FENRIR ※ Tony Stark [2]

15 - POSTCARD FROM AUSTRALIA

THE POSTAL DELIVERY CAMION was parked in front of the Avengers Facility for a good half hour before the postman was allowed inside.

At first, Angie thought it was a joke or a mistake, or both. But no, the envelope he put in her hand indeed had her name on it. Not her full name, but it wasn't like there were many Angies around.

She would've shared her bewilderment with Tony or Rhodey but neither of them were here. Tony was taking care of some Stark Industries-related business and Rhodey was having a physio session. It was just her for the day.

She plopped down on the sofa of the lounge and finally got around to opening the envelope. It puzzled her even more to find a freaking postcard inside. A postcard from the other side of the planet, no less. A tacky cartoon kangaroo was drawn on a blue backdrop, overlapped with the words "Greetings from Australia" in colorful letters.

What the actual hell...?

There wasn't a doubt in her mind that the postcard had been wrongly delivered to her but she flipped it over nonetheless, curious to read the words written on the back.

"Dear Angie,

You made me promise to send a postcard, so here it is! I'm sorry I haven't reached out lately but Australia's been great. The landscapes are amazing and the people are so welcoming, I know you'd love it! We've been touring around the mountains in Queensland these past few weeks, their museums are filled with 90-year-old fossils, it's all so fascinating!

Also, Natalie sends her regards. We've all missed you very much. She says we should have you over for poker night once we get back. I know I swore never to play with you again because you've kicked my ass so many times but it's time to bury old ghosts, I guess!

I must see you very soon

-Grant"

At first, nothing looked out of the ordinary. She guessed it was just some generic holiday greeting exchanged between two friends but the more her eyes scanned the handwritten words, the more something felt off.

How on Earth could this have been delivered to her? It made no sense. Tony had taken care of making her look as human as possible on paper, including getting her name on public records but this postcard was sent specifically to the Avengers' Headquarters. It wasn't like you could confuse the address. The facility was pretty remote.

It took a few more readings for a particular sentence to jump out. She didn't know how she had missed it but it was now sticking out like a sore thumb and she couldn't see anything else.

'...It's time to bury old ghosts...'

Angie could swear she'd heard that precise wording before, a long time ago. She searched for long seconds through the depth of her memories until she was finally able to put her finger on it: Steve had said those same exact words four years ago on the Helicarrier.

It was right after Loki had sent his puppets to wreck his apartment and destroy his most cherished possession in the process: an old pocket watch that had stayed with him while he was frozen. It had that woman's picture in it, Peggy Carter. When Angie tried to console him about it, Steve told her that phrase she was now reading on the back of this stupid postcard: It's time to bury old ghosts.

Angie was now frantic, re-reading the letter over and over again. Could it possibly be a coincidence? Was this all in her head?

Her gaze suddenly froze on the name at the bottom of the note and she slapped her forehead. What an idiot. How could she have missed this?!