possibly deal with the powers of the young girl? As far as Steve was aware, only Vision could possibly hope to have a chance against her in a comparison of power strength.
It was an unsettling thought. There was no way she could possibly take Wanda...
Wanda didn't seem to have picked up on any of this, however, though Steve did notice Nat looking narrow eyed at the newcomer.
Wanda, stressed to breaking point as she was and understandably being pushed over the edge after all that had been heaped on her head today (and Steve was so proud of how she had been holding up, she was such a strong girl, he was so impressed she had managed to hang on this long, it was understandable she was stressed and would of course lose control a little), let out a shriek of anger, and tried to blast these... invaders of their home away with her powers.
Key word being 'tried'.
The red mist didn't even reach them, dissipating into nothing as green flashed in front of her, coalescing into cuffs around her wrists, before seeming to sink into her skin and vanishing.
Wanda shrieked again, looking down at her hands in utter horror. "What – what – what have you done to me, you BITCH?" She screamed, looking wildly round and focusing her anger – and her fear, the poor girl was very obviously utterly terrified in that moment, but none of the suits were moved in the slightest, which was appalling! – on the strange woman. Who had waved her hand almost lazily when Wanda had lashed out, and whom had apparently been the one to stop her.
Which... how?! That... that shouldn't have been possible!
"My, you are an unpleasant little creature aren't you. I bound your powers. Be glad I did not remove them permanently. Test my patience, and make no mistake, I will do so."
There was a dark promise in that final sentence, and Steve again got the feeling that he knew this... person.
He had no idea who she was, though.
And he was not about to let this continue. "How dare you! You have no right! Release her right now!" He commanded.
"Mm, not bad. Very commanding." She smirked, and he got the rather unpleasant feeling that he was being mocked.
He felt... powerless, facing this woman. He had no idea who she was, he knew he could beat her in physical strength – she didn't look like much, take away her magic (which he was sure he could combat, he was Captain America after all) and it would be child's play – but... But. There was something about her. It was the way she held herself, he thought. How she looked at him
Like she held all the power here, and he was an insignificant little gnat in comparison. Easily squashed.
He hadn't felt this powerless since he had been a skinny little sickly twig back in Brooklyn, and he did not appreciate it.
"Then release her!" He declared as confidently and as strongly as he could, keeping the commanding tone that usually worked on people. (Granted, those people were usually considerably more star struck than this... strange person before him was, but he was sure it would work all the same.)
"She's a danger to herself and to those around her. No."
"You just said he's commanding!" Sam didn't sound great, beyond confused and getting agitated. He was holding it together very well, but clearly unsure whether they were supposed to fight back here or not. He'd wait for Cap's lead, Steve was sure. "He's Captain America! You have to listen to him!"
The woman snorted, looking over at Sam with a smirk that was more pitying than amused this time. "Honey, I'm royalty. I am well accustomed to ignoring commanding people.
"And even if I was not, I absolutely do NOT have to listen to Rogers. Now are you going to come quietly, or do I have to deal with you all? And believe me: it will not be difficult." Her gaze swept over them all, assessing and very clearly finding them wanting.
Steve looked over the agents and the guns they had trained on them – not to mention this strange woman who was still staring at them all coolly and oh so very disdainfully, the sheer gall of her...! – before looking round at his people.
If he could take that woman out first...
He frowned, and looked back at the others with her. He was quicker than the agents, he was sure about that – and they didn't look like real guns anyway.
He rushed the woman. She didn't react at all, beyond the sardonic eyebrow he saw arch as he charged towards her.
The last things he registered before he passed out was the sting of three tranquiliser darts, the cold amusement in that disconcertingly green gaze and dancing across those cruel lips, and Sam shouting in the background that they surrendered.
***
When Steve woke up, he was lying on a dilapidated bed in a small cell.
No. No! How could this have happened?!
Where... where were the others? Damn!
"Hey!" He shouted, climbing to his feet and shaking off the woozy-ness that momentarily had his head in a vice. "Hey, let me out of here! You have no right to lock me up like this! HEY!"
He heard a door open finally, and then the sound of footsteps coming towards him – towards his cell, and how dare they! He was Captain. America! – a few minutes after he had woken up.
He probably shouldn't have been surprised to see the strange woman from earlier appear in front of his cell – and if needed, he was sure he could easily pull the bars apart and escape, but for now he needed to find the others and maybe this woman (the bitch) would be able to tell him something. She was accompanied by a guard in tactical gear and carrying a gun he now recognised as holding tranquiliser darts – that must have been how they took him down earlier.
Cowards. Too scared to fight him like real men, were they? Well, he'd show them!
She also looked amused. "Finally awake, I see. About time. I thought for being a so-called 'super soldier' you were supposed to have better metabolism?"
Steve scowled at her, which just made her smirk widen. There was a certain amount of unholy glee in her eyes, and Steve knew that she was enjoying this immensely.
"Ms Silva," The guard next to her spoke, but he too sounded more amused than chiding as he nudged her back on track.
She waved a dismissive hand, huffing irritably. "Yes, yes: I know. Now, Mr Rogers, are you going to co-operate, or are you going to continue to be difficult? Before you answer, you should know that the charge of attempting to resist arrest has already been added to your list."
"Co-operate with what?" He snapped, and she smiled. It was not a nice smile, coldly pleasant as it was.
Oh, she was definitely enjoying having him here in this position. That bitch.
"You are required to answer some questions. The rest of your little team is currently doing likewise, though Ms Maximoff has so far refused to speak other than to yell profanities. Thus not helping her own case, you do realise."
"My team is here?" He demanded, stepping closer to the bars and grabbing on to two, looming as much as he could with his larger stature.
She was utterly unimpressed.
Seriously, what was wrong with this woman?!
"Naturally. Upon your sedation, Staff Sergeant Wilson made the logical choice to co-operate with us, and encouraged the others to do the same. Maximoff, as expected, was not happy, but frankly we all have better things to do with our time than deal with temper tantrums so she is currently cooling off by herself. Barton and Romanova were likewise unimpressed, but grudgingly conceded to 'play along', in the little spider's words and at least had the common decency not to make a needless spectacle of themselves in such a way as the little terrorist has been doing. The Vision was the only other one who put up no resistance, and actually seemed to have some basic understanding of the situation you lot are in."
"If you hurt them - !"
"Rogers, they are detained for questioning by members of your country's legitimate law enforcement. Of course they are unharmed. Any trouble they find themselves in they will have brought upon themselves.
"As you will do so if you decide to resist. Though, I suppose I should warn you, you will not get very far."
Steve eyed the tranquiliser gun, and the guard wielding it: yeah, Steve could take him. He was obviously the bigger threat here: the woman, as much as he did not wish to harm her – he knew better than to hit a woman, regardless of how much of a bitch she was; though he did not like using such language especially not regarding a lady it was called for in this case, but his mother had raised him better than that – would be easy enough to take down after that.
She saw his gaze, and snorted. "Rogers, he's just here to have an official presence... well, present. I assure you, I will have no difficulty whatsoever in restraining you myself should you attempt anything.
"Oh, and just so you know: I am not an official member of any American or UN law enforcement organisation, therefore I am not subject to the same regulations as they are. Bottom line?" Her smile widened, and turned borderline malicious. She was clearly enjoying this, and Steve was not impressed whatsoever. "I can and will happily hurt you, and there's very little anyone could do about it. So I suggest you come quietly."
Steve gaped, unable to believe the sheer gall and arrogance of this woman.
Who even was she?! 'Ms Silva' didn't really tell him anything.
***
Steve had been brought to an interrogation room, where he was joined by the strange woman and the Agent from earlier. There were also a couple of guards in the room with him.
In case he tried anything, he was informed.
He had been read his rights, but had decided he couldn't be bothered waiting for a lawyer just yet. He was an Avenger, he could get this all cleared up before they even arrived, so he had agreed to start the 'conversation' without them present.
"Before we begin, Mr Rogers, we would like your consent to perform a scan to detect any magics that may be influencing you. By your own admission – we were given access to the recordings from the ULTRON debacle, as you were informed earlier – Wanda Maximoff influenced your mind during the fight in Johannesburg to acquire Vibranium, and we would like to ensure that no lasting damage was done. Purely precautionary, you understand. We already have evidence of others being negatively affected and continuing to be so, so do you consent to be checked out? It should only take a moment, and can be done right here."
Steve had been about to protest that no one was influencing him, but then frowned when Morris brought up the fight for the vibranium. Wanda had manipulated his mind then, hadn't she...
He frowned. "What kind of damage?"
"So far the result of only one minor attack as you have suffered to the best of our knowledge has resulted in minor mental scarring, but it is better to be safe than sorry, don't you agree? With the serum, it may have reacted differently in your brain chemistry. We also found that Dr Stark had been repeatedly attacked, with Ms Maximoff's magic lingering with malicious intent and were able to safely remove it. We need to make sure she did not attack you again without your knowledge as she has repeatedly done him."
Steve wanted to argue with that, but... Well. Wanda had attacked him that one time.
And, honestly, he wasn't surprised her magic had lashed out at Stark: after all, it was an extension of her and she had little control of it since she was so young, though of course what she did have was incredible. With her afraid of him as he had taken her whole family from her... Well. He deserved whatever she had done to him, no doubt.
"She's not influencing me."
"Be that as it may, will you allow us to check the damage from the attack you know she did launch on you?"
Steve hesitated, then nodded.
"Apologies, Mr Rogers, but we need verbal confirmation for the records."
"Yes, you can scan me..."
Morris nodded to Silva, who stepped up to Steve's side.
Her expression was serious, and for once he did not get the feeling that she was laughing at him. Nor that she could and most likely would quite cheerfully maim him at any given moment.
"This should not hurt, Rogers. Attacks on the mind are no laughing matter, and can result in extensive damage if the one attacking does not know – or care – what they are doing. Please hold still, this will only take a moment."
Steve didn't really want this woman messing around with his head, but apparently she was the one for the job, and he had just consented, so...
It felt a little like a cool mist washed over him, seeping into his skin and a slight breeze whispering through his mind, if he had had to describe it in any way. For a moment, his inner artist almost wanted to capture the impression and put it down on paper. But how would you ever do such a thing justice?
It only lasted a moment, before Silva was straightening up from where she had leant towards him and turning to Morris.
"There's a minor amount of scarring from the known attack, but nothing damaging and nothing further. She is not influencing him in any way using her magic: this is all him."
Morris nodded, and thanked her. She left the room after that, and Steve found himself grateful.
He did not like that woman.
"Who is that?" He asked as soon as she had left, and Morris looked back up at him from where he had been perusing the file in front of him before glancing at the door then back at him.
"That's Loka Silva. She was approached by the UN when they heard about what Ms Maximoff could do and asked to examine her victims. She had already come here to find out about the witch herself – I believe she knows Thor, and had noticed the scarring in his mind – so agreed to help us readily enough."
"Why her, though?"
Morris shrugged. "She's a powerful sorcerer... mage... I dunno what the proper term is, actually, but she's powerful and she knows what she's doing. And the UN knows and works with her, so naturally she would be the one they would call."
"She said she was royalty."
"She is."
"...Like... Like Thor? Is she not from Earth?" Steve was pretty sure Wanda was the only magic user around here, after all. Certainly to the best of his knowledge, and why would he not know if it were otherwise? He was Captain America.
"Mm. No, she isn't. But Ms Silva is not the subject of this discussion, Mr Rogers. You are."
Right. Because apparently... what? He was being accused of... crimes? Preposterous.
"I'm still not entirely sure why I'm here."
"And yet you would be if you have just listened when we told you, and co-operated when we asked you nicely to come in.
"Mr Rogers, as you were informed, there has been an ongoing investigation into ULTRON and what happened there. We would like to hear your perspective on what happened, if you please. If you would start with how you came to be in possession of the sceptre in the first place?"
"Well, we were hunting HYDRA bases."
"I see. And why, exactly, were you doing that?"
Steve frowned, confused. "We're the Avengers."
"Yes, and HYDRA is a terrorist organisation. So why were you hunting them?"
"Well, it's our duty. I fought them in the War, you know. Nat, Sam and I exposed them back in 2014 in the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and then needed to finish the job so found what bases we could. When Thor returned for Loki's sceptre, we realised it was likely in HYDRA's hands, so we decided to search for it."
"I see. And who funded you?"
"Well... Stark, of course. It's the only thing he's good for, you know? S.H.I.E.L.D. had decided he was better off as a consultant than a full member, so we kept that up when they fell. He funded us and provided our equipment."
"And acted as Iron Man?" Came the dry question, and Steve somehow completely missed the utterly unimpressed air around the agent. The man quickly drew his professional mask around him again, wincing a little at his slip – but not overly bothered, the blonde slab of muscle in front of him clearly hadn't even noticed.
"Well, yes. When it was required, I suppose. He didn't even want to help in the first place. Selfish man, he refused to fund us or help when we first went to him a few months after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"And when did he join you?"
"Well, when Thor returned. He... he didn't seem pleased about Loki's sceptre being lost, and agreed to help Thor find it."
"Thus funding you and negotiating your entry into sovereign borders,"
Steve frowned, confused. "What? Why would we need to negotiate? We're the Avengers, we're helping people, they know that. And we were hunting HYDRA, no one could know we were coming in case they escaped."
The agent blinked at him, nonplussed, before shaking his head a little and moving on. "And where and how did you find the sceptre?"
"A HYDRA base in Sokovia. It had better protection than the other bases, alien technology Thor said, so we thought that that was the likely location of the sceptre. After Stark got the shields down he went inside and found the sceptre while the rest of us dealt with the remaining enemy. He secured the sceptre and we finished up at the base before returning to America."
"And were you aware then that Dr Stark had been mentally attacked by Ms Maximoff?"
Steve couldn't help but roll his eyes. Of all the petty levels for Stark to stoop to... "No she didn't," He scoffed. "If Stark told you that, he's lying. We didn't even meet Wanda there, her recently deceased brother was the only one at that base then who engaged us in the fight."
Morris arched an eyebrow at him, and ignored that little pointed jab. Sympathy for the terrorist? Please. He wasn't about to fall for that. "Dr Stark did not tell us that – he had no idea himself at the time. The security footage recovered from both the base and Dr Stark's suit revealed the truth."
Steve blinked.
"The footage clearly shows Ms Maximoff attacking and then letting Stark leave with the sceptre. As she herself said in that footage, she wanted him to take it. She wanted him to do something that would destroy him. What, she was not specific on out loud."
Steve didn't really have an answer to that, but even if he had – he wanted to defend Wanda, but he knew she had been misguided back then, and that she was really a good girl despite what she had been forced into doing before – he wouldn't have had a chance to verbalise it as Morris was already moving on.
"What happened when you returned to America? Where was the sceptre?"
"Well, Thor said Stark and Dr Banner could study it."
"And you agreed?"
"Well – yes, I suppose. We needed to know what it was."
"So they studied it?"
"I... I guess? I mean, they said they would. Obviously they did more than study it though, since they used it to create ULTRON."
"As you have already been told, they did not create ULTRON, there was already a malicious consciousness within the sceptre. When did you become aware it had activated?"
"Uh – what?"
"When did you become aware of ULTRON?"
"Stark's program? Well, it was after the party – Thor was leaving and we had retrieved the sceptre, Stark insisted on having a party. I think Hill organised it, there was a lot of people. I dunno, I don't like that kind of thing, I'm not a dancing monkey and it seemed to be about appearances, I guess. But after most of the guests had left, it was just the Avengers and a couple of others."
"And ULTRON activated?"
"Yeah."
"Was Dr Stark with you at the time?"
"Yeah – yeah, we were all together, I guess."
"So by your own admission Dr Stark was not in the room with the entity when ULTRON activated, but with the rest of you?"
"Well, I suppose..."
"Yet you believe it was his creation?"
"He shouldn't have been messing around with that sceptre, with things he didn't understand." Steve said firmly.
"Yet you have just said that you yourself said it should be studied?"
"I – no, I didn't say that."
"But you did, Mr Rogers. Were you yourself present while these tests were carried out?"
"Well, no."
"And why would you be? After all, you are not a scientist, what use would you have been?"
It continued in the same vein, with Steve describing everything that had happened, trying to be as honest as possible, while Morris picked at and pulled apart everything he said.
"You watched Prince Thor assault Dr Stark and you did nothing? Did you have words with him later, to ensure he would not strangle a team mate again? Tell me, had it been any other team-mate but Stark, would you have reacted differently?"
"So you were aware that the Maximoffs were working with ULTRON?"
"They were tricked – "
"Were you aware of the trail of bodies and injuries they left in their wake?"
"They were tricked – Wanda's a good kid – "
"But you were aware. Did you know she attacked the Hulk in Johannesburg?"
"Well, I knew Banner lost control – "
"Not what I asked, Mr Rogers. Were you aware he had been compromised by Wanda Maximoff?"
"I mean – I mean, I knew he was alone on the quin-jet, and then he and Tony were wrecking the town – "
"Did you know?"
"I – yes. Yes, I knew she had probably got to Banner after the twins had left us."
"So you knew all those deaths and the damages were on her, and yet you let her onto your team? Moving on,"
"So you attacked a team-mate on the word of a known HYDRA terrorist? A woman who had professed to want Dr Stark dead? On her word alone, you attempted to murder him?"
"I did not!" Steve couldn't believe the audacity of this man!
"You threw your vibranium shield at an unarmed civilian, and a man with a compromised chest from numerous surgeries and known heart condition at that. How is that not attempted murder, Rogers? We saw the footage, if he had been a fraction of a second slower calling his suit he would be dead."
"What justification, exactly, did the Maximoffs give you for apparently switching sides? You knew full well they had been working with ULTRON, so why did you decide to believe them? Did you have anything but their word alone?"
"Did anyone on the team object to your decision to include the Maximoffs? Did they speak up about your attempted murder of Dr Stark?"
And on, and on, and on.
Steve tried his best, but it seemed like Morris was determined to see the absolute worst in poor Wanda.
It wasn't her fault! She was just a kid, she hadn't known what she was doing! And when it came down to it, she had helped them save the world!
Morris hadn't been impressed by that reasoning at all. He had wrongly pointed out that of course she had helped stop him when she realised ULTRON wasn't just going to destroy Stark and the Avengers: she also lived on the planet, so it was selfish self preservation that had made her change sides.
Steve didn't agree at all. Wanda helping them had been her own choice, and a selfless, truly brave one at that! It wasn't right that this man was questioning her motives, she had lost everything in that fight!
Morris didn't seem to see it that way.
Lord, he wanted out of this room. If this was how it was going to be, then he would be having serious words with... somebody about the conduct of the UN investigative panel, whoever they even were... To think, going around treating heroes like this, and trying to vilify an innocent, misguided young girl!
It was unbelievable, it really was.
How long were they going to keep him here anyway? As soon as this farce was over and this paper pusher stopped asking him invasive and offensive questions, he would be demanding to speak with his team.
They had no right to keep them separated like this!