Tony downed the glass of scotch in a single gulp but it did nothing to diminish his worry for Steve. It had been a week since Steve had been kidnapped and they were still no closer to finding him. Tony scowled at the thought; he was not used to failure but everything he had done to try and find the good Captain had failed.

When Tony had gone back for Steve, he had known something was wrong when he realised how quiet it was. Trying to ignore the rising panic he had felt, Tony had entered the base through the hole he had made in the roof, only to find the room empty but for the Captain's shield which lay forgotten about on the dusty floor. No Hydra agents, no Captain America.

Tony remembered the sinking feeling that he had got in his heart and stomach when he realised that he had taken too long. It had taken Tony longer than he anticipated getting Clint to the Quin-jet and back to the base with Thor close behind. But by the time they had returned Hydra had vanished along with their friend. He and Thor had searched the woods but there was no sign of Steve. Romanoff and Barton had done a sweep of the surrounding area in the Quin-jet but found nothing. They had searched other Hydra bases that they knew about, especially those that were close by but found nothing. Jarvis had been unable to track Steve's comms unit, stating that it had gone off-line three minutes after Tony had left with Barton.

Tony downed another scotch in an attempt to chase the unpleasant memories away. As he put the glass back on the counter he found himself face to face with a disapproving Pepper.

"Getting drunk won't help you find Steve, Tony," she said gently, taking the bottle away.

"It's worth a try. I mean being sober hasn't helped me find him, so I figured I'd give being drunk a try," said Tony casually.

"Tony, you know Steve's abduction wasn't your fault," said Pepper kindly, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. Tony scoffed at that but made no attempt to remove Pepper's hand.

"It wasn't your fault, Tony and I know that when we get Steve back, he'll tell you the same," she said firmly.

"No, Pepper, Steve won't blame me but it was my fault. I should have been there for him. I should never have left him alone but I did; that's why it's my fault," said Tony bitterly. He suddenly wondered if this was how his father had felt for all those years that he had searched for Captain America. Had his father also felt this desperate need to know what had happened to his friend, and this stubborn determination to never give up? Tony knew he would stop at nothing to find Steve no matter what it took or how long.

Wow, he thought, I'm actually becoming my father. With that thought Tony began searching the bar for something stronger. Next to him he heard Pepper give a resigned sigh and he would happily have bet his company that she was shaking her head at him.

"Sir, Director Fury is here and he's asking to see you and the Avengers," announced Jarvis, the A.I. that ran what had once been Stark Tower but was now the Avengers Tower.

"Send him up and tell the others to get their butts in here," said Tony.

"Already on it, sir," replied Jarvis.

Tony sat on the settee with a glass of vodka, feeling disgruntled that he hadn't been able to find anything stronger. He was certain that Pepper was responsible but hadn't the heart, or the energy, to be mad at her.

Ever since he had turned Stark Tower into Avengers Tower a few months ago, he had slowly convinced the others to move in. Tony had pointed out that it made perfect sense. They all lived in New York anyway, well except Thor of course, so they weren't moving far and they could get to an emergency quicker if they were all together. It took some persuading but eventually they had all agreed; no doubt in an attempt to shut Tony up. He gave them their own entire floor, along with permission to decorate it to their tastes. Steve had moved in a few weeks ago and Tony had been amazed, and a little horrified, at how little he seemed to own.

Clint and Natasha were the first to arrive, closely followed by Thor, who had stayed on Earth to help search for Steve. To Tony's surprise Bruce arrived with Fury. Bruce still travelled but had moved into the Tower, where he worked with Tony whenever he was in the USA.

Everyone took a seat in the large living area, which sported a large settee, several comfy chairs and a large flat screen TV on the far wall. Fury chose to stand, placing himself in front of the TV with his hands behind his back. His stance made Tony uneasy; it was the way Fury stood when he had to deliver bad news.

"Okay, we did a thorough search of the woods that surround the Hydra base where Steve was taken. We didn't find anything except tire tracks on one of the dirt roads leading out of the woods. We followed it for about mile and a half and found an abandoned truck on the side of the road," said Fury, getting straight to the point. He paused for a moment as if to brace him for what he was about to say, but Tony couldn't wait a moment.

"Well did the truck have anything in it that can help us? Captain America perhaps?" he said impatiently. Fury sighed and his weary expression told Tony that he wasn't going to like what the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D had to say.

"Not exactly, but we did find something of Steve's?"

"What? We have his shield," said Bruce looking confused and anxious; said shield was currently lying on Steve's bed where Tony had left it, ready for its owners return.

"We found his Captain America uniform in the back of the truck…it was covered in blood that we've positively identified as Steve's," said Fury, with a calm that Tony doubted the man felt.

Tony felt the entire colour drain from his face at Fury's words. He looked around at his friends as if hoping one of them would tell him that this was a sick joke. But one look at them told him they were as shocked and horrified as he was. Clint had crushed the coke can he had been holding, Natasha looked paler than Tony had ever seen her, Thor had grabbed his hammer, Mjolnir, and looked ready to use it; and Bruce looked like he was on the verge of Hulking out, his ears were an alarming shade of green.

The silence was becoming suffocating. Nobody knew what to say and even Tony couldn't think of a witty or sarcastic comment to make. Pepper gripped his hand tightly, her face lined with worry.

"Is there anything we can use from the truck to track Steve?" asked Clint, who looked ready to kill.

"No, the truck was all but stripped bare and after that the trail runs cold. Wherever they took him they made sure that he couldn't be identified by his clothes. But wherever is he's hurt, we just don't know how badly," explained Fury, sounding exhausted.

"We're going to dig deeper into Hydra and see if we can find him that way. We think he may have been taken to a Hydra base we don't know about," he added.

Tony was barely listening. He didn't know what to say, think or feel right now. Never had he felt so completely helpless, not even in Afghanistan. Howard Stark had searched tirelessly for Captain America, scientists had found him, and he, Tony Stark, had lost him. The thought made him feel sick.