Fragments of Decay

Feel My Wrath And Extreme Self Doubt

The burner phone is probably the oldest piece of technology Tony owns. It's ancient, he's not totally certain whether it still works. On all accords he should've thrown it right into the fire next to that damned letter all those years ago. For some reason he hadn't. Maybe it's the same reason he's pulled it from the depths of whatever drawer it had been thrown into and is actively staring it down now.

Rogers isn't going to be the one to call, this he knows.

If you need me, I will be there.

He needs all the help he can get. Alice deserves all the help he can get. He keeps staring at the phone. He should call. Part of him hopes Rogers wouldn't pick up - except, that's not really his style, is it? If it is in any way within his ability, he will help. The problem, Tony recognises, is that he will not be alone. With Rogers comes Barnes - it's a given, at this point - and with Barnes comes-

Howard!-

I don't care, he killed my mom-

With Barnes comes some stuff he's been really good at forgetting. Stuff that had been safely locked in the little drawer of things Tony doesn't think about. Stuff he's been repressing - he claims for Alice's sake but maybe, selfishly, a little for his own sanity as well - He's not sure whether he can deal with bringing it all back up to the surface. He's not so sure he's whole enough as a person to survive ripping open this particular wound. A gaping hole that he had been slowly, stubbornly, stitching together. If he calls now, he will lose all that progress, this he knows.

He will call, it's a given. For Alice he would do just about anything. He's delaying the inevitable in hopes of making it less painful. He's wasting time, wasting precious minutes that he's paying for in his daughter's pain. Every second she's there is a second she's hurting.

He picks up the phone and presses call.

It rings.

Once.

Twice.

Then-

"Tony?"

---------------------------

The call had been draining - to say the least - but it's with reassurance that Rogers will be there "As soon as possible, Tony. I promise."  that he goes to find Carol. She'd left early in the morning, planning to ask around nearby friendly colonies for anything. The clock says eleven pm, she should be home by now.

He rubs a hand over his face. He's not sure how long it's been since he slept and the exhaustion is bound to catch up with him soon. He doesn't know if - how - he'll be able to sleep as long as he doesn't know Alice is safe, but he's no use to her if he can't function. FRIDAY is running 24/7, scanning any surveillance camera she has access to - and any she doesn't - Natasha has been calling in favours left and right, if her contacts spot anyone even vaguely matching Alice's description in their circles she'll be the first to know. He asked Steve Rogers for help.

There is very little he can do right now and he loathes this fact. Alice could be literally anywhere. If Yon-Rogg had wanted to take her to some niche planet in the middle of nowhere galaxies away he damn well could have and there would be nothing Tony could do to get his child back. The thought is nauseating and quick to join Barnes in the Box-Of-Things-Tony-Doesn't-Think-About.

"Danvers?" he calls out as soon as the elevator opens. He spots her jacket, thrown over the back of the couch haphazardly, the second he enters. He steps into the open space, heart pounding in his ears. "Carol?"

He turns the corner into the kitchen and breathes out in relief. Carol is sitting on top of the kitchen island, one of her legs rhythmically tapping against the counter hard enough he'd be worried about bruising if she were literally anyone else. She isn't, so as it is he simply crosses the distance between them and hops on the counter next to her. It doesn't go as smoothly as he'd hoped - he's not getting any younger - but she doesn't comment on it.