Politics

Steve Rogers/Captain America

Steve watched calmly as Fury worked the room. In all of his interactions, Steve had never thought of Fury as a politician. But he turned out to have a real skill at it, speaking calmly and with real control, taking over the conversations. Fury wasn't smooth, and he wasn't passionate. He simply spoke in a way that demanded attention.

Fury still managed to get annoyed when a woman named Senator Ellen Nadeer once again tried to intrude on the discussion. Granted, ever since the politicians of the countries invited to the discussion were informed of the change, a few controversial suggestions had been brought up, one man even requesting that the Avenger be put on call to put down political dissidents. But Ellen Nadeer was a special sort of obsessed. She was glaring out from one of the holo-screens and had once again interrupted the discussion.

"Senator Nadeer," Fury said. "For the last time, Dial and Thor are not simple aliens, they are allies, as are the Asgardians. Hell, Dial is one hundred percent human and simply uses technology that turns him into aliens. Now, I have plans to begin equipping our forces to combat any extraterrestrial threats that come knocking on our doorstep again-"

"How can you do that when you invite the aliens to join your ranks?" Nadeer said firmly, the young Indian-American woman frowning. "We can't simply expect them to see our people as being as important as their own."

"Dial is human," Steve reminded her. "And Thor helped us-"

"Against a problem, his brother caused," Nadeer said angrily. "And Dial can only barely be considered human since he apparently changes his species the way the rest of us change shirts. How can we be assured he will stay our ally? What if one day Asgard decides we might be worth invading?"

"What if, when we need our most powerful allies, we've already driven them away?" Steve said, rising up to eye her. "Senator Nadeer, these questions you're asking come from fear, and it's understandable to feel that fear. But Thor is not just an alien, he is my friend and ally, someone who put their life on the line when they could have walked away. Thor has done it three times in fact."

"Including the time when he brought the Dark Elves," Nadeer scowled.

"No, he didn't," Coulson said, drawing the attention of the room. "The Dark Elves were coming all along. Thor helped stop them. That situation is not proof for your argument, it's the proof against it. When an alien enemy came to attack our world, an alien ally came to our defense, as did some of our worlds best scientists."

Victoria Hand nodded. "And let us not forget, a massive portion of the meeting has been dedicated to making sure this new organization can defend the Earth even from Asgardians. The world's best scientists, engineers, and tacticians will be working around the clock to develop the tools and the people to stop the threat."

Nadeer shook her head. "I still disagree with the idea that we do anything to teach and protect powered individuals. What if, by harboring and protecting them, we only give them the outlet to become our new rulers?"

"First, we work to prevent that very thing," Fury said. "Second, we take them down if we can't."

"And if Thor decided to do it?" Nadeer asked. "What if the 'God of Thunder' decided to become our god once more? Can we simply decide it won't happen?"

Steve shook his head. "Not at all. But in the end, we aren't dealing with that sort of situation. The men and women we are currently at war with are all humans. Sure, they are using alien technology like the Chitauri armor, or empowered individuals like Davida or Creel, but the masterminds are human. We need to accept that the issue of who to trust must be seen on a case by case basis, not based on where they were born or how they are different. Yes, they may be a threat. But immediately assuming they are is a mistake that could cost valuable allies."

Nadeer shook her head and seemed to prepare to attack once more. Steve smiled on the outside and groaned on the inside. He really was not made for politics.