Chapter 37
“Miss Rushman, why did you call this conference?”
“We're all wondering, what the Avenger Black Widow had to do with the recent political turmoil in Russia, and why a press conference was called on the matter.”
“Why is the new Baroness of Sokovia with you?”
“Where is Lilith Stark, the Avenger’s usual PR manager?”
She finally climbed up to the stage, and tapped the microphone to quiet the audience. “Hello, and welcome. That last question, from the ah, Vogue reporter, is easy to answer, LIlith Stark has allowed me the honor of announcing she is pregnant, and therefore taking leave for the time being.”
“And the rest?” One of the reporters called out.
“That’s what I’m here to speak about. Tony and Steve have always been the Avengers chief advocate for accountability and, unless it might hurt someone, freedom of information. And, well, I’d be a hypocrite, not to mention a bad team member if I didn’t share news with the world as long as it was safe to do so.”
A hush was over the audience as they racked their brains for what she could be talking about.
“It’s been public that I am an ex-SHIELD agent, and before that, was raised in Russia by two KGB agents since I testified at the trial for the murderer of the late President Matthew Ellis in 2008. There’s more to that, but that, until now, with the recent fatal heart attack of Russia’s head of state, had the potential to hurt not just me if it were revealed. But now that it’s safe, the world deserves to know.”
She took a deep breath in and out. “Before I changed my name to Natalie Rushman, I was Natasha Romanoff. But before that, my birth name, not the anglicized version on my paperwork, was Natalia Romanova. I used to dye my hair red from my natural blonde, but that's no coincidence. Yes, I was born Natalia Alexeivna Romanova, on February 19th, 1926, although I did get the Infinity Formula when I was 28 years old, so as to slow my ageing, which is how I don’t look like I turned 90 this year. I was also born the daughter of a slowly dying Alexei Romanov, the last of what used to be Russia’s famed Romanov dynasty. I was recruited into the KGB’s red room program, to indoctrinate, and sometimes mind control, young girls who were born to families that might oppose the government, and turn them into weapons. To this day, I don’t know if I was mind controlled or simply as a child, I succumbed to their extensive mental tactics, given Tony, the only one who can test that, says if it was there, it’s been too many years to prove it. When the Avengers were founded, I spoke with President Brant on the matter, to clear up any issues, given by that point I was already a US citizen. She was kind enough to keep this classified and give me a pardon, officially for SHIELD work,” she hadn’t known, but not knew that the president would know better than to let anyone know, “but the paperwork said for anything I may have done up to that point. At this point, however, given the last persons who could use this for ill, who attempted to do so, by threatening my maternal cousin, who I was unable to get to safety then,” Yelena was her maternal cousin, and it was a surprise, given Nat had never known her mother’s maiden name but a DNA test had proved it when Bruce had remarked how similar the two looked, although the safety angle was a cover for the timing, “who has since been moved to a safer position. So at this point, I held this press conference to clear up any secrets, and to thank the Baroness of Sokovia for helping me with getting my cousin to safety, as well as standing by me, as a distant cousin through my Romanov blood.”
And she then opened the floor to questions, knowing this was the most important part, where she had to plant the seeds. Lilith Stark had a way with people, she admitted, because she always came up with a solution that would have the other person do all the work, yet find benefits waiting for them, while Lilith got only the benefits, and though the other person knew, none of them minded. Natalia was the same. She remembered a saying Lilith always said as she went to answer the barrage of questions, for though Lilith was significantly younger than all the Avengers but Teddy, she always felt like the wisest “Information is not meant to be kept secret,” she had said, “It’s meant to be held until it ca be revealed at the most opportune moment.”
“Miss Romanova, what do you plan to do now that your ancestry is no longer kept secret?”
“For one, searching through my drawers for my old Russian passport would be a good idea, and I will be changing my name back. Now that I don’t have to hide, there’s no point in Americanizing my name to not get noticed, I’m an Avenger, I’m going to get noticed anyways.”
“Whose side are you choosing in the new Russian elections?”
“I’m not choosing either of them. I have reasons, reasons that mean nothing to nearly all voters, but do mean something to me, to not vote for the majority, or minority candidate.” Pull in their curiosity, reap the reward.
“What might those reasons be?” An eager reporter said.
Time to stop pulling her punches. “The most popular candidate, I remember, was the KGB boss who ordered me to be injected with the Infinity Formula.”
“But isn’t that good”
“The end result, sure. But there was pain and only pain for a long time. It was rewriting my genetics and it was like decades of cancer condensed into a month and feeling like eternity. I destroyed all of the stocks, formulas, and work for the formula, and I don’t regret it in the least, nobody should have to undergo such pain for abilities that many athletes have proven in the past can be reached by hard work. I am only as enhanced as a good Olympic athlete is, with the exception of double the healing factor. I’m not as enhanced as Steve, I reached where I am through my own blood sweat and tears and I feel no shame in admiring it.”
“And the other one?”
“The other one is simply the cousin of the late General Dreykov, the one who orchestrated my upbringing and indoctrination in the Red Room program, and though I have no evidence he was involved at all, nothing to point to anything but a coincidence,” she had chosen her words wisely. No proof, nothing to point, versus no knowledge, “I cannot bring myself to side with someone who was likely just as raised by Dreykov as I was.” Bingo.
“Do you have proof for accusations against the Russian majority candidate?” She had expected it.
“Yes, when I realized the question was asked, I sent off a text, and the evidence should be released onto the Avengers website under my section any minute now.”
“Do you plan on running?”
Natalia furrowed her brows at the reporter. “Meaning?” Every good spy was an actor first.
‘Do you plan on running for Russian president?”
“Should I? I had never considered the idea, I had simply expected to stay out of it, as I have previously. The only way I have any connection to Russia’s government is by bloodline, I have no experience in the realm of politics nor a thirst for power.” They would appear to misinterpret it, Natalia Romanova says politicians have a thirst for power, but that was what she wanted them to hear. She did, however, make sure not to outright deny that she could, not that some would take even that.
“Ambassador White. Hello, what might you be doing here?” Lilith Stark asked the USA’s UN Ambassador, her newborn daughter floating by her shoulder, connected by a short tether to make sure she didn’t float away. White looked at the infant’s position and grimaced.
An argument grew closer through the Stark’s New Jersey mansion. It was seven year old Ron and Cooper Barton, trailed by Clint, rubbing his forehead. But he kept up the babysitting, as the Avengers had room and board paid for in the mansion as long as they agreed to each pull babysitting shifts for some hours a week each. “I have news to deliver, for the Avengers. All of you. Well, all the enhanced, but I’m pretty sure all of you are.”
“Alright, please, come in to the presentation hall, I’ll get them all together.” Lilith said, as White plugged in the US with the presentation.
The Avengers all gathered, Tony, Lilith, Teddy, and even Ron and Hermione Stark, Steve Rogers, Natalia Romanova, Clint Barton, Bruce Banner, James Rhodes, Carol Danvers, and Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. White started the slideshow, showing the Avengers’ more destructive moments, highlighting that nobody knew what happened in Paris with Ultron.
“The UN hasn’t been very happy with this, especially given how much control you have. Russia is one step away from installing Miss Romanova as President or even Tsarina, reinstating the monarchy, with your aid,” she nodded towards the two elder Starks and Steve, “the USA now covers all of North America, and other countries aren’t very happy, not to mention those in the South American countries who have their populace begging to become part of the USA, then there is Europe, who prefers not to be assimilated into the Avengers Empire, since your friend,” she nodded to the Maximoff twins, “stated that Sokovia would join Russia if it were led by Miss Romanova, and that is not to mention the amount of lives, livelihoods, and healths lost in your battles, and then the monetary damage that goes with it.”
“If politicians do not like that we are making change towards the right thing, well, there will always be some.” Steve said.
“And the damage? The Avengers charity, which I give tens of millions to every year,” Tony said, “as do many other people who want to help do the right thing, helps with the monetary damage, hospital bills, and life insurance for those who do not have it We try to help as best we could, you can admit that there were a lot less lives lost in our two biggest battles, New York and Paris, than there could have been if we weren’t there. And the fact that they happened? Do you want us to be held responsible for the fact that other powerful people decide to use their abilities to harm people and we help stop them?”
“You are an international paramilitary group that can stand up to and defeat any global superpower army, with all the most powerful enhanced in the world, and an alliance with Asgard better than the government, who have had their hands in every major political event for the last 5 years. And on top of all of that, none of you belong to a single country only, all with flawless propaganda, as unlimited as funding gets, and with no controlling factors of any kind.”
“You fear us.” Wanda said.
“We see your potential and we want to make sure it is properly redistributed.” White said. “Hence, the Paris Accords. The Avengers will no longer be a private organization. Each superhero,” White gave the word air quotes, “will be subject to government oversight. That of their residency country if they operate within national borders, and that of the United Nations if they don’t. Using your powers to enact vigilantism earns indefinite detention without trial at the raft. Each of you who use technology to grant superpowers will be regulated. That’s not only Stark, but also Barton, any guns you might use, and any technology that is not available to buy in a normal store for a normal person.” She stressed the word normal very heavily. Signing the Accords is mandatory for all of you.”
“And if we don’t?” Carol asked.
“You can consider yourself retired.” White said. “Unless, that is, you want to face international criminal persecution? To date, there is no country in the world that has not agreed to sign these accords at the next United Nations meeting, this weekend.”
“Thank you for the presentation.” Lilith gave the ambassador a sweet smile as she showed her to the door.
When the door closed, they all filed out of the presentation room and into their favored lounge.
“So are we signing?” Steve asked.
“Is that even a question? If we don’t, sure, public opinion is in our favor, we won’t get sent to prison, but we could lose everything else. Lilith is the only one people think isn’t an Avenger, but Clint and I would lose custody to our respective kids, Rhodes, Carol, Steve, you would lose all military designations in a heartbeat. Wanda, Pietro, your visas would be the first to go. Bruce, your work would go. Nat, I have no idea what about you, but after that press conference, a lot more attention will be on you. Signing it and then ignoring it isn’t an option, for any of us.” Tony said.
“Then you don’t sign.”