Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Sixteen:
"Mama!" Lainey raced inside the Compound, dodging the employees in order to get to where she needed to be. "Mama!"
The girl's backpack slapped up and down on her back as she raced through the building with little regard for who was around her.
She had exciting news to tell and she just couldn't wait. Today was the day that everyone was supposed to get back from their mission in Lagos and she wanted to hear all about it.
"Mama—" She stopped abruptly when she got to the apartment and found that it was empty.
That was odd. Whenever her mother said she'd be home, that's when she'd be home. And she said she'd be home in time to greet her after school.
Maybe she was running late.
The child huffed at the woman's lack of punctuality and snagged a bowl of ice cream from the freezer, content in knowing that it would drive Steve nuts once he found out she had sweets before dinner.
In fact, she added some stray m&m's to it, too, just for good measure. If he wanted to police her eating habits, then he'd have to actually be present to do so.
Her eyebrows furrowed when she picked up the sound of the tv from Wanda's room and followed the noise.
It looks like they had come back from the mission after all. Because Wanda was in her room, watching television.
That meant she'd better hurry up and finish that ice cream before Steve came back and saw her with it. Now that she was in actual danger, she didn't feel so rebellious anymore.
Funny how that worked.
"Wanda?" She knocked on the teen's cracked door before entering the room. "Whatcha' watchin'?" She plopped down beside her on her bed.
"The news." Wanda didn't even bother looking at her.
Lainey frowned and scooped a spoonful of her frozen treat into her mouth, watching the screen to see what the big fuss was about.
Apparently, a bomb had gone off in Nigeria and Wanda tried to stop it, but lost control and blew up a building.
That was heavy. No wonder Wanda looked sad. Lainey was sure she hadn't done it on purpose, but to know that all those people were gone, was a tough pill to swallow.
And the fact that all the news stations were just…..berating her instead of trying to understand that a lot more people could've been killed if Wanda had sat back and done nothing was concerning.
Lainey met a lot of bad people in her life, but Wanda was not one of them. This had been an accident. A horrible, tragic accident. But an accident nonetheless.
The eleven year old wasn't quite sure of what to say to her, so she just offered a scoop of ice cream up to her, hoping she'd take it.
And she did.
She scrunched her nose at all the sugar that was in it, but she ate it.
"It's not your fault." Lainey finally broke the silence. "Your red isn't bad."
"That's not what they think." Wanda's voice sounded very hard and defeated. "My red causes problems."
"Your red is special…like my blue….remember?"
Wanda couldn't help the small smile that fought its way onto her face and nodded. "I remember. But even though it's special, it can still hurt people. So you must be very, very careful when you use it, yes?"
"Yes."
"Good."
Lainey jumped and her eyes widened when Steve cleared his throat, leaning up against the door frame of the room. "Hi, Uncle Steve!" She waved, hoping her hadn't notice the large bowl of ice cream she was holding.
She wasn't holding it for very long, though. Wanda was still feeling pretty bad. Ice cream always helped Lainey feel better, maybe the frozen dessert would help lift the Sokovian's spirits. Besides, Lainey was always willing to share.
"Hi, Sweetheart." He greeted, though the tone of his voice didn't match his features. He was smiling, but he sounded upset.
"I got ice cream today…." The contrasting emotions were enough to make Lainey squirm and come clean. "Without permission…..and I didn't have dinner yet."
"I see." He crooked a finger at her and bent down to her height once she reached him. "I'm so glad you told me the truth. That means I can trust you, right?"
"Yeah."
"But you still did something you weren't supposed to. What did we say would happen if you got yourself ice cream without permission or before dinner?"
At first, there had been small restrictions on sweets. But when Steve and Natasha both realized that Lainey would keep eating them and eventually make herself sick, they had to come up with a better solution.
"No dessert for a whole week." Lainey was beginning to see that her course of actions hadn't been all that smart.
If she waited like she was supposed to, she wouldn't be in this mess.
"That's right." Steve nodded. "But since you came to me and you didn't hide it. I think we can shorten your sentence to three days. Sound good?"
"Yeah." Lainey pouted. "Does that mean no popcorn on movie night?"
"I'll think about it." He tapped her nose. Popcorn was always a given on movie night, but Lainey didn't need to know that. "Now give me a hug, I could really use one from you right now."
"And does that mean no cookies?" Lainey asked, once she was enveloped in the large man's arms.
"Absolutely no cookies, kiddo." Steve chuckled.
"Hmmph."
"Go find Mama. I have to talk to Wanda."
"She's sad. I gave her my ice cream, but I don't think I made her feel better."
"I'm sure she appreciates you trying, Buddy. Go find Mama." He sent her off with a pat, urging her to do what he told her to.
He needed to talk to Wanda and clear the air, but that conversation wasn't for little ears to hear. The mission had been a mess and everyone was pretty shaken. The last thing anyone needed was for Lainey to listen and have nightmares about it.
"Mama! Mama!" After Steve sent the girl off, she practically bounced off of each and every single wall in search of her mother.
When she finally located her, she didn't even hesitate before racing over to her, accidentally bumping into a man she had never met before.
The shock and embarrassment were enough to sober her up and make her pay attention to her surroundings. By now, she should've learned to stop running inside, but she couldn't help it! She was so excited that her outsides were matching her insides!
"Sorry." She looked up at the man, feeling very small in his presence. He was tall, but thin. He had grey hairs, so Lainey knew he was a bit old and he had an intimidating scowl on his face.
He seemed like a mean old man, but of course, she kept that to herself.
"See that it doesn't happen again." He spoke none too gently despite the fact that she was literally a child. "You allow children in your conference room, Ms. Romanoff?"
"Just mine." Natasha quipped, beckoning the girl over and drawing her onto her lap for a much needed hug. "This is just as much her home as it is mine, you, however, are a guest." She spoke politely, though Lainey could tell by the look on her face and the tone in her voice, that she was making a point.
Her mama had a talent for sweetly reprimanding people. Lainey should know, she's been on the receiving end of that tone several times. Usually when she was making a fuss over something that wasn't important, like not being able to stay up late or writing lines.
Natasha's go to for most infractions was to have Lainey write lines. She found that she didn't like the isolation that came with grounding, so she chose an alternative where she could have Lainey think about making better choices and at the same time, keep her close so that she knew she was loved no matter what she did.
If this man didn't wise up, he might just find himself writing lines of his own.
"Of course." And it looked like the point had been made, because he stopped scowling at the girl.
"How was school?" Natasha pushed some hair away from Lainey's face. She always made sure it was nice and neat before she went to school, but whenever she came home, it was a mess. The woman often wondered what kind of strenuous activities were taking place that this child came home looking like a mess everyday. "Did you learn anything interesting? Do anything fun?"
"Sarah and I shared apples again today." Lainey perked up once again, forgetting all about the cold man on the opposite side of the room.
"Oh yeah?" Natasha acted as if Lainey was talking about the most interesting things in the world. And honestly, because it was Lainey who was speaking, everything was interesting. "What else happened?"
"I got an 'A' on my math test." Lainey pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket and showed it to her mother, who took it from her and looked it over. "See? I got a sticker!"
A scented sticker. Quite an accomplishment. Lainey loved that sweet, cherry blossom odor that came off of it.
"I do see." Natasha smiled at the results. Lainey only got two questions wrong, which was impressive. "Congratulations, you did a very good job. I think this calls for some ice cream."
"Uncle Steve said no dessert." Lainey deflated once again.
"What did you do?"
"Ate ice cream before dinner." She pouted. "But I only ate a little! I gave the rest to Wanda! She looks really sad."
"That was very sweet of you. I'll talk to Uncle Steve and see what I can do. But I make no promises." The redhead caught sight of Tony and nudged Lainey off of her lap. "Go get Uncle Steve and show him your test. I'm sure he'd love to see it."
"Okay!" Lainey giggled and rushed out of the room, stopping to give Tony a hug and show him the good report, to which the man picked her up to spin her around and sent her on her way.
She ran right back to Wanda's room and smacked right into Vision's back, not at all expecting him to be there. "Oops." Some more giggles left her lips. "Sorry."
"It is quite alright, Alayna."
"Why do you keep calling me that?' Lainey tilted her head to the side. "I'm not in trouble."
The only time anyone ever called her by her full name, was when she got herself into trouble. So she couldn't understand why Vision insisted on using it when she wasn't.
"That's your name." He said simply.
"Viz, she prefers to be called, 'Lainey'." Wanda clarified for him.
"My apologies, Lainey. I didn't realize I had permission to use your nickname."
Lainey looked at him funny before turning her attention to Steve, throwing herself in his arms to show him her test paper. "Look!" She practically shoved it in his face.
"Wow, look at that." Steve whistles. "An 'A'. That's a very good grade, Lainey. You're so smart."
"Thank you." Lainey remembered what she came in there for. "Mama said that I had to come get you. There's a man out there and he has a suit on. He looks old and mean."
Wanda burst into laughter at the same time Steve narrowed his eyes at the child.
"Alayna."
"See?" Lainey looked back at Vision. "Only when I'm in trouble."
"Alayna." Steve repeated himself. "We do not call people names."
"I wasn't calling him names, Uncle Steve. I was describing him." She met his firm look with a cute smile in an attempt to soften him.
"It's the Secretary of State." Vision smiled in amusement. "Secretary Ross."
Lainey huffed in annoyance for the billionth time that day. She wasn't allowed in the meeting the Avengers were having, so she was forced to spend her time entertaining herself to keep out of trouble. Which was kind of hard to do when she was left to her own devices.
She could practice her knives again, but her mama would have her head for looking at one with the intent to use it.
So that meant guns were off the table, too.
She didn't want to play with her dolls and she wasn't interested in watching tv. There must've been something around that could entertain her.
Lego!
Smiling triumphantly, Lainey skipped over to the coffee table and pulled her box of Lego out from under it, dumping every single piece out onto the floor.
She was gonna build a big castle before that meeting was over. Who cared about the mess?
"Sweetheart, I think you should go to your room and play." Natasha told her daughter.
"But I'm playing now." Lainey pointed to her blocks. "I don't wanna go by myself."
Immediately after the meeting finished, everyone flooded into the living room and began to argue about something called the 'Sokovia Accords'. Lainey didn't know what that was, but it must've been big to have everyone worked up like this.
"Alright, but if you're going to stay here, you have to be quiet."
"Okay, Mama." Lainey grinned and pretended to lock her lips and throw away the key.
Natasha smiled as the girl went back to her blocks. The castle she was building was coming along nicely. There would be pictures later. Laura would love to see how Lainey was getting along these days.
And they would need to take a visit to the farm soon. The kids were missing each other and Natasha wanted to catch up with Clint and Laura.
"Tony?" She looked at the engineer. "You're being uncharacteristically, non-hyperverbal."
"It's because he's already made up his mind." Steve told her.
Lainey caught sight of the large document he had been reading and crawled over to see it. No one else was looking to pick it up, so why not?
So these were the Accords. Maybe she could read them to understand why everyone was so upset.
No one was paying attention to her anymore, so now was the time to do so.
Any enhanced individuals who agree to sign must register with the United Nations and provide biometric data such as fingerprints and DNA samples.
Lainey was enhanced. She and Wanda were working on controlling her powers every single day. Did this include her? Would she need to give the government her fingerprints and DNA?
Any enhanced individuals who sign are prohibited from taking action in any country other than their own unless they are first given clearance by either that country's government, or by a UN subcommittee.
Any enhanced individuals who do not sign, will not be allowed to take part in any police, military, or espionage activities, or to otherwise participate in any national or international conflict, even in their own country.
That meant no Avengers, right? But what about what happened in New York? If they hadn't been there, who knows what would've happened?
Any enhanced individuals who use their powers to break the law (including those who take part in extralegal vigilante activities), or otherwise deemed to be a threat to the safety of the general public, may be detained indefinitely without trial.
If an enhanced individual violates the Accords, or obstructs the actions of those enforcing the Accords, they may likewise be arrested and detained indefinitely without trial.
What was considered to be breaking the law? Lainey had seen this new guy called 'Spider-Man' and he seemed really cool. He went out into the city at night to help people. Did this apply to him, too?
Her teacher had been going over the Constitution and Bill of Rights over the last few weeks of class and Lainey knew her rights.
No one could be detained without a trial. That was unconstitutional. Everyone had a right to a trial. This didn't seem right.
The use of technology to bestow individuals with innate superhuman capabilities is strictly regulated, as is the use and distribution of highly advanced technology.
The creation of self-aware artificial intelligence is completely prohibited.
So….that meant Tony's suit, Vision, and Friday? Right? Did this mean they couldn't exist? What was going to happen to them now?
The Avengers will no longer be a private organization and will operate under the supervision of the UN.
And the next few pages weren't any better. She skimmed through them and found something called 'The Raft'.
Whatever that was.
The document didn't go into detail about it, but it seemed pretty scary.
"Uncle Steve?" She tugged on his shirt sleeve to try and get his attention after having read enough. Nothing about the Accords was right.
"In a minute, Lainey."
But Lainey kept on tugging. She needed him to explain all of this to her. Maybe she wasn't reading it right.
Steve got tired of her constant pulling and plucked her up off the floor to sit on his lap, holding both her hands in one of his own.
She could take a hint. She'd ask later. Now was definitely not a good time.
"Boy, you know me so well." Tony sat up from his place on his chair and walked over to the kitchen. "Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain…it's discomfort." He scowled, looking down in the sink. "Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?" He set his phone down on the counter and pulled up a picture of a young man.
Lainey squinted to get a good look at him. He had very beautiful dark skin and a contagious smile. He didn't look much older than Wanda.
"Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way." Tony nonchalantly poured his coffee. "He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA….had a floor-level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul…before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service."
Lainey was beginning to see where this conversation was going, and she didn't like it.
"Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor, guess where? Sokovia." The man made his way back over to everyone else with his mug in hand. "He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. We won't know because we dropped a building on him. There's no decision making process here. We need to be put in check!"
Wait…this big document was called the Sokovia Accords…..meaning it was a result of everything that happened in Sokovia last year. Sokovia wasn't entirely the Avengers' fault. Bruce and Tony created Ultron and that's how everything started to go downhill.
Why did every enhanced person need to be put 'in check'? Why did Lainey need to be controlled by people she didn't even know? She's never done anything to hurt anybody. Why didn't the government trust her?
And why did Tony seem to have an issue with what happened in Sokovia now? Why wasn't he upset about it when all those Sokovians died? What about when Pietro died?
Lainey remembered just how sad Wanda was after everything happened. She wouldn't come out of her room and she wouldn't talk to anybody, save for a few polite words in passing. She never smiled, unless Lainey was speaking to her, and even then it was fake. But Lainey could tell she was doing it for her benefit.
Looking at the teen now, reminded Lainey of those first several weeks after Sokovia. She was sad all over again.
So she slid off of Steve's lap and went over to her, wrapping her arms around her neck. And she didn't say it, but Wanda appreciated the gesture.
"Whatever it takes, I'm game." Tony continued. "If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less…we're no better than the bad guys."
"Tony, if someone dies on your watch, you don't give up." Steve spoke gently. He didn't agree, but they could have a civil conversation.
"Who said we're giving up?"
"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame."
"I'm sorry, Steve." Rhodey cut in. "That is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not S.H.I.E.L.D., it's not Hydra."
"No, but it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change."
"That's good." Tony cut back in. "That's why I'm here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing."
"Tony, you chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose."
Lainey thought that Steve had a good point as far as her eleven year old mind could understand. Why was the United Nations trying to make people sign to give away their rights? And why was Tony pushing it so much?
"What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there's somewhere we need to go and they don't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own."
"If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done to us later."
"You're saying they'll come for—" Wanda tightened her grip on Lainey, her body language daring anyone to come near them. "Me."
Was that true? Would they really come to take her away? Lainey's mind was racing with different scenarios, and none of them were good.
"We would protect you." Vision assured the teen.
But Lainey wasn't very convinced. She saw what happened when they found out Hydra was inside of S.H.I.E.L.D. It was hard to make things right. This wasn't going to be any easier. It was all the same government. She was old enough to know that.
"Maybe Tony's right." The ultimate shock came when Natasha agreed to all of this. Lainey thought that she, of all people, would be against it. "If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off—"
"—Aren't you the same woman who walked right out on the government a few years ago?" Sam gave her a look.
"I'm just…..reading the terrain. We've made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back."
"Focus up." Tony snapped his fingers. "Did I just mishear you, or did you just agree with me?"
"Oh, I want to take it back….."
"No, you can't retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented. Close closed. I win."
Natasha wasn't bothered by the shocked looks she was getting from the rest of the team. She was concerned about the fact that Lainey was avoiding her eyes. Every time she'd look her way, the girl would divert her attention somewhere else.
Lainey was so upset and so confused by this whole thing, she didn't know what to do with herself. It looked like the team was splitting apart on this issue. And if they couldn't agree, what was going to happen to them?
She liked the way things were. She liked having everybody living together. It was like having a big family. She's never had a big family before and she didn't want anything to change.
The room seemed to fall silent when Steve's phone buzzed. "I have to go." He stood up and left without a second thought.
Lainey watched him go with sad eyes and sunk back onto the ground, looking down at her nearly finished castle.
It didn't seem like very much fun anymore.