Maddison Romanoff-Stark

Missed You! What Do We Do Now?

The flight home from Wakanda is silent. Finally, we arrive at the compound, and I quickly get off the jet and run to my room. I make sure the door is closed. Then I get cleaned up and put on some PJs.

It's been 23 days since Thanos came to Earth. I've been keeping track. My dad still hasn't come back. So far, I've only left my room twice a day. My mom keeps trying to talk to me, but I'm not ready yet. She always brings me food, though. As usual, I am sitting in my room when the compound starts to rumble. I look out of my window and see a spaceship being carried by someone glowing with their powers. They look like Captain Marvel. I run outside, and everyone else is out there. The door opens, and a Luphomoid walks out, supporting my dad!

Steve runs up to him and helps him walk. "Couldn't stop him," says my dad. "Neither could I," says Steve. "Hang on, I lost the kid," says my dad. "Tony, we lost," says Steve. "What do you mean "I lost the kid?" I'm right here, daddy!" I say. My dad opens his arms, and I jump into them. "I missed you," I say. "Missed you more, squirt," says my dad. "Impossible," I say. Then I add "Anyways, you scared me! I thought you were dead!" "Kiddo, you can't get rid of me that easily," says my dad. I smile and then I add "I love you 3,000." "Love you lots," says my dad as he sets me down and kisses my mom on the lips. "Ewww. Get a room!" I say. Everyone rolls their eyes while smiling. My dad picks me up with one arm and holds my mom's hand with his free hand, and we all walk inside.

We put my dad in a wheelchair and an IV into his arm. "It's been 23 days since Thanos came to Earth," says Rhodey. We are standing in the living room where we talked about Vision's stone in. A table is projecting pictures of all of the missing people related to the Avengers. "World governments are in pieces," says my mom as she talks a picture of Wanda shows up. Then tears start pouring down my cheeks, and my mom hugs me. Then she continues saying, "The parts that are still working are trying to take a census, and it looks like he did...He did exactly what he said he was gonna do. Thanos wiped out 50% of all living creatures." "Where is he now? Where?" asks my dad. "We don't know. He just opened a portal and walked through," says Steve. My dad points to Thor and asks, "What's wrong with him?" "Oh, he's pissed. He thinks he failed. Which, of course, he did, but there's a lot of that going around, ain't there?" says Rocket. "Honestly, until this exact second, I thought you were a Build-A-Bear," says my dad. "Maybe I am," says Rocket. "We've been hunting Thanos for three weeks now. Deep space scans and satellites and we got nothing. Tony, you fought him," says Steve. "Who told you that? I didn't fight him. No, he wiped my face with a planet while the Bleeker Street magician gave away the store. That's what happened. There was no fight, 'cause he's not beatable," says my dad. "Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?" asks Steve. "Uh...I saw this coming a few years back. I had a vision I didn't wanna believe it. Thought I was dreaming," says  my dad. "Tony, I'm gonna need you to focus," says Steve. "And I needed you. As in, past tense. That Trumps what you need. It's too late, buddy. Sorry. You know what I need? I need a shave. And I believe I remember telling all youse," says my dad, and he stands up, and he starts to take out the IV. "Tony, Tony!" says Rhodey. "Daddy! Stop!" I say. "Alive and otherwise, that what we needed was a suit of armor around the world. Remember that? Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not. That's what we needed," continues my dad. "Well, that didn't work out, did it?" says Steve. "I said we'd lose. You said, "We'll do that together, too." And guess what, Cap? We lost. And you weren't there. But that's what we do, right? Our best work after the fact? We're the "Avengers." We're the "Avengers," not the "Pre-vengers." says my dad. "Okay," says Rhodey. "Right?" says my dad. "You made your point. Just sit down, okay?" says Rhodey. "Okay. No, no, here's my point. She's great, by the way." says my dad pointing to Captain Marvel, whose real name I learned is Carol Danvers. "Tony, you're sick. Sit down," says Rhodey. "We need you. You're new blood. You too, Maddie. We're a bunch of tired old mules. I got nothing for you, Cap. I got no coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options. Zero. Zip. Nada. No trust, liar." says my dad getting in Steve's face. My dad takes off his arc reactor and puts it in Steve's hand, and says, "Here, take this. You find him, you put that on, you hide." then he falls to the ground. "Tony!" says Steve. "Daddy!" I exclaim. We all try to help him. "I'm fine. Let me..." says my dad, and he lays flat on the ground.