Memories
Ascension
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men or any of their characters. Tora and Weapon X-ii are my own though.
Jean froze as she entered the holding cell. Tora was curled in a ball, whispering for the thing to 'Get out, get out, GET OUT!' Then she raised her head and Jean recoiled. One eye was the normal gold with the slightly outsized iris and oval pupil. The other, whilst gold, had a coiled silver serpent in the pupil.
"Get out Jean. I can't hold this thing back much longer."
"You've been in here a week. I thought I could possibly try to get through your shields and do a little Phoenix magic."
To demonstrate her point Jean allowed a flicker of flame to run around her fingers. Then she leapt back as Tora took a swipe at her, claws extended.
"Evil thing! Get out of my head!"
This was what Hank had been talking about. For the first three days after Tora had woken up she had simply meditated in the holding cell she had locked herself into. Then the muttering had started and she had finally tried to attack Hank, seeing him as whatever was inside her head. Jean carefully allowed her mind to reach out, and instead of the usual none-existent mind, there were metal shields thrown up. Jean ran her mind across them, trying to find a flaw while the chains Tora had insisted on did their job. Then Jean found it. A tiny hairline crack in the barriers. She tried to force it open but to no avail. Then she let the Phoenix out. The crack burned, becoming larger and then she was in. And screamed.
The place was a battleground. She recognized the room from the other X-Men's memories, the place they had rescued Tora from three years ago. At one end of the room, crouching low and dressed in a curious white gown, almost surgical in appearance, was Tora, claws out. Only there was no dull metal and when Jean looked closer she saw a Tora she had never even imagined. Where there had always been twisted scar tissue, now there was smooth skin. But her eyes were older than Jean had ever imagined, ancient eyes that had seen too much and very rarely appeared. And behind her there was a door that had obviously been added in. Or maybe it was the only original feature of Tora's mind… It was low, dark, dangerous looking, an embodiment of the darker side of her gift. Jean saw images of torture, of pain. Tearing her eyes away from the door, she turned to the other end of the hall. And Phoenix flared up.
A serpentine dragon, made of smooth, flowing water sat coiled at the other end. The slightly leonine head with it's silver eyes were fixed on Tora. Bat-like wings curled around it's back. Then memories that weren't Jean's slid through her mind. The glorious insanity, flying through the stars as Dark Phoenix, singing her song of death and destruction. Then the Dragon flying out to meet her.
Sister, do not do this! This is not what you are!
Leave me sibling! You are nothing compared to me!
I am the Dragon Song! I heal what is dying before it's time!
And I burn away what doesn't work!
But this place works!
It is my right to burn!
Then raising her hand and sending her sibling screaming, shattering it into a million pieces and throwing it through the multiverse. Jean staggered back as if struck and then became aware that all of Tora's thoughts were now open to her. She watched as Tora pulled up her worst memories, used them as an anchor in the storm. Then the Dragon Song uncoiled and it's wings opened. All the room and everything else faded away and they stood in a huge gallery, with crystal pillars, some with metal running through them. It looked like a museum, with the large overhead windows and rooms off to each side. At first Jean thought that it must be something out of Dragon's memories. Then she realized, gradually, that the crystal pillars were covered with pictures. As she looked closer at one the image started moving and she felt sick.
Tora turned her head and she was there. Beautiful, loved, perfect Jean Grey. She sensed Logan's attraction to her and wanted to scream. Powerful, lady-like Jean Grey. Why Kitty called her?
"I am afraid I cannot come Kitty. I planned to train tonight and I also offered to help Logan strip down his bike. And your companion doesn't like me very much."
She could smell the hostility surrounding the other woman.
"How do you know that?"
"Your body language suggests disdain for me and your fight or flight hormone levels flair up when you see me. It suggests you wish to fight me because I am an interloper into your group."
And she turned and walked away, hearing the last, biting comment.
"Why on Earth is she with the X-Men?"
Jean turned away before any more of the memory was played. She was in Tora's mind. And it was beautiful. And terrible. And broken. The pillars had been smashed, shattered. And Jean turned towards her friend.
Tora?
Tora spun to face her and Jean saw the dread on the now scarred face.
Get out Jean! When I lose, I need you to be ready. You're one of the few who can kill me.
Tora, I'm here to help you.
The Dragon moved closer towards Tora.
Sister, tell her of our past.
Sister? Jean…?
This is the Dragon Song Tora. While Phoenix is fire and life incarnate, Dragon is water and life renewed. We are reflections.
Yes. We are opposite and yet the same. Listen to your friend little one. I mean you no harm. Tell her the prophecy.
Jean saw the anger in Tora's eyes.
Hear me out Tora. Then make a choice. And I will support you in that decision.
She turned to the water moving towards her.
And if she does not want you, then you must leave.
The Dragon Song nodded it assent. Jean slid away and let Phoenix take control. Her hair flickered as it became flames and her eyes shone.
The two children of life shalt fight for each world.
Neither can leave unless The Tribunal is told.
First is the Phoenix,
Fire and Life Incarnate,
Burns away the stagnant.
Second, the Dragon,
Water and Life Renewed,
Heals what is dying.
Phoenix flits, Dragon stays.
Takes one life till the end of days.
Jean turned and looked at Tora.
Dragon swore that it would only take one avatar. The Perfect Avatar. One who represented everything that Dragon stood for. Healing, the past, knowledge. That Dragon has chosen you is a great honour. Out of all the lives in the universe, only one can take the Dragon Song.
I don't want this. I'm just Tora.
Just Tora is the reason I chose you.
I don't WANT THIS!
But Tora…
Jean, I'm not like you. All I want, all I've ever dreamed of was a normal life. You chose this path. I was forced down it. I'm not a hero. Not really. I'm just someone who got swept up in all this.
Tora…?
I don't want to be like Etana. Spend my whole life fighting for people who hate me.
Tora, this isn't you speaking. What's wrong?
And suddenly the memory came. A broken woman crooning in the darkness, rocking back and forth, singing a nonsense lullaby.
Tora, why didn't you…
GET OUT OF MY HEAD!
And then the walls caved in and began pushing Jean towards the doors, forcing her out of Tora's mind.
NO! Tora let me…!
And Jean could only watch as the pillars cracked and fell towards Tora, who was too busy forcing her out to notice.
She gasped as her mind returned to her body. Tora was screaming and Jean knew that if she couldn't get back in, couldn't save Tora, then her friend would die. Tora's head snapped up, revealing eyes where whites were glowing silver and the dragon roared in her pupils.
"Kill me…"
Jean backed away.
"DO IT!"
"No…"
"Jean…please…"
Please no! She was begging now, pleading.
"One quick burst. One single telekinetic grasp around my heart. Please Jean…"
Then she screamed and her eyes shone with the power she didn't want and was now burning up her mind.
"KILL ME!"
Then she collapsed, the chain around her wrists cutting into her arms as she fell off the seat. Her eyes, now as normal as they would ever be, looked up.
"Please…please…"
"What about Jamie?"
"Better he never knows his mother than have a monster for one."
Jean turned and walked out, but not before one last word.
"Dragon and Phoenix are one and the same Tora. I thought you were different. Saw me as human. But I'm a monster to you like everyone else."
"JEAN!"
The door closed as Tora screamed to Jean. Jean wiped a tear from her eye before she walked towards the lift. Tora hadn't meant it, she had just hated the idea of loosing her independence. And a relationship with cosmic entity meant you were never independent again. While they were there, everything was shared. When they weren't it was like a hole in your heart. And Tora would hate to be completely reliant on something. Jean pressed the comm-link.
"I couldn't get into her mind. Send down Xixy."
Xixy. He'd turned up just before Christmas, planned to stay a few weeks at most. Ended up staying for a month and running Alien Culture classes after school, which resulted in Hank being very upset when Xixy blew up the labs demonstrating weapons of hyper-mass destruction. Xixy, who would have no problem with driving one of his many weapons that were a part of his goo-like body into Tora's skull. The final solution. If Tora couldn't control her raging battle, then she had requested a simple way out. A single swift severing of the spinal cord. So easy. So quick, So clean. And a life falls into the oblivion.
"Jeannie, please try again…"
"I'm sorry Logan. The…infection's spread. She looked me in the eye and ordered me to kill her."
"And you didn't?"
"How could I?"
"Yet you're willing to call Xixy down."
"That's different."
"No Red. It ain't. Ya learn that as life goes on."
Then Jean was shoved aside as Xixy walked in, imposing and tall.
"I will judge her mental state myself."
Then Logan came charging from his seat.
"Ya ain't killing her!"
Then they heard the noise. A scream so long and painful that Logan went crazy, pushing Jean aside and stabbing Xixy. The squelch as the claws withdrew would have been funny if the situation hadn't been so serious. The door was wrenched off and Logan's arms were wrapped around Tora.
"Hush darlin'."
"Dying. Kill me."
Then suddenly she looked up and her wild eyes met Logan's, his red with tears, hers weary with acceptance. Then something Jean would ponder on for centuries afterwards happened. The silver taint faded, her pupils returned to normal black. For a second Jean thought Tora had expelled the Dragon Song. Then she thought she had trapped it. And then a tiny sparkle in Tora's pupil told her the truth. Tora had accepted the Dragon Song. There were no wild bursts of energy, none of the pyrotechnics (aquatechnics?) that had accompanied Jean's ascension to Phoenix. Just acceptance. And maybe that was all that was needed.
Death sat back.
"Not very impressive. The way Phoenix tells it, she starts flying and then proceeds to resurrect her."
"That's later."
"Oh. So that was the real ascension?"
"Yes."
"Boring wasn't it?"