Toy Soldier

Right in the middle of battle Iron Man paused and caught a blast from Ultron in the chestplate. Thor retaliated with a major lightning strike while Captain America pried Iron Man out of the ground. "You OK there, Iron Man?"

"Yes and no," Iron Man said in a strange tone, while propping open a keypad on his left arm and rapidly typing away.

"Pardon?" Captain America asked ready to jump back into battle, but noticing that Ultron was getting slower and clumsier by the second and Thor appeared to need no help dealing with him now.

"Physically I'm fine, but mentally I'm someone else," Iron Man said closing up the keypad.

"Meaning?" Captain America asked, readying himself for battle.

"Meaning someone has been screwing around with reality and I think we'll need Dr. Strange to fix it," Iron Man told him, fingers now typing away on a holographic keyboard in front of him.

"Thor, I think he's down," the Scarlet Witch said dryly.

Thor stopped pounding Ultron into the ground and noticed he'd stopped moving. "I think you're right."

"We have a situation," Captain America called out to the rest of the Avengers.

"What is it?" Vision asked while Antman and the Wasp dove inside Ultron's limp body to insure it was 'dead'.

"I'm stuck inside Iron Man," Iron man called out fingers blurring away at the holographic interface in front of him.

"Can't take off your armor?" Beast asked curiously.

"No, I am a different person stuck inside his brain," Iron Man explained. "I need Dr. Strange to help me."

"Taking over my comrade-in-arms' body is hardly a good way to ask for help," Beast replied.

"I didn't do this willingly, I'm a high school student who dressed as a certain rich guy for Halloween and *Bam!* here I am. You get me?" Iron Man asked.

"OK, that's a very different kettle of fish," Beast admitted. "Is... Iron Man in there still and what are you doing?"

"He's here and annoyed," Iron Man admitted. "And as for what I'm doing... Imagine you drive a beat up Ford Pinto and then someone shoves you behind the wheel of a Ferrari with the accelerator stuck down."

"Ouch," Beast said with a wince.

"Yeah, I am trying not to crash and burn," Iron Man said.

"Can you put Iron Man on?" Captain America asked.

"That's... complicated," Iron Man replied. "You see I wasn't alone in my head when I got shoved in here and the... totem I had with me is something I have to consciously repress."

"I have no idea what that means," Beast said with a frown.

"I was trying to use Ton-erm... Iron Man's knowledge to explain it because I don't know if you'd understand mine. I have an animal spirit I keep repressed inside me and if I let Tony up, I let it loose as well. This is why I need Dr. Strange or at least part of the reason."

"Would you object to removing the Armor?" Captain America asked.

"As long as it's in private," Iron Man replied. "And I need to keep doing this."

"I don't get that part," Vision admitted. "Why are you doing that?"

"This brain would drive me insane in short order if I didn't keep it busy," Iron Man replied. "I have no idea how the man functions."

"Let's finish up here and get you back to the mansion," Captain America said. "Wanda, would you please call Strange?"

"On it," the Scarlet Witch replied.

Xander breathed a sigh of relief even as he continued working on a dozen designs for things Tony hadn't thought of before, all while fighting Tony for control of his own brain and keeping the Alpha asleep. He really hoped Dr. Strange could help him, because even with Tony's large IQ supplementing his own, he really had no idea what was going on!

Typing by: Stephenopolos