50 Shades of Tony
By Rey

Chapter 26
Tony Stark and the Aftermath of the Nation-Wide Magical Problem

Warnings for:
General: Dehumanisation, Slavery, Implied/Referenced Violence
Piece 640: Teens: Alien Biology
Piece 641: Heavy Teens: Slavery
Piece 644: Mature: Slavery, Violent PTSD
Piece 645: Heavy Teens: Dehumanisation, Slavery
Piece 655: Explicit: Traumatic Experience, Loss of Parent(s), Implied/Referenced Torture, Implied/Referenced Murder
Piece 658: Mature: Mild Sexual Content

Stark Tower, New York, United States, Middle of February 2016

*640. Prison of the Mind
"Aslakonnar's mind is self-imprisoned in the norms, rules and traditions of the culture Aslakonnar was reborn into," Týo says quietly when Tony complains for the umpteenth time about Fié's offer to make him pregnant. "Nobody else can free Aslakonnar but Aslakonnar's own self, willingly. Forcefulness will not serve anybody well."

*641. Catching Up
Ignoring the topic entirely, Tony sets to catching up to news about the rescue of the persecuted British magicals with gusto. His impromptu team has saved 5, 3 of them children, but they – and Nymphadora "Dora" Tonks – reported that there are many kept in manors or sold somewhere else.

642. Crunchy
Physically attending a board meeting is very, very, very boring. Tony entertains himself by loudly snacking on crunchy treats whenever someone's speaking, though he daren't do so when Pepper's the one who speaks. Despite that, he goes serious when it's his turn to speak. He does care for his companies.

Malibu, California, United States, Middle of February 2016

643. Border
Colin Creevey, Dennis Creevey and Natalie McDonald, the 3 children rescued from Nocturn Alley, are still largely withdrawn and unspeaking after a few days. They have no problem decorating the borders of the Malibu home with the other children, using creatively managed recycled materials hardened for the weathers, however, thankfully.

*644. Lash Out
The "Wizarding" adults, with their spouses missing and presumed sold, are harder to live with. The men lash out at everything, on seemingly random triggers. Tony has to remove them from active socialisation – for now – after they triggered each other and almost killed one of the small, black dino-hybrid children.

*645. Lurid
Lurid tales of human-on-human predation and degradation keep coming as Tony keeps in touch with Nymphadora Tonks and other British magical humans in their guerrilla efforts to free the so-called "Muggleborn" and "blood traitors" from their "Pureblood masters/mistresses." Tony feels dirty, even just receiving the recountings secondhand.

646. Arsenal
Tasha helps put together the evidence to beg for international hand in UK magical side's business. None of the people sheltered in Tony's home or playing a deadly hide-and-seek in Britain have enough clout to make the court see, but with such arsenal as this dossier… a wallop is incoming.

647. Florescent
Strolling along the home's borders and looking at all the florescent, beautiful and unique decorations the children have put there is the most soothing activity that Tony can come up without leaving Malibu. He'd love to skedaddle to Ýmirheim for some Fié-branded TLC, but… well, he can't leave yet.

648. Flammable
Tony wouldn't ever guess that Ýoluti the cheerful, eager, well-educated grannie got a flammable temper; not only for their crafts, at that, but also – no, especially – regarding the abuse of children. And Fié's just confessed that they've told that grannie. `No wonder my beach's now a battle spaceship parking lot….`

649. Bittersweet
The expansion and toughening of the Rescue is a bittersweet triumph for Tony. It's fiddly, complicated and useful enough to give him a huge sense of accomplishment. But, at the same time, he wishes that the circumstance weren't so horrible. Well, anyway, he's now ready to transport lots of rescuees.

650. Buckle Up
The children have been secured away in Áyshkashla. The volatile adult rescuees have been knocked out – humanely – and stored in Antarctica. The new-and-improved Rescue has been stocked up to secure more volatile rescuees, who are maybe also heavily injured. And now, the rescuers buckle up for the trip in truth.

Rote Island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, End of February 2016

651. Holiday
"We need a long, long holiday," Nymphadora Tonks says wryly when Tony asks what she and the others need now that the adult rescuees have been settled temporarily in the island Tony leased from the Indonesian government, while the young ones are grouped together with the other children in Áyshkashla.

652. Recent
"Isn't this counted as holiday?" Tony smiles lopsidedly in response, deliberately looking at the pristine sea, white-sanded beach and traditional huts they've been staying in. But he knows – oh he knows – that the recent traumas can't be wiped out so soon, so easily… maybe even never, for all of them.

653. Island
"I have an island, an unplottable one," Sirius Black, one of the seemingly saner adult survivors, says, apparently overhearing Tony's chat with Dora. "Black family's. Safe, if I key you in. Nobody unauthorised can take it. Nice defences. Permanently expanded inside. I… meant it for my godson. Harry. Harry Potter."

654. Rustic
"I like this one better. It's got a rustic charm," Tony quirks a smile. "We can always buy this island, too, and ward it, if we like." But the real concern's actually the instability flickering deep in Black's eyes. "Nice" defences for one like Black may translate as "very lethal."

Áyshkashla, Northern Alaska, United States, End of February 2016

*655. Intelligent
Natalie McDonald. Eleven years old, and already leading a hellish existence for months, beginning with the very traumatic experience of her whole family being tortured and murdered right before her. Sadly, she's not the only one. She's the only child greeting Tony with an intelligent gleam in her eyes, though.

Lockwood Estate, Northern California, United States, End of February 2016

656. Riverbank
Tony's once more chaperoning an excursion down the riverbank of Lockwood's grounds. Now, though, Fié, the Avengers and co and a few Wakandans help him, since he's got a horde of broken children to look after. They splash away on the riverbank. Some even paddle about on inflatable canoes.

657. Occasion
"I never thought I would ever experience an occasion like this," Lockwood whispers, as his gaze's locked on Maisie, twirling about and laughing with the other children on the lawn, humans and milaðen and hybrids alike, following the upbeat music of the party meant just for them. "Thank you, Tony."

*658. Hunger
Tony presses close and locks lips with Fié on a corner when the other adults get busy eating in shifts, after the children have eaten. There's another kind of hunger he'd like to sate, really, but for now he has to be satisfied just with this… and some discreet groping….

659. Route
When the children are abed, tired out by all the activities and excitement, the adults meet to discuss what route they're going to take regarding the British magical community, and the magical side of the world at large. Especially when there are still the on-going, ever-spreading, oft-violent, insidious HYDRA-related problems.