Masks

The noise and Thor's lightshow brought Diana and Clark hurrying to find the other half of the team.
As they entered the room where Bruce and Tony were 'discussing' matters with their captive, scarlet light filled the
area.
Diana hissed through her teeth as she felt something--a dark, angry power--trying to cloud her mind.

An unfamiliar woman stood several feet away, glaring at Tony. Bloody-hued threads of light ran up her hands and arms as she
started to point at him.
The Amazon didn't wait to find out what would happen next. She closed the space between them, striking hard.

The witch(?) dropped like a stone.

"Diana--" Clark was staring at Tony, real worry in his eyes, as was Bruce. The inventor was looking off into the distance. His face had gone white.

"No--" Tony's voice shook. "Bruce--Cay--NO--"

"Tony, I'm all right. I'm here--" Bruce reached for his husband. Tony recoiled, trembling. Diana crouched next to them, taking her lasso out of the 'briefcase' she carried.

"Drape this around his wrists," she directed Bruce. "It may help, if he's seeing a false image--"

He did as she instructed. Tony jerked as if shocked, but his gaze sharpened, focusing on his mate's face.

"What...? I--" a sob escaped him. He yanked his hands free, before clinging to Bruce fiercely. "Hallucinations...."

"Magic," Thor rumbled, his voice hard. He and Clark were both watching the newcomers.

" The helicopter has a medical kit," JARVIS spoke up. "There are some sedatives among the contents. "

Clark went to retrieve them, going and returning in a flash.

Bruce continued to try to calm and reassure Tony while their allies none-too-gently forced a dose down the speedster's throat, and then got the still-dazed witch to swallow some tablets as well. After conferring with Thor, Diana fastened the woman's arms behind her back with zip ties as an additional precaution.

"What did you see?" Bruce murmured. He had a pretty good idea, but he also knew Tony had a bad habit of trying too hard to bury his fears rather than 'burden' family with them.

"You and Cay, and Pepper...your bodies--" Tony gulped. "And that damned wormhole. The fleet... they'd come back..."

"Wormhole?"

"Over New York," Bruce said. "When Loki and the Chitauri invaded. It's one of his worst fears--he doesn't think they're finished with Earth."

Clark and Diana gave him startled looks. "We need to talk, sounds like--"

The Kryptonian's understatement was cut short by shouts coming from outside.

"Our guests have arrived," Thor said, as he raised his hammer. "Shall we?"

Bruce felt cold rage wash over him as he identified one of the voices. Rumlow.

"Go," Batman said, nodding to the other members of the League. "We've got your backs, too."

The entire team moved to engage with Hydra's forces.

* * *

Dick woke slowly, his head aching.

"You are at Stark Tower, Mr. Grayson. It's five-fifteen in the evening. You are at the Tower's medical center, after you received a head injury."

"One of many, J," he chuckled, and then winced. "Everyone else? Okay?"

He sat up. Dizziness struck him, but passed after a moment.

"Physically, yes."

There was a pitcher of water and some acetaminophen tablets on a bedside table, with a note in Bruce's handwriting telling him to take them.
He gulped them down easily.

"Physically?"

JARVIS brought him up to speed about the last few hours. Dick scowled.

"Why now?" he wondered aloud.

"Why what now?"

"HYDRA making a play for Mr. Stark. It's not like he's been hard to find. If they wanted him 'in custody', waiting until he had a teamful of allies in the Tower hardly makes sense. They must be working on something specific that they think they need him for."

"Either that, or one of his new projects has attracted their attention. We try to keep them under wraps, but...Yes, I think the Iron Legion might be something HYDRA would want to acquire. Or..."

"Hm?" Belatedly, Dick realized that he might be asking a question JARVIS couldn't answer. "Wasn't trying to get you to spill SI secrets or anything, pal. Sorry," he apologized.

"I hadn't assumed otherwise, JARVIS replied warmly. "No...I...had thought that the AIs Sir has created might also have caught HYDRA's eye, so to speak."

"Good luck with that! I see what you mean, though." The idea of a HYDRA version of 'Skynet' was worrying.

"Miss Potts left a message asking you to join her at her office as soon as you feel up to it."

" Thanks. Please tell her I'm on my way." Dick stood, carefully, and when he didn't topple over, went in search of his clothes. He wasn't going to roam the Tower's halls wearing a freaking 'hospital gown'.

"Might I ask you a personal question, Mr. Grayson?"

"If you'll call me Dick instead of Mister," he replied affably.

" You seem much more...open to interacting with people who aren't ordinary citizens..."

"J, Bruce and I both left ordinary and even sane about five exits back. He'd tell you the same if he were here. Ordinary's...well, not boring, but not the world we live in. "

"Steven Rogers and his...team...seem to consider Sir's creation of myself as an 'ego trip'. They are...very specific about who they do and don't consider 'trustworthy'."

"Nothing more secure or cozy than a closed mind."

"Do you...think it would be inappropriate for me to request to be allowed to construct a body for me to utilize?"

Dick stopped, baffled. "Why would it be 'inappropriate'? Didn't you say that you help Stark co-pilot the Iron Man armor sometimes? So... it's not like you don't have access to a physical form already. He clearly doesn't have a problem with it."

"I suppose my real question is whether or not this is something that would provoke fear or hostility from others beside Sir."

Dick pondered that. "My gut reaction to that is 'maybe', but it depends on how you go about it, too. You're worried about him, aren't you? And Bruce..."

" Yes. "

"You're acting out of a desire to help, or a want for more autonomy. Bruce would understand that--most Omegas would. I suspect Stark would too, if he was a 'stereotypical domineering Alpha', Bruce would never have had a child with him."

"True..."

Dick reached Pepper's office. He threw a glance to the ceiling. "Talk about this more later?" he mouthed.

"I'd appreciate it. Thank you for your insights, Dick, " JARVIS whispered.

* * *

The heroes emerged from the old building to find that, yes, HYDRA had arrived in force...

and they were already engaged in a fight with someone.

They couldn't see who, yet, but gunfire echoed through the nearby woods. Someone off in the distance had already gunned down two of the HYDRA operatives who had surrounded the warehouse. Whoever it was, was a crack shot. Thankfully, half the League were bulletproof, and the others were wearing armor.

"*$# !" from Rumlow. "DAMN IT, Soldat, stand down!"

"Try the reset words--" from one of his subordinates, as they ducked behind their armored transport.

"We did try, they're not working!" Rumlow exploded.

Tony smiled sweetly as he called in a suit.

This was shaping up to be a very interesting night...in the best senses of the word.