"They treat every issue in the realm of public safety as their private domain, like misers hoarding wealth—not out of responsibility, but in pursuit of the prestige that follows such behavior. Tony Stark manipulates stock prices through his actions; every time he flies over New York City, Stark Industries' stock rises slightly."
"Extreme, cynical, overly subjective. The SEC would never be able to connect the two," Natasha Romanoff shook her head. Solomon flipped through the thick stack of documents spread out on her desk, while the female agent sat beside him sipping a fragrant cup of hot red tea. She was wearing an utterly bland gray plush pajama set, even her cotton slippers were plain gray, just like the decor of the apartment. If it weren't for her stunning figure and vibrant red hair, she would've looked as dull as a clump of grass chewed up and spat out by a goat.
She hadn't called Solomon here for anything as trivial as what happened in Hell's Kitchen.
She toyed with a golden lapel pin Solomon had gifted her, quietly waiting for his conclusion.
"Well, let me put it this way." Solomon flipped through legal statutes, trying to draw inspiration. "Has the Avengers ever considered that while their actions may result in justice, the process itself often disregards numerous laws, appointing themselves as the sword of justice and unilaterally judging others? If HYDRA was the largest local enterprise and provided employment to many, who compensates those left jobless after HYDRA is dismantled?"
"That excuse is plausible, but as long as it's framed as a purge of HYDRA, no one will object, let alone defend HYDRA. These days, accusing a politician or entrepreneur of being HYDRA is the most vicious of charges."
"What about collateral damage then? While such situations happen in all intelligence agencies and covert organizations, the Avengers are, strictly speaking, a civilian group and have no such rights. Furthermore, their operations often lack adequate intelligence support and they fail to secure battle zones in advance, frequently leading to the deaths of innocent civilians and police officers. Through the Patriot Act, the Avengers should be nationalized, brought under unified command and oversight by intelligence agencies to avoid unnecessary casualties. You know this argument works best—people still remember what happened in South Africa. If Congress deems the Hulk uncontrollable, then the same will be said of the Avengers. Uncontrollable factors are the greatest sin—even collateral damage must be labeled as 'under control' to satisfy public concern."
"So, how do you plan to defend them?" Natasha Romanoff took a sip of hot tea. She had just taken a warm shower, and coupled with an alchemical potion to treat her cold, she quickly regained her composure. With a clear head, she once again sorted through the complex legal documents. "Congress will absolutely have public support on this. Articles Two and Three combined, Stark and Rogers don't have a leg to stand on."
"Simple. Have the two of them stand in support of politically correct causes. Rebrand the Avengers as a group that champions environmental protection, animal welfare, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, and minority representation. If Congress tries to move against them, it can be framed as discrimination against those groups. Meanwhile, Stark Industries can invest in some manufacturing sectors to alleviate unemployment in the Rust Belt. That way, both red states and blue states can support the Avengers." Solomon spoke dryly. "Sure, senators can resist party influence to some degree, but nothing is absolute—otherwise, lobbying firms would cease to exist. That's the simplest way to manipulate democratic politics. As long as you can fool enough idiots, anything can be legitimized, no matter how absurd. So-called democracy is just a fig leaf. The most powerful language is money."
Natasha shrugged. "That plan won't work. You know neither Stark nor Rogers would go along with it."
"Why not? Stark can gain support from the Democratic Party if he backs taxation of the wealthy. Rogers can gain support from the Republicans, even the military—you have no idea how many active-duty soldiers dreamed of becoming Captain America as kids. If the White House wanted Rogers to star in a stage play to promote war bonds right now, I guarantee people would buy them." The arcane sorcerer's smile was downright malicious. "If you ask me, those two should enter politics and convert their public support into tangible benefits. The Avengers can't oppose the state, so the best path is to become the state. Once they step into politics, any regulation of the Avengers becomes less urgent—at least, not brought up so soon. There are only two outcomes for the Avengers: slow death, or total destruction."
"There's no hope left?" Unlike others who held onto optimism, Natasha Romanoff wanted to hear Solomon's conclusion—no matter how grim. Perhaps it was prophecy, or perhaps wisdom, but over the years, she had witnessed Solomon's foresight firsthand. Most events he took part in always led to the outcome he foresaw—without exception, from beginning to end.
"Unless we amend the Second Amendment, equating the possession of high-tech gear and superpowers with firearms and regulating them accordingly. This would earn support from the right. Superpowers could be treated like concealed carry permits, but due to their special nature, a visible marker would be required. Then the issue of privacy rights for superpowered individuals would arise due to the marker, which would draw in support from the left—and once again, society would be torn apart. But given how many issues are already doing that, adding one more won't make much difference," the arcane sorcerer said with a smile. "One final plan: turn the Avengers into a New York State militia group and limit their operations to within the state. If that could be done, it'd be even easier than going into politics."
"What do you see? I mean, prophecy."
"Prophecy isn't unchangeable, Natasha. There are countless possibilities in the world. Prophecy is merely a reference, a book that can never be fully read. Whether the outcome is joy or sorrow, it holds no meaning for us in the present. What we face now is real." The sorcerer's warm smile nearly made the agent lose focus. "If you want to do something, then do it. Only through action can we give meaning to time."
"I've never heard you say something so emotional before."
"No, this is physics. I believe you understand. Precisely because entropy keeps increasing, time emerges within the infinite subsets of the universe. Time flows from low entropy to high entropy, and by continuously consuming low entropy and accelerating the rise of external entropy, we create the direction of time. Time originates from us, not the universe. We are the ones who determine the future."
Everything he was doing now was preparation for a future war—fearlessly marching forward, swallowing all future misery with boundless optimism. In his eyes, humanity's purity burned like a flame capable of igniting hope. It was hard to imagine what the Sorcerer Supreme was thinking when he made his decision, but Solomon's unwavering will proved the Ancient One's vision had not been wrong.
"So romantic, my pretty boy. Are all physics majors as adorable as you? Or is it just you?"
(End of Chapter)
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