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Oct. 18th, 2016 09:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
starkingenuityWhen the battle for humanity started, it was in a small castle in Scotland, well removed from Tony Stark’s usual stomping grounds. His world had been one of espionage and terrorism, of opposing government factions and super humans all jostling for control. No one, not SHIELD or HYDRA, not AIM or the Ten Rings, not the kingdom of Wakanda or the United States president had ever truly understood that their petty squabbles and races for technology meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.
When Voldemort won, when the Boy Who Lived lived no more and the powerful wizards who might have faced him were slaughtered, it took some time to trick over to the other hemisphere of the globe.
But once it did, the changes happened almost overnight.
Tony was never happier to have had the arc reactor removed a year before. A silence charm that functioned like an EMP over the muggle world stopped the use of all electronics at once. Planes fell out of the sky. Cars crashed. Lights and elevators stopped working. The internet went down. Satellites burned up in the atmosphere.
High on the 98th floor of Avengers Tower, Tony sat in the dark for a long while, feeling the presence of a friend who had only just returned from wherever it was his sorrow and betrayal at Black Widow’s hands had taken him. “Uh…” Tony frowned. “So, this is cozy. FRIDAY? How’s the rebooting coming?”
All was quiet. All was dark. The city was black.
When Voldemort won, when the Boy Who Lived lived no more and the powerful wizards who might have faced him were slaughtered, it took some time to trick over to the other hemisphere of the globe.
But once it did, the changes happened almost overnight.
Tony was never happier to have had the arc reactor removed a year before. A silence charm that functioned like an EMP over the muggle world stopped the use of all electronics at once. Planes fell out of the sky. Cars crashed. Lights and elevators stopped working. The internet went down. Satellites burned up in the atmosphere.
High on the 98th floor of Avengers Tower, Tony sat in the dark for a long while, feeling the presence of a friend who had only just returned from wherever it was his sorrow and betrayal at Black Widow’s hands had taken him. “Uh…” Tony frowned. “So, this is cozy. FRIDAY? How’s the rebooting coming?”
All was quiet. All was dark. The city was black.
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Date: 2016-11-17 03:09 pm (UTC)"They threw something into the fire each time," Bruce pointed out, and thus squatted down further to see if he could find some remnants of it laying about. Surely all of that powder couldn't have been combusted in a loose throw. He listened to Tony talk, agreeing with him silently that sonic waves couldn't have been responsible, but the order made him give a quick look towards the other before complying. After a moment or two, he shook his head. "Nothing."
He finally found what he was looking for, off to the side, but he immediately had suspicions. With a swipe of his index finger across it, he went almost cross-eyed trying to look at the faintly glittery substance mixed in with the natural soot of a fire. It was difficult to tell the color of it with so little to examine, but he did stick his finger out towards Tony for him to look at. "It looks almost like children's glitter." His remark was dry and a touch sarcastic at the edges, knowing that it couldn't be that.
"Both times the fire went green..." He frowned, then asked more to himself, "could it be... glitter and borax?"
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Date: 2016-11-17 03:54 pm (UTC)[Yeah. Still reeling. It's all so freaking crazy. The whole story of it is crazy.]
Borax seemed a little too much like a parlor trick to Tony, and besides, "there isn't a fire. What were they throwing it into? How can you just spontaneously create fire..?" Actually, Tony was pretty sure he knew that it could be done with gas and nozzles. That's how a lot of kitchens heated their stoves after all. He still didn't like the idea of being held captive by portalling, EMP crafting people who used borax and glitter in a fire place to simulate magic.
And it didn't make any sense why the Hulk was caged up. No. Not caged up. Bruce said he was flat out gone.
He was about to make a comment about glitter and the sorts of people he knew they were generally covered in that stuff who had professions very different from Bruce when the fireplace erupted again. It was enough to blow them both back, but Tony set an arm almost protectively around Bruce's head to protect him.
"So cute! They cuddle!"
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Date: 2016-11-17 04:23 pm (UTC)Bruce laid there stunned for a second or two, vaguely hearing what was called out, but he also realized there was something around his head. For all that the Other Guy was silent in his head, he could still smell quite well and knew on the next breath in that it was Tony. He ducked his head a little to look, then his eyes narrowed towards that woman again. What did they want, now?
"Off," he muttered to Tony, but his hand found the other's wrist as he pulled away and gave it a quick squeeze. A silent thank you. Inside, even if he was doing everything he could not to show it to these strangers... he was afraid. There was a sort of sickening revelation happening in his life that at least in part he had come to rely on the safety the Other Guy gave him. Now it was gone.
(While another part of him quietly realized that the choice he had made standing on the edge of an ice cliff all those years ago was a possibility again.)
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Date: 2016-11-17 05:31 pm (UTC)[You think you love someone and then you get engaged and you love them even more. It's so weird. :3]
Tony didn't need to be told twice, his arm slipping away from Bruce. Once a hero, always a hero, even if he wasn't wearing armor. He couldn't stop his reflexes.
Once Bruce was sitting up, Tony sat up too. Slower. More careful. He was observing the mad woman with the heart shaped face and varying voice and accent. She strode forward in her black, riff raff skirts that looked like they had once been fine taffeta and pointed a stick at him. "Up!"
Tony arched an eyebrow.
"I'm actually pretty good here thanks."
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Date: 2016-11-17 06:03 pm (UTC)Bruce went to say something quietly to Tony, that he wouldn't have a choice, when the woman's face changed. It was deeply disturbing to him to watch her expression go from amused to this look of anger, disgust, and sniveling pride, like a mask had been taken off. The grip on her wand changed and she smirked, but it was the coldest smirk he had ever seen. LaStrange, he remembered. "I said up, little doggie. Impedimenta!"
There was a flash of light around her wand and something like a giant, unseen hand would pick Tony up, bringing him entirely off the floor and with a little flick, slam him up against the ceiling before bringing him back down as the woman cackled. "Oh, enthusiastic little pet!
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Date: 2016-11-17 07:28 pm (UTC)That's it. He was selling off his stocks in yo-yos. As much as Tony was an adrenaline junkie, he absolutely was not thrilled with the sudden g-forces that crazy hand allowed him to 'enjoy.' He was a little too stunned, almost unsteady on his feet, to really register what had happened. One moment he was hitting his head and shoulders in the darkness and the next his legs were under him.
"Your parlor tricks are amazing," he said, though he felt more like barfing all over Banner's shoes.
He hadn't seen a hand, but he had felt fingers, large, giant fingers, scoop him up. There was no other way to describe the sensation. His whole body trembled and he reached out to steady himself on nothing as Bruce watched.
This could not be that good of a look for him.
"Tricks?" the woman's voice retorted. "Oh no my darling. You are mistaken. You shall see. You shall learn!"
Tony swallowed. "Everyone tells me that I never learn. Sorry."
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Date: 2016-11-17 07:52 pm (UTC)No, Tony didn't learn, but Bruce also didn't want the man killed by his own foolishness, so he stepped forward slightly and met the woman's eyes. "...what is this?" he asked, his fingers tightening at his side. "What are you doing? How are you doing this?" He needed more information and despite the fact that this woman seemed absolutely insane, she would at least give them something to work off of. He hoped.
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Date: 2016-11-18 06:31 pm (UTC)The trouble with dealing with crazy people was that they tended not to be the sort of people that dealt with anyone else. The woman gripped Tony by the collar and hauled him forward before lightly patting his hair. "Tell your big green friend to keep his mouth shut. I can't hurt him but I can hurt you."
She whispered something into Tony's ear and his felt his blood turn to glass. It was for just a moment but it took him by surprise that he let out the most heart breaking yelp, like a wounded puppy.
He jerked away from her after that and she laughed merrily.
"That was just a taste. Wasn't it delicious? Now tell him!"
Tony turned wide brown eyes at Bruce. "You.. Should probably be quiet." It took a lot to cow Tony Stark. And this was evidently it.
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Date: 2016-11-18 06:52 pm (UTC)That reaction from Tony was the most unexpected thing that had happened so far. Tony had gone through hell and back, nearly died multiple times, lost everything and come back from it again and again... what could that woman have told him to get such a reaction!? A taste?? A taste of what!? What the hell had she just done?
Hearing that tone from Tony made him sink down, the fight going out of his eyes as he looked to his friend. A nod, just a nod. He wasn't going to respond vocally if it meant she would do something more to him.
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Date: 2016-11-18 07:08 pm (UTC)"Good! We have such good boys here," LaStrange cooed, ruffling up Tony's hair again. She ignored the flinching. "All right, we have a nice new place for the two of you, my pets. Let's take you first."
She pointed her stick (wand, evidently) at Tony before she threw some dust into the empty fire place. They disappeared in a puff of green, spiraling smoke for several long minutes, giving Bruce peace for a moment. Or casting him into terror.
He would not be alone for long and the woman would haul him by the ear to a nicer sort of room, one with a bathroom and a place to lay down. It was well lit, had Windows thst revealed a scene of London, but no external doors. Tony was sitting quietly on the sofa, looking at his feet.
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Date: 2016-11-18 07:24 pm (UTC)He would think about the lack of doors and the odd windows in a few minutes; the look on Tony's face, defeated and cowed, was worse. For the moment, as soon as she let go of his ear, he would move away from her, hating that it had to look like he was afraid of her (okay, maybe he was to a certain degree) and moved to sit beside Tony on the couch. For now, he would say nothing until she was gone, just watching her with hooded gaze until that damn fireplace lit up again.
Only then would he finally let out a breath, but not a moment before. Every moment with her in the room felt like it was a knot tightening around their necks.
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Date: 2016-11-18 08:14 pm (UTC)Tony kept his mouth shut too, trying to work through what had happened to him as quickly as possible while he was alone. He was so focused that he hadn't even noticed Bruce until the couch beneath him moved. Startled, he glanced up and sighed a little, eyes scanning the room without his head moving to make sure that they were alone.
It seemed like it. He had spent absolutely no time at all looking around (not that he had time) and he was a little too afraid to go poking, honestly. About to say something, voice low, another voice spoke over him from behind them both.
"Bruce? Tony?"
Tony turned, arm on the back of the sofa. Steve Rogers, dried blood scabbed onto his temple, blinked at the two new comers with wife blue eyes.
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Date: 2016-11-18 08:22 pm (UTC)Bruce jumped when that voice suddenly came up. He had been ready to quietly ask Tony what happened, that he wasn't going to let Tony get hurt, when someone he hadn't even known was in the room spoke up. He turned sharply and stared in utter surprise at seeing Rogers there. The blood at his temple spoke of the man going down with a fight, something Bruce wouldn't doubt for a moment, but was this cult just going around rounding them all up?
"Rogers?" Almost in disbelief that he was there, but seeing the blood urged him up to his feet. His hand briefly found Tony's shoulder, giving a squeeze unconsciously before he asked, "are you injured?" Clearly nothing was okay, but injured was something very different at this point. Strike to the head? He'd seen them lift and throw Tony around without even touching him... how had Rogers even gotten close enough to hurt them!?
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Date: 2016-11-18 08:54 pm (UTC)"It healed up," Steve said, the blood was just a left over reminder. He hadn't seen himself in the mirror, he had just spent a lot of his time trying to get out of this place. His knuckles had split and healed too but he didn't bring that up.
He glanced at the collar around Bruce's throat, took in the hollow look in Tony's eyes, and made a step forward.
"Is it just you two? Are you all right?"
"Yeah we're just fine," Tony said, but he sounded more monotonous than genuine or even sarcastic, sitting back down now that he knew the person behind him was just a normal pain in the ass instead of someone with a gnarled stick.
Steve arched a perfect eyebrow at Bruce. A sort of silent, 'is he okay?' before moving on. "Did you meet their leader?"
[Darn phone tags!]
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Date: 2016-11-19 12:49 am (UTC)Steve could heal so damn fast it mystified him, but then again, the super human strength the man had did as well. No wonder they had had him focused on Gamma Rays so hard when they were trying to figure out how they had made Rogers into who he was now. Thought for later. Focus on this.
At the questioning look, Bruce glanced to Tony, bit his lip, then looked back with an 'I don't know but I'm worried' expression. "Just us," he confirmed, and his fingers crept up to his neck. That collar sat firm against his Adam's apple. "...just us." Whether or not Rogers could get the meaning of his words from just the gesture and tone of his voice he wasn't sure but he hoped. He didn't want to explain.
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Date: 2016-11-21 02:06 pm (UTC)Steve was a smart guy but he didn't quite get the meaning of what Bruce was saying until Tony spoke up and cleared it all up. He had turned back to the front, staring at the fire place as if there was a way to force it to give him all of its secrets.
"They found a way to neutralize that collar. Banner met the guy in charge. Evidently they know a way to force you into doing and saying whatever they want." And they could could hurt you. Deeply. A lasting sort of hurt that lingered in your brain if not your body, as if any moment now, you could be overcome by it again. Tony was almost afraid to breathe.
And that was not like him. He knew it. But he was having a really hard time wrapping his brain around it all. He was lost in thought. Distracted. And okay. That was normal.
It didn't help that he hadn't seen Rogers since--
And Steve was feeling a little awkward too. "Uh. So-- Did you get my note...?" Tony was silent and Steve focused his attention instead on Bruce. "Guess that doesn't really matter. There's bigger fish to fry."
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Date: 2016-11-21 02:20 pm (UTC)What had that woman done to Tony in those few seconds she had been whispering to him!? It worried Bruce more by the second to hear Tony like this. "The man in charge... they act like a cult." He might have said something else but that would have just been awkward with Captain America in the room. "The man is- a monster." There. He just flat out said it. "White skinned, hairless, almost... reptilian. Absolute feeling of authority in the room. Something about a Ministry of Magic. Seen three of his followers so far - LaStrange, Greyback, and Malfoy." It was easier to concentrate on this for right now than the panic he wanted to have, but only just. In reality, he felt terrified knowing that these people could do... anything.
"Magic." Just a whisper, but it was a foul word on his tongue. "They want Thor."
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Date: 2016-11-21 03:01 pm (UTC)His fright with Tony had been for none of that. He would keep his mouth shut on it for now though, but his eyes kept hovering to the back of a dark head.
"They didn't really believe that I didn't have a way of calling him. And I didn't know how to get to Asgard," Steve pointed out, moving from behind the couch to stand beside it in blue jeans and a white tee. "I've been here for almost four days now. What's happening out there? All I could see from the Windows was explosions. Or-- I don't know. Not the kind of explosions I e ever seen before."
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Date: 2016-11-21 03:15 pm (UTC)Bruce had bits and pieces of the story, and all of it sounded... horrible and he didn't even know Rogers' side of things. It broke him a little inside while another part babbled about how he wasn't even surprised it happened. They were very different people, all of them. I mean, what are we, a team? No, no, no. We're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. His own words predicting the future.
Four days? That meant Rogers had been captured before hell had broken loose in New York. Bruce frowned at that, trying to puzzle the timeline together. "We were up in the Tower. I hadn't been there all that long, but I flew out more than four days ago." A hint that he had been on this side of the Atlantic before returning back. It went dark, and I mean completely dark. Not a light in the entire city for as far as we could see." Which given the height of the Tower was quite a span.
"...and we watched a plane fall out of the sky. Somehow these people have a way to completely stop any major electronics. The only thing that worked around us was a basic flashlight, and Tony's generators are all capable of rebooting themselves so this was something... more than an EMP." Magic. That word kept coming back up in his mind and he was starting to hate the taste of it on his tongue.
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Date: 2016-11-21 04:22 pm (UTC)"A plane--" All of those people. Steve had mostly just seen feet. A lot of feet. They had been scurrying at first and then less and less walked by. When they did, they were in different sorts of clothing. Long skirts. Boots. Nothing modern society tended to wear. He couldn't see much since their windows were mostly street level. But it was enough to know that a lot of bad things had happened.
Steve didn't try to sit down. Tony wasn't even looking at him. Bruce looked afraid. He had to be strong for the both of them.
"There's no way out of this place. I've been trying to fight my way out for days. You can't even damage the fire place. They bring meals three times a day. It's always this boy. He wears a mask and a full length hood but he's spoken to me a few times. He sounds young."
The smile he wore was nothing sort of tired.
"I don't have a plan here," he confessed. "But if there are three of us, we can get that stick off of him when he comes next time." He wasn't going to call it a wand either, Bruce.
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Date: 2016-11-21 04:34 pm (UTC)"Are the times approximately the same? Could we be ready for him?" There was a sickening feeling on the idea of attacking a child, but they didn't have a great deal of choice in the matter. "The whole cult of these people wear those masks and robes. Other than their leader, I've seen Malfoy without one - might be his right hand man - and LaStrange without them. ...Sounds more and more like a damn cult, getting children involved."
His fingers clenched as the feeling of anger-panic tried to well up again, all almost alien without the pressure of the Other Guy behind them, but like him, it was something he could force down. For now. He looked back towards the fireplace, eyeballing it. "If one of us, maybe two of us, stayed beside the fireplace to either side, get him as soon as he pops out? If he has food, he wouldn't be able to grab for that stick."
Making plans to try and escape, or find out more, or anything while he wanted to make sure Tony was okay. It would have to wait, but Tony sitting over there made his stomach churn in concern.
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Date: 2016-11-22 02:08 pm (UTC)"Say we get the wand." Tony spoke up, voice right and eyes still dead set ahead. "Then what? We can't use it. We don't know how to. Someone notices the kid has been missing-- No."
"Tony--" Steve said, but was immediately cut off by an angry glare.
"I won't do something that's just stupid for the sake of being stupid," he snapped back, finally standing up. "Are you keeping anything else from us? You're famous for that need to know stuff."
Steve just lifted his hands. Placating. Perhaps a little defensive.
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Date: 2016-11-22 02:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-11-23 03:21 am (UTC)"We need more information. They want Thor. Why? They crashed the entire planet. How?" He stood up, pacing his way to the fireplace. The lining of his stomach felt like it was melting.
He paused at the mantle and leaned against it.
"We need to keep anyone from taking Banner. That's our only two priorities."
"But you said yourself," Steve interjected, "they banished the Hulk."
"They didn't," Tony insisted. "They just have him caged until they're ready to use him."
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Date: 2016-11-23 01:21 pm (UTC)"...I think Tony's right," Bruce said quietly, "about the Hulk, I mean. I don't think just putting a collar on me is going to get rid of him, not when the ramifications I think would come with the process." His fingers crept back up to the collar again, but he forced them to drop. "If they can control me," the churning inside his stomach at saying it out loud, "then they'll be able to control him, and they have a weapon as strong as their powers."