Chapter Text
Stephen cursed quietly. He really didn't know how he got himself into these situations or how someone else got him into them but there it was. The thing happened and now he had to deal with it. Starting with Kidnapping one Tony Stark. Oh Joy. Now how to do this without everyone freaking out and labeling him a villain?
A brief explanation about hero duties while grabbing him during one of his press conferences might work.... Insisting on his lack of armor wasn't going to go over well and pointing out that the armor probably wouldn't survive dealing with magic right now would fall under explaining. Then again any comments tossed over his shoulder about possibly needing him for a good six months because Tony was the only one who was actually preparing for the invasion might help. After all they would be jumping dimensions for a bit with weird time ratios and of the so called Avengers only Stark and Thor seemed to have mystical weight as it were. Hm... Mentioning that as well as a slight mocking about how whoever Tony had told hadn't listened and thus everyone could do without Stark for a while might be good. A toy taken from an irresponsible child sort of deal.
Stark would obviously realize that he was getting kidnapped properly at some point but Stephen could deal with that when the time came. Although, the thought of tying the other man up was oddly appealing so long as it didn't hurt Stark in some way. Weird thoughts, hopefully it wasn't a side effect of what hit him and was ultimately causing this mess. If it was his own thoughts that was one thing, embarrassing but closer to harmless. If it was a side effect from the magic imposing outside influence? Well that would be a very bad thing.
Stephen forced himself to focus as Stark walked onto the stage. He'd already tried hitting him with protections using astral projection and at a distance but it just didn't stick. Time for something slightly more drastic. At least he could argue that Loki already revealed magic to the world? ...Wong and the other Masters weren't going to buy it but it was the best excuse he could come up with at the moment and his time was up.
Stephen opened a portal on the stage behind Stark just as he started speaking and stepped through.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to interrupt and collect Mr. Stark for some of his hero duties. Sorry," Stephen said as he stepped onto the stage through the portal.
Stark whirled around, a gauntlet forming around his hand even as he took a defensive stance.
"Really sorry but with no one believing you about the incoming invasion and the magic side of society having to fight off a few different ones recently we're on a bit of a time crunch. Whoever was controlling Loki must have really pissed him off with the way he deliberately bungled the New York Invasion," Stephen commented. "Come along, Stark. We've got work to do and you've been slacking on some of your hero duties."
"Who the hell are you and why should I go with you?" Tony Stark, Iron Man, demanded. "Like hell have I been slacking on hero duties!"
"Because we're on a time crunch, no one is listening to you about preparing for whoever managed to mind control the Norse God of Mischief. A being who excels at strategy, tactics, misdirection, and generally everything humans want in a competent General. You honestly think that the death toll we had was high with that sort of resume? I may not personally like the mage but he was so over the top and still trying not to kill too many people while letting your hasty group beat him. I mean really? A master mage that doesn't hardly use magic in a battle like that? No, he deliberately failed," Stephen retorted. "I don't know what's wrong with his brother to not even try to think that Loki was actively helping stop himself as best he could but then the big lunk is like a mentally challenged fluffy golden retriever at times. Oddly only you and Thor actually have mystical weight in things and yours is more from that stupid Merchant of Death title. Iron Man is too young yet to hold mystical weight. Since Thor is off planet I need you to help me with something to help keep our planet safe on the magical front."
"I see you've met him," Stark said neutrally as he lowered his hand and disengaged the gauntlet. "So what's this about Loki and me helping magic wise? I mean I knew something was off but I was kind of busy stopping an invasion and had to go on Thor's words as his brother. As for the invasion... most of the data from even seeing the armada was wiped when I fell back through the portal and I was lucky that my heart restarted..."
"We can discuss it later," Stephen sighed long suffering. "We need to get a move on and you can't take your armor with us because of the magic involved in this one. It would just turn it into an expensive pile of scrap. I'll dig up something magic resistant for you to use while we do this or figure out how to give you a crash course in doing it magically."
"Now wait just a minute," Tony protested only for a portal to be opened up under his feet and to drop about eight feet straight down with a yelp.
"Don't wait up. We're going to be hopping through parallel dimensions that have some very strange time differentials. I'll try to give him back in... hmm, six months? Until then try to be ready for the bastard that forced Loki to invade to show up. Be glad that Stark stopped both the nuke and managed to deny them a beachhead in New York while Loki made himself easy to catch," Stephen told the reporters dryly before dropping through the portal after Stark. He closed it after he landed next to the glaring man.
"Where are we?" Tony demanded, his gauntlet back out again but not yet aimed at Stephen. "And why can't I use my armor?"
"I told you, the magic involved would turn it into a very expensive pile of scrap," Stephen repeated as he walked away further into the sanctum. "Your little hold out gauntlet is probably going to fail within a day with this much magic around as it is."
"Hey! Come back here, Merlin!" Tony called after him as he sped after Stephen.
Stephen led him on a merry chase through the sanctum and allow the sentient building to have some fun with it. Levi joined in the game, separating from Stephen and encouraging Stark to chase after him through the shifting maze of doorways, rooms, and corridors. Stephen counted him passing through the main artifact storage area at least twice and was very interested to note that a few of the artifacts were actively interested in Stark. He would have to look into that later.
Tony eventually collapsed in the room Stephen had set up specifically for him, glaring at the Cloak of Levitation as it flew happily around the room. Tony was stuck on the fainting couch panting for breath and glaring at the victorious cloak flying around the room excitedly. The cloak flitted out of the room, closing the door behind it. Stark only registered that he was effectively trapped when he heard the lock snick shut. He, understandably, cursed a blue streak and tried to force the door open to no avail. When he eventually investigated his surroundings Tony found a sitting room with a desk and normal desk supplies in the room he had been sitting in, an attached bathroom, and an attached bedroom.
It didn't take Tony long to make the connection.
"I've been kidnapped by goddamn Merlin!" Tony muttered. He huffed and decided he actually did need the bathroom so used it.
When Tony came out again there where a few books stacked on the desk and some language dictionaries for him to look through. The study material was obvious enough that he considered he had been kidnapped just to be given magical school work. The snack next to it was at least appealing and thoughtful since he hadn't had breakfast or lunch and it was already mid-afternoon.
"Friday?" Tony murmured.
"I'm here, Boss," Friday said in a static filled voice from his watch/hidden gauntlet. It didn't have much beyond a communication link but something was obviously interfering with it.
"Did you get a copy of the press conference? Run the wizard's face if you can," Tony ordered softly. "See if you can triangulate where I am. The building has got to be magical so if you can't its not unexpected. See if you can get me a phone call with Pepper or Rhodey but if you feel the magic messing with you don't push too hard. The wizard did say something about eventually returning me so I don't think he wants me hurt or dead, out of the way maybe but still alive at least."
"Gotcha, conference calling Rhodey and Boss Lady," Friday said through the static.
"Tony?/Tony!" came the voices of both his friends over the link.
"Hey guys," Tony said cheerfully.
"What the actual hell man?" Rhodey demanded.
"Not my fault. I don't even know the wizard or if I do I pissed him off before my middle east vacation in a cave," Tony immediately protested. "I swear I had nothing to do with this."
The sound of the door handle turning as the door opened silenced them all. An asian man dressed in similar robes to the kidnapping wizard walked in, head down, reading a book. He looked up, took in Stark's presence and the fact that he was sitting at the study desk and talking on his wrist watch phone before letting out a groan.
"Strange! What the hell have you done now!?" the Asian man yelled over his shoulder further into the building.
"Tell you later," the kidnapping wizard's voice drifted back to them.
"If he kidnapped you I apologize on his behalf," the asian man said politely, turning back to Tony and whoever was on his phone call. "I will personally drag his reasoning out of him but keeping you in one room actually is safer. You don't have the training to avoid being eaten by some of the artifacts stored here."
"Then why the game of tag when he dropped me through a portal?" Tony asked grumpily. "I mean, yeah, I saw some stuff in glass cases try to follow me when I chased his stupid cape trying to find him in this shifting maze of a building but that's about it."
"I'm going to kill him," the asian man muttered with a groan before answering politely. "Please don't go wandering some of these things are not only very old and very powerful but finicky and like going after people who can't actually defend themselves. Its why someone has to have a certain level of magical training before being introduced to the artifact collection to see if one of them will chose to be their artifact. Stephen was an exception to this because of a group of rogues who thought it was a good idea to invite someone in from a different universe to eat our universe. They were stopped and Stephen had somehow gained the loyalty of multiple artifacts. Mostly we were just happy that the planet wasn't going to be eaten by the interdimensional invader... please don't ask his name since he can and does like to stare at people across worlds and dimensions who actually say it. There was a reason that the Voldemort taboo in the Harry Potter books was so sensible, the magic actually does exist to do that."
"Yikes! So what's your name and your friend's name?" Tony asked conversationally.
"I am Wong, nice to meet you Mr. Stark. My idiot friend is Dr. Stephen Strange and yes he holds a medical degree. He came to the Mystic Order looking for a cure for his crushed hands and found himself suited to joining in protecting the planet from mystical threats," Wong said with a shrug. "Its not a secret even if the existence of the Order normally is but with whatever Stephen's done I doubt we will manage to get away with just erasing your memories for security reasons. It doesn't work on artifacts and I'm betting your AIs count as artifacts so it would be pointless to hide it. Feel free to go through the books in front of you, they all look to be beginner tomes so they should be safe to look at and read. The higher level books can be dangerous to touch much less read so be careful if it seems just a touch bit more than a standard book."
"Got any idea why he grabbed me? At a press conference no less?" Tony asked politely.
"...no but I can probably find out and let you listen to the conversation?" Wong offered cautiously. "If he's just being an idiot I can promise to get you home by tonight. If he's got an actual reason then things might be a bit more complicated."
"Reeeeaaally?" Tony asked with a sly grin. "Tell me more."