"Wait a moment, the Secretary of Defense will come see you." Regardless of what Tony Stark thought about an old friend suddenly starting a war, the words Maria Hill left behind before departing for the Pentagon were enough to make him restless. "As long as you agree to join the fight and get all the Avengers to sign the Sokovia Accords, the White House will do what it's supposed to do. Don't miss this opportunity, Stark. This is your only chance to unite every member of the Avengers."
Tony Stark did not feel confident that he could persuade every Avenger to sign the Sokovia Accords. He needed time to slowly convince the others to accept his idea. Especially Steve Rogers—even if Thor was still on Earth, that Asgardian prince had little to say on the matter. Tony Stark's real concern was Steve Rogers. A man of high principle, Steve Rogers would find it nearly impossible to agree to once again live as a soldier who obeyed orders without thought. Tony knew clearly that Steve opposed every war the United States had waged since World War II. And Stark had more than once seen Rogers' bookshelf—he understood well that the man who once was Captain America no longer existed. He had to find a way to make him accept the Accords.
The sudden turn of events left him no choice but to agree to the Secretary of Defense's and Congress' conditions before the other Avengers even knew what was happening. Tony Stark did not believe he had any other road to take. Yet the ones who came to see him were not only Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, but also an old acquaintance with whom he shared a tense relationship: Thaddeus E. Ross.
Ashton Carter, the current Secretary of Defense, was a physicist and had a fairly good relationship with Tony Stark. He advocated ensuring the USA's security and global leadership, as well as building a future-oriented force. Although at the start he had tried every method to push Stark Industries into providing advanced weapons for the government, after long-term contact, Tony came to think well of him—after all, Carter strongly supported his planetary defense plan. As for Thaddeus E. Ross, Tony had not seen him since persuading him to spare Bruce Banner. He only knew that Ross had since entered politics, rising steadily until he became Deputy Secretary of Defense, and now looked poised to succeed Ashton Carter as the next Secretary.
"Sorry this came so suddenly, but I trust you already have a general understanding of the situation." Ashton Carter invited Tony Stark to sit on the sofa, then went straight to the point. "We need the Avengers. Before NATO launches a large-scale peacekeeping operation, help stabilize the situation in the Balkans by assisting NATO bases there."
Tony Stark's feelings were a complex mix.
He knew very well what Solomon's bottom line was, so there was no way he could reveal his identity to the U.S. government. Yet facing such a decisive, powerful individual, regular armies were of little use—especially when this man, as strong as Thor, had the ability to project military power worldwide. Under such conditions, the Pentagon's choice of the Avengers, a team with formidable single-combat capabilities, to support NATO forces was entirely reasonable.
But Tony was far from certain the others would see it that way. He had to find another way out. "Latovinia's total population is only half a million," he said. "And this is their civil war."
"No, this is World War Three," Secretary Ashton Carter said flatly.
"World War Three? That's an exaggeration!"
Ashton Carter and Thaddeus Ross exchanged a look. Then Ross spoke with a grave expression. "At least not at the start. The White House has said it will closely monitor any human rights violations in Latovinia, but things aren't that simple." He picked up the remote control, ordering the curtains drawn and the projector switched on. Several color satellite images appeared on the screen. Ross explained, "This was taken by our reconnaissance satellites near the Hungarian border. According to experts, that is very likely a new type of intercontinental missile we've never seen before. When we tried to investigate further, we found that every military reconnaissance satellite in Europe had gone dark… We suspect this isn't a civil war, but a proxy war with the involvement of a major power. They've deployed experimental weapons and are using the Balkans as their testing ground. Now Latovinia has acquired global nuclear strike capability. This could be the prelude to World War Three, and the Department of Defense must treat it with utmost caution."
"Not only that," Ashton Carter added, "the Latovinian military is now led by that man in golden armor. There's a high chance they will invade neighboring countries. NATO cannot mobilize that quickly. Before we can react, the Latovinians may already succeed. We believe the coup in Sircaria is inseparable from the Latovinians. The CIA operatives stationed there are missing. The last intel we received on Latovinia was that the Sircaria Wild Warband has the same advanced combat gear as the Latovinian rebels."
Tony Stark was speechless, at a loss for words.
He had thought it astonishing enough that Solomon had managed to convert S.H.I.E.L.D.'s three Helicarriers into his own battleships—especially since that young man was only twenty-one. But now, he had mastered weapons of mass destruction and become involved in disputes between nations. Tony could hardly believe it. After all, Solomon had told the Avengers clearly that he would only interfere when facing an extinction-level threat to humanity. Either there was some hidden secret behind Latovinia's war, or his ambition had clouded his reason and he intended to become a comic-book-style villain bent on ruling the world.
"Let me make a call," Tony said coldly. "I'll be right back."
"As soon as possible," Thaddeus Ross said with meaningful weight. "We need an American hero—whoever that may be."
Tony Stark left the room, moving to a place without camera surveillance. He had been here many times and knew well where politicians usually held their secret talks with lobbyists. "Fuck! Pick up, pick up!" He wiped cold sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his suit. "Friday, redial the encrypted channel."
"All encrypted routes have been closed," Friday's pleasant voice informed him. "Sir, the opponent's firewall is very powerful, and I believe they possess an extremely advanced artificial intelligence. Cracking it would consume the entire computing capacity of Stark Industries."
Tony let out a frustrated sound from deep in his throat.
"Call Agent Romanoff." Tony knew that Natasha Romanoff was, aside from Thor, the Avenger with the closest ties to Solomon. Solomon was not known for a good temper. During the East Coast earthquake, the Immortal City's operatives had arrested him and Steve Rogers without explanation. Only Natasha Romanoff, who held countless secrets, could take part in Immortal City missions. The others seemed incapable of even catching a whiff of those secrets.
"Sorry, unable to locate Agent Romanoff."
"Then who else can I reach?" Tony snapped. "Isn't there anyone in the Avengers who can actually help?"
"Given your position, I recommend contacting Dr. Bruce Banner."
"Him it is."
"Apologies, sir. Entry records show Dr. Bruce Banner has already left the Avengers base and did not take any communications devices with him."
"Fuck!"
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