"Mr. Stark, please, come in. We weren't expecting you."
Tony stepped through the front door of the Sanctum, passing by Wong, who had welcomed him.
"I know. I just happened to be in the neighborhood, so I decided to drop by, see what's going on in the mystical world." Tony rambled.
"Is there any news?" Wong asked as Tony turned and stopped inside the foyer.
"No." Tony said, his shoulders slumping slightly as he uttered the single word. "FRIDAY has hacked every file Ross has, and we've come up with nothing. He knew we'd be looking."
Wong nodded his head, obviously disappointed in the news.
Walking around in small circles in the foyer, Tony nodded his head towards the stairs.
"How's he doing?"
Wong sighed. "I worry." He said before pausing. "Master Strange exhausts himself looking for her. He uses the Eye of Agamotto to expand his awareness of the physical world, hoping it will lead him to her. When his body fades with fatigue, he uses his astral form to continue through the night." Walking towards the kitchen, Tony following behind him, Wong continued quietly. "He will never rest until he finds her."
Gesturing to a stool at the counter, Wong collected a tea pot from a cabinet, filled it with water, and placed it on the stovetop.
"Tea?" Wong asked, although he was obviously not planning to wait for an affirmative answer.
Tony nodded absentmindedly as he continued in thoughtful silence.
"So...what's the deal with that?" Tony asked the man vaguely. "Like...with him?" He continued, gesturing towards the ceiling where he knew Stephen was currently residing.
Wong smirked, knowing what Tony was asking. Gathering their cups and arranging them on the counter, he turned back to their guest.
"You and Master Strange are very alike. Did you know that?" Wong began. Seeing Tony's mouth open with what he knew would be a quick protest, Wong held up his hand, stopping the inevitable interruption. "The similarities that the two of you share are innumerable and can be seen by anyone who gives you more than a single glance. A great similarity you share is the overwhelming sense of care you each possess for Hermione."
Wong began serving their tea, sliding a cup across the counter to rest in front of Tony, who was looking at him suspiciously. Wong ignored his look, focused entirely on slicing a lemon. In no hurry to continue his thought, it was several moments before Wong continued, much to Tony's aggravation.
"The formation of human relationships is such a wonder to behold. The bonds that we have with others is one of the greatest magics in the known universe. The care you have for Hermione is powerful. You are tethered to each other completely. You would do anything to ensure her safety." Dropping a slice of lemon in his cup, Wong continued. "But the bond that Master Strange extends to Hermione is all-encompassing, as his heart has acknowledged its equal in her." He paused shortly, taking a small sip of the hot liquid. "He will destroy anyone or anything that attempts to keep him from her."
"I have to tell you, Wong," Tony chuckled. "Sometimes, you start going, and I swear no one has any idea what you're-"
"Wait." Tony exclaimed suddenly, his eyes widening. "You said 'his heart has acknowledged its equal….You're...you're talking about love, aren't you?" Tony stood, pacing back and forth in the kitchen as he processed the news. "You're saying that Strange LOVES Hermione?" He asked as he spun back around, looking at Wong.
Wong laughed quietly before taking another long sip from his steaming mug. "Don't look so surprised, Mr. Stark. Can you blame him? Hermione is an extraordinary woman - incredibly smart, compassionate, strong, and a talented witch."
Tony rubbed his face tiredly. "I just didn't know that in order for me to maintain a relationship with Hermione, I was resigning myself to having to spend time with 'Master Goatee' for the rest of my life."
"Your and Master Strange's arrogance is the only thing that keeps you both from becoming formidable allies."
"Arrogance - I've heard that one a few times." Tony scoffed miserably.
Tony took a few moments to think over everything that Wong had shared with him before asking a different question.
"Does Hermione love him...back?" He asked, obviously a bit uncomfortable with the direction that the conversation had turned. Seeing the other man smirk at him again, Tony continued. "I swear to God, Wong, if you smirk at me one more time...I just want to know what Hermione thinks of all of this."
Wong chuckled then, finding amusement in the entire situation. Finally sobering, he responded.
"The thing about bonds is that they have to be tethered on both sides, and I don't think Hermione has any idea of her own heart, much less the current state of Master Strange's."
Tony crossed his arms and continued mulling over everything he had learned at the Sanctum so far.
"Stark! What are you doing here? Is there news?"
Tony and Wong turned at the voice, seeing Stephen enter the kitchen quickly at seeing Tony there. The dark circles under his eyes and unkempt appearance were a testament to his restless days and nights as he looked for Hermione.
"No." Tony responded, looking down at his teacup. "I've hacked into every system and file of Ross' that I can find. I've come up with nothing. By the way - you look like shit."
Completely ignoring Tony's jab at him, Stephen replied. "Then why are you here?"
The tone of Stephen's question contained a myriad of unsaid accusations and condescension that grated on Tony's nerves beyond belief.
"I have no idea." Tony snapped before turning to Wong. "See you later, Wong. Thanks for the tea."
Without another word to Stephen, Tony walked out of the kitchen, the front door slamming closed only a few moments later.
Wong turned and looked at Stephen pointedly.
"What?" Stephen growled at his friend.
"You know that Tony is doing everything he can to find Hermione."
"That doesn't mean I forgive him for getting her into this mess to begin with." Stephen argued back.
Wong sighed heavily. "In all of the months that you have known Hermione, do you think that she is the type of person that would be pressured or forced into something she didn't want to do?"
"That's not what I'm-"
Wong continued, not allowing Stephen to interrupt. "Do you think her to be so naive that she would be easily led astray?"
"No, you aren't letting me finish-"
"Do you think Mr. Stark, as much as you know he cares for her, would ever intentionally put Hermione into a situation that could be even remotely dangerous for her?"
"I think that Tony Stark doesn't consider the consequences of any of his actions beforehand." Stephen scoffed.
Wong looked at Stephen with an unreadable expression.
"You need to rest."
"I don't have time to rest. Every moment we aren't finding her is another moment that she is locked away somewhere." Stephen began heatedly. "Who knows what Ross would be willing to do to someone with Hermione's powers. You know just as well as I do that he fears anything that he doesn't understand, and God knows he doesn't understand Hermione or her abilities. He's going to view her as a threat. For all we know, he could be planning to execute her.-"
"Enough." Wong responded firmly. "Your mind is warping reality."
Stephen sat for a few moments in silence before looking back up at Wong.
"You're right." He said, standing back up. "I've got to get back upstairs. Hermione is strong, but she needs us. We've got to find her."
Hermione opened her eyes groggily, willing them to focus. Her head lolling back and forth, and her vision still swimming, she tried desperately to figure out what was happening. The pounding in her head was making it hard for her to think clearly. She kept her eyes closed and tried to keep the bile from rising in her throat before opening her eyes slowly once more.
Looking around, Hermione realized she was in the back of some type of chopper, as she could see two pilots in the front of the craft sitting side by side and feel the sway of her surroundings.. Attempting to touch her throbbing jaw, she looked to her side to realize that she had been strapped down tightly to a stiff board on her back, unable to move at all.
She knew there would be no way she could apparate. Even if she wasn't currently seeing double of everything around her, she had never heard of anyone attempting to apparate while lying down. The probability of a major splinch and imminent death was a larger risk than she was currently willing to take.
Looking around, trying to find anything that she could use to free her hands, but she froze when a voice cut through the air.
"Don't even think about it, Miss Granger."
Hermione heard the sound of footsteps approaching her before a tall, imposing figure was standing over her. The man was dressed from head to toe in black, complete with what she assumed was a military grade vest and helmet. Hermione was sure she had never seen the man before.
"I'm Sergeant Lockett. My team and I are responsible for depositing you to the Raft, and we will do so with extreme force if you so choose to try to make it any harder for us than it needs to be."
"The Raft?" Hermione rasped out.
"Maximum security prison specially designed to hold enhanced little freaks just like yourself." He answered with military precision. "A quick warning to you, Miss Granger." He continued. The tone of his voice sent a chill down Hermione's spine. "You disobey orders, I'll put a bullet in your head. You try to escape, I'll put a bullet in your head. And if you try to take a single shot at any of my men…" He stopped suddenly, leaning down close to Hermione's face. "...I'll make you watch me take both of your hands off with a hacksaw...and then, I'll put a bullet in your head."
Hermione's eyes widened as she began shaking violently. She didn't understand why she was being treated like a criminal. She hadn't even fought in the battle in Leipzig, and she had saved Rhodey, to boot.
One of the pilots turned in their seat, looking back at Sergeant Lockett.
"Ten minutes out."
"Well, Miss Granger. It seems like we are almost to our stop, which means we need to get you ready to unload." He said with a terrifying smirk. "Don't worry, this will only sting a little bit."
Hermione was about to ask him what he meant when she felt a piercing sting in the side of her neck as a needle was slammed down into her skin.
Any clarity that Hermione had gained in the past ten minutes began fading as she felt whatever drugs she was just injected with began to quickly take over her recently lucid mind. She began thrashing violently against her restraints, feeling an overwhelming panic grip her heart as the seriousness of her situation began to settle in. A heavy sense of dread dropped like a dead weight in her stomach as she slowly lost the energy to fight, her limbs growing heavier and heavier until she felt her eyes roll into the back of her head.