The thing was, Steve could recognize the hypocrisy of what he was about to say. As the person who had been pushing for revolution all along, he should have been thrilled to hear so many people advocating for rebellion. Should have been, but decidedly wasn't. He'd grown visibly more tense over the course of the dinner, as those around the table offered their opinions on the current situation. A good poker face had never been one of his strengths, and a quick glance in his direction would have been more than sufficient to reveal how unhappy he was with the turn the conversation had taken.
It wasn't as if he'd expected any support from Natasha, but to have Stark throwing his weight behind plan "Get those of us at this table out at any cost" felt a whole hell of a lot like a slap in the face. There was a bigger picture here, and Steve couldn't abide the fact that so few people at this table seemed to get that. Maybe it was because two nights out of every three found him unable to sleep, his nightmares woven from scenes of District Eight's show of rebellion. That had been nothing more than a gesture, not nearly as impactful as what was currently on the table, and yet, here they sat, discussing the best way to break the lot of them out of an arena. As if Stane's retribution for that wouldn't make the brutality shown to District Eight look like a slap on the wrist.
"We're not ready to launch a full-scale rebellion," Steve said, on his feet the moment Natasha stopped speaking, his expression very nearly mutinous. There was a tremor below his words, an indication of just how hard he was working at keeping his voice steady. "The districts aren't ready. And we have to think about what an escape attempt means for the people in those districts. We don't get to just decide, then leave them to their fates."
It would be different, maybe, if he and Stark had begun to lay the groundwork, or if he could be sure they weren't leaving the people of Panem entirely to Stane's cruelty. Hell, if they at least had voices from the districts involved in this conversation, maybe then Steve's stomach wouldn't be tied into such knots.
As it stood, none of that was true, and Steve couldn't shake his certainty that by saving themselves, they would be dooming innocent people.
It was obvious that there were plenty of people in this room who thought revolution only had a shot if they were involved, but Steve didn't believe that for a second. They might have the power to get things started, or to stir up trouble faster, but it was the people of Panem who would be the driving force behind changing Panem for the better. And to give Panem's citizens that opportunity, they needed to have a plan, they needed a structure in place, and that was precisely what they didn't yet have.
"Our focus should be getting things in place," Steve continued, jaw stubbornly set, his eyes flashing defiance as he looked down the length of the table at Stark. "Making a plan for whoever's still here on the other side of this. There are already a few of you we know aren't going in - " His eyes flickered briefly from Stark to Bucky and Peggy then back again, " - which means we should be able to count on you to carry this forward." Steve's throat tightened, briefly, at the thought that he wouldn't ever get to see Panem change, but he swallowed quickly, squaring his shoulders up once again.
"I think Natasha's got a point," he added, a carefully neutral allowance and a pointed refusal to acknowledge the jab she'd directed toward him. "Wanda and Scott would make good rallying points - I've got no problem setting one of them up to win. And I've got no problem stirring up public opinion, especially in the Capitol - if the people change Stane's mind, and he decides against sending us back in, fine." Even though Steve's stomach turned over once more at the fact that it would mean another 24 innocent kids sent into the arena. "But I can't accept saving our own damn selves at the expense of the districts. Not when we have options that mean a rebellion doesn't have to die with us."