Memories
Falling into Darkness
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She flew through space, the wonderful power dancing through her. Insanity reigned in her mind. She was terrible, beautiful but terrible. The way a pride of lions hunting is beautiful. The way a storm is beautiful. The way that the raging sea is beautiful. She laughed, an exhilarated, manic laugh. All of history was running through her head. And she loved it. So much power, so much knowledge. All hers. Once again she laughed, wildly. Nothing compared to this. Flying free and unfettered. No limits, no sanctions. For who would dare face Dragon's wrath? She found what she was looking for. Huge, dark, tugging. She closed her eyes and the immense gravity ceased to affect her. Moving closer to the black hole she sent out a claw. And started dragging worlds towards it. None dared challenge her. None…
Then she heard the scream and turned. Far enough away to avoid the gravitational pull of the black hole, a ship hovered. And a figure flew towards her.
"Dragon, please stop this madness…"
"Phoenix."
"Please stop this. You've not killed anyone, not like I did. Come home. Please."
Her green eyes met empty silver and saw no trace of humanity. Instead a rage was building there.
"Tora…?"
"You enjoyed tearing me to shreds and sending me into different universes, causing me to lose my powers. Let us see how you like it."
She moved so quickly that Jean wasn't ready. Silently she cursed. Tora was quick, always had been. She tried to flare up as Phoenix but the water claws held her tight.
"Die."
And she was flung into the black hole.
Screaming she reached out to Scott, trying to find the telepathic link. Instead she found Tora's empathic link. And in a final, desperate attempt to show her friend what she was, Jean sent her dying emotions to Dark Dragon.
The thing that wore Tora's body staggered. Pain, fear, sorrow and above all the feeling of betrayal were now coursing through her mind. And she saw a terrible, evil being who cared only for destruction. She raised her hands, looked at the tarnished silver.
"WHAT AM I?"
And she screamed, screamed as the human won through and realised what she had done. The reptilian dragon shattered and the old one burst into life around her. The solar systems caught in the black hole's pull were sent back, and Jean felt a hand catch hers and pull her out. Tora's eyes were shining silver, but with the gold irises.
"Sorry. So sorry."
And Phoenix was forced away by the water as Tora allowed the laws of physics to apply to her. She didn't scream as she was torn apart, atom by atom. Her lips moved.
"Logan…We could never hurt you. So this we have to do. Carcajou…We…I…love you."
And pain radiated into Jean's mind. Never-ending, never ceasing pain. Which was snuffed out as suddenly and easily as a candle.
"Tora…"
And Piotr caught her and carefully pulled her into the airlock, waited, then turned back to flesh.
Jean couldn't move, was stuck without the link that had bonded her to Tora. Then she heard a scream and Colossus pulled her up to the cockpit where Logan had his claws under Scott's jaw.
"I have never and would never do a thing like that to Jeannie. So what made it right for you to do it to Tora?"
"I…I…"
"She didn't understand and ya hurt her. Yer responsible for this Summers. The only reason ya ain't dead is I can't think up a good enough punishment. Yer goin' ta be the one to tell Jamie where his mother is? Nah, ya'll leave that ta me, won't ya."
"Logan…I…"
"Nothing ya can say will make this any better Summers. Can ya bring back the dead? No. So shut up."
Then Wolverine turned to Jean.
"That wasn't Tora. Please say it wasn't Tora."
She gulped.
"Logan, Dragon was and always was Tora."
And at that final piece of proof that she was dead, Logan stormed out of the cockpit. Kurt glared at Cyclops and went after him.
Death winced.
"Ow?"
Phoenix nodded.
"Yes. Ow."
The woman laughed.
"Oh, it hurts. So much. Your legs are travelling faster than your head so you break in two and then you break in half again and again and again. It's the most horrible way to die imaginable."
"I thought having total body death when the universe burned away was pretty bad."
"Yes. Well, you were the one doing the burning."
"It still hurt."
Blackness. Complete blackness. And then she tried to move and found she had no body.
Am I dead?
Yes and No.
Yes and No? What sort of answer is that?
The truth.
What am I?
You are totally human once more.
Where am I?
The Library.
What library.
The Library of All. The Ice-Cold Library.
Huh?
Can we stop playing 20 Questions?
Lights flared up and she was in a huge room filled with row upon row of books. Tora looked around in confusion.
If I'm not dead, then can I go back?
You'll need to rebuild your body first.
My body?
You were torn into your composite atoms.
I'm not a telekinetic!
Well you'll have to do it the hard way.
How?
By going into the black hole and gathering your atoms, bringing them here and letting me help rebuild you.
Can I see you?
I am a part of you.
Frowning, Tora glanced down at herself and did a double take. She was dressed in black with the silver gloves, boots, belt and symbol of the Dragon.
What am I?
You are me.
That really makes sense.
Everything does.
I was being sarcastic.
Yes. But I find it easier to pretend you weren't.
Are we bickering?
I would say we are.
Unable to help herself, the shade of Tora burst out into bubbling, joyful laughter.
Am I a ghost?
No. You are the mind and soul. We just need the body.
How do I get it?
And she was somewhere she recognized and there were a stream of atoms she could suddenly see.
How can I see them?
You are me. I see all.
Riiight.
She flicked her non-existent wrist and began gathering up the base elements. This was going to take a long time.
The three women sighed.
"Molecular rearrangement takes ages."
"Tell me about it."
"Building a body out of atoms? Ouch."
"Very ouch."
"Is it just me or are we started to sound like Jan, Sue and Carol?"
"Oh. We are… HELP!"