The Invisible Coder (Natasha x OC)

Chapter 7- Tony Stark's POV

Tony Stark's POV

Tony Stark wandered around Avenger's tower, lost in thought. 

Bryce was gone. 

It was his fault, and he knew it.

That wasn't even the worst part.

If Ultron killed her... if he tortured her, hurt her, mind-controlled her with the scepter, it'd only worsen her PTSD.

And he knew what that felt like.

She refused to admit that the scepter had given her PTSD, even though she woke up in the middle of the night, sobbing and screaming her lungs out. She'd killed people under Loki's influence. She'd never killed a fly before.

Well, she'd probably killed a fly.

Still.

She couldn't get over the things that she'd done before the attack. She'd never forget what she did, and it slowly comes back to her, night after night. When there's nothing left to remember, she'll see everything she did play out in front of her eyes in her dreams.

If that scepter touches her chest again, she'll never be able to shake the horrors.

Tony wondered if it was like that for Clint. Clint Barton had killed under the scepter's influence, hadn't he? 

But he was a trained assassin. He'd killed before. He was more used to the horrors, if not beginning to get over them.

Clint talked about his nightmares, but they didn't come as often as Bryce's.

She claims that she sees another dead body every time she blinks. 

Another gunshot in the air.

Another splatter of blood.

Another bent knee towards the God of Mischief.

That was what haunted her the most.

She'd told Tony that she'd bent her knee "willingly, with unwavering pride" towards Loki once under his influence.

The only thing Tony wanted to do at that moment, when she told him, was grab Loki's stupid face and smash it into a wall until it was broken beyond repair.

That's why he and the others never trusted Ava's relationship with him.

Loki had scarred Bryce so badly that she would live the rest of her life reliving the horrors he brought upon her. If there was anything Tony was glad about at that moment... it would be that the murderer Loki was dead.

He could never tell that to Ava, of course. She'd be incredibly hurt. 

Maybe Tony could've done something. Maybe he could've listened to Bruce when Bruce warned him about doing things behind the other's backs. If he'd known Bryce was going to get kidnaped, he would've listened.

Probably.

Maybe he could've told her that he'd adopted her sooner. Sure, he wanted to save it as a surprise, because he and Pepper were genuinely excited about it, but had she known earlier...

Speaking of Pepper, he hadn't brought himself to call her yet. Steve had told her everything, but Tony hadn't spoken to her personally about it yet.

Tony whipped out his phone before he could stop himself and called her, bringing the phone to his ear. She picked up almost immediately.

"DID YOU FIND BRYCE?! OH, TONY, PLEASE TELL ME YOU FOUND BRYCE, PLEASE TELL ME SHE'S NOT DEAD!"

"Hi, Pep," Tony said quietly. "Look, we haven't found her yet, but-"

"TONY, SHE'S YOUR DAUGHTER!"

"I know! I know, and that's what I've been thinking about. She isn't dead, or else Ultron would be rubbing our faces in it. I swear to you, I'm going to find her. We'll find her, and Ultron will pay for taking her," 

Tony heard Pepper sigh. "Don't make me come home and whoop your arse, Tony. If you can't find her, I'm finding her myself,"

Tony managed to chuckle half-heartedly.

"I'M SERIOUS, TONY!" Tony had to remove the phone from his ear when Pepper shouted at him. "SHE ISN'T A FIGHTER! YOU KNOW SHE CAN'T DEFEND HERSELF VERY WELL! FOR ONCE CAN YOU PLEASE BE SERIOUS ABOUT THIS? SHE'S PROBABLY VERY, VERY SCARED AND UNPROTECTED!"

"I know, I'm making her something to help with that," Tony assured her.

"WELL, IF YOU DON'T FIND HER, THERE MAY NOT BE A GIRL TO GIVE IT TO!"

Finally, Tony snapped. "DON'T YOU THINK I'M WORRIED ABOUT HER TOO?! I AM GOING TO SAVE HER IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!"

He let out a sharp breath. "Trust me. Please. I'm gonna get her back,"

"Good," Pepper said.

"Talk to you later," 

"Stay alive, and for God's sake, keep her alive as well,"

"I will,"

With this, Pepper hung up.

Tony stared at his phone for a little bit before putting it back in his pocket and continuing to walk, losing himself in his thoughts again. 

What if Ultron was hurting her as he stood there, unknowingly? What if he was torturing her, making her work for him? What if he'd already used the scepter on her?

Tony made his way to the elevator, trying to remember everything Ultron had said before stealing the scepter and Bryce. Nothing pointed towards a plan. 

And why did he even need Bryce? The answer came to him almost immediately. She's smart. She's a hacker. Of course Ultron wanted her off of their side. That way, they can't find him. 

Tony cursed his AI and stepped out onto the roof of Avengers tower.

Looking out to the large city, he wondered what it would be like to never see it again. 

What if Bryce never saw it again?

No. No, Tony was responsible for this. He needed to get her back. He needed to get her back as soon as he could. It was his duty. Bryce was his kid. And nobody touches his kid.

Tony Stark was a father now. It was time for him to start acting like one.