A/N so the following two chapters, which i am realising consecutively would be all about civil war where henry is trying to see if he messed up the events, skip to the last chapter released chapter today if you don't want to read that.
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Chapter 105
Karpov, defiant, asked, "How did you find me?" Zemo explained, "When SHIELD fell, Black Widow released HYDRA files to the public. Millions of pages, much of it encrypted, not easy to decipher. But... I have experience. And patience. A man can do anything if he has those." Karpov, growing desperate, demanded, "What do you want?" Zemo, unwavering, repeated, "Mission report. December 16, 1991." When Karpov refused, growling, "Go... to... hell," Zemo calmly turned on the water, watching it rise toward Karpov's eyes.
Zemo, watching Karpov struggle, said, "HYDRA deserves its place on the ash heap. So your death would not bother me. But I'd have to use this book... and other bloodier methods to find what I need. I don't look forward to that. You'd only be dying for... your pride." As the water reached Karpov's eyes, he spat out his final words, "Hail HYDRA." Zemo, holding the red book, walked away as Karpov twitched and struggled in his bindings, the water continuing to rise. Meanwhile a metallic crow watched everything.
The Avengers were gathered at HQ, with Steve studying the Accords while Rhodey and Sam argued behind him. "A 117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam, and you're just like, 'No, that's cool. We got it,'" Rhodey pressed, while Sam retorted, "How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?" Vision interjected with a theory: "In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially, and the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate." Steve asked, "Are you saying it's our fault?" Vision responded, "I'm saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict... breeds catastrophe."
Tony, unusually quiet, was lying on the couch until Natasha commented, "Tony. You are being uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal." Tony got up, complaining of an electromagnetic headache, and after some banter, he projected an image of a young man named Charles Spencer. "He was a great kid... building sustainable housing for the poor in Sokovia," Tony explained, before adding, "We dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass." With a heavy tone, Tony argued, "We need to be put in check! If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys." Steve countered, "If we're not taking responsibility for our actions, this document just shifts the blames." Rhodey shot back, "This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not SHIELD, it's not HYDRA." Steve persisted, "But it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change." Tony, insistent, said, "If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done to us later."
The tension in the room grew as Wanda asked, "You're saying they'll come for me," to which Vision reassured, "We would protect you." Natasha, unexpectedly siding with Tony, said, "If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off--" Sam interrupted, "Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?" Natasha replied, "I'm just... I'm reading the terrain. We have made... some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back." Tony, surprised, confirmed, "Did I just mishear you or did you agree with me?" Natasha playfully tried to retract, but Tony, in a rare moment of triumph, declared, "No, no, no. You can't retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented. Okay, case closed--I win." At that moment, Steve's phone buzzed with a text: "She's gone. In her sleep." Steve immediately stood up, dropping the Accords on the coffee table, and left the room, heading downstairs where he paused at the bottom, leaning against the bannister with his head bowed.
-scene change-
In a cathedral in London, the air was heavy with sorrow as mourners filled the pews. A choir sang mournfully while Steve, one of six pallbearers, struggled to keep his composure, his red eyes betraying his grief. The coffin they carried was draped with the Union Jack, and at the altar, a candle flickered beside a framed photograph of Peggy Carter, labeled "Margaret 'Peggy' Carter." The priest's voice rang out over the hush of the cathedral, "And now, I would like to invite Sharon Carter to come up and say a few words."
Agent 13, known as Sharon Carter, stepped up to the podium, her presence commanding immediate attention. Steve, seated beside Sam in a pew at the front, had been looking down and was startled when Sam nudged him. He glanced up just as Sharon began, catching her gaze briefly. "Margaret Carter was known to most as a founder of SHIELD," Sharon started, her voice trembling slightly. "But I just knew her as Aunt Peggy."
Steve's eyes widened as he connected Sharon's words to her identity. Sharon continued, "She had a photograph in her office, Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid, that was pretty cool. But it was a lot to live up to. Which is why I never told anyone we were related." She then turned her gaze directly towards Steve, and the room fell silent, hanging on her every word.
Sharon spoke with reverence, "I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage in a time when no one wanted to see a woman succeed at either. And she said, compromise where you can. But where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move… it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say 'No, you move.'"
Later, Steve stood alone in the aisle, still dressed in black. Natasha approached him, and he turned to face her. Without any introduction, Steve began, "When I came out of the ice, I thought everyone I had known was gone. Then I found out that she was alive. I was just lucky to have her." Natasha responded softly, "She had you back, too." Steve then asked, "Who else signed?" Natasha listed, "Tony. Rhodey. Vision." When Steve inquired about Clint, Natasha replied, "Says he's retired," smiling slightly. Steve followed up with, "Wanda?" and Natasha answered, "TBD. I'm off to Vienna for the signing of the Accords. There's plenty of room on the jet."