Memories

Perspectives

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If you want to use Tora, or any of my other characters, PM me.

She slid into the cubicle at the small café. This had sort of become a ritual for them. Once a week, if there was time in between saving the world and stuff, they met up to talk.

"So, how's things with the X-Men Tora?"

"Hellish Steve. We're a dying race and we all know it."

"How are the alternate realties shaping up?"

"Almost as bad. I've been depowered and died in six. Lost contact with another eight. Haven't a clue what happened there. Maybe Wanda's reality warp broke them, maybe they never went back."

"And 'Tana?"

"Well, in the main reality I stick to, she decided to drag you off on holiday about two weeks ago and we haven't heard from you since."

"Why?"

"I think it was something about being fed up of sharing you with a country."

Steve laughed softly.

"Yes…"

"Oh, and before you went, you were having lots of arguments about family."

"Why?"

"You want kids, she doesn't, neither will back down. That's part of the reason you went off. To work out your differences."

Steve grinned and pulled his coffee mug possessively close to his chest.

"I'm not going to steal your coffee Steve."

"Yeah, well, Tony does all the time. I don't know how his girlfriends stand him."

Tora laughed and lazily stirred her coffee.

"I'm engaged to Tony in a different world."

Hot coffee spurted across the table as Steve started to choke on his drink.

"WHAT!"

"Oh, didn't I tell you? I'm Marie Circen there. Logan stopped them from ever kidnapping me."

"Wait, can we go back to Tony being engaged?"

"Yes. How do you think Tony would ask someone to marry him?"

"I don't know. Er…probably while drunk."

"Actually, I was yelling at him for managing to almost kill himself again, because I'm the official Avengers doctor and Tony just blurts out 'Can I annoy you for the rest of our lives?'"

"Can I annoy you…? What?"

"Yes. I know. Very Tony isn't it."

Steve laughed happily.

"Now, can I tease him about that?"

"No."

"Come on."

"No Steve. You can't."

The two laughed and continued their banter, determined to beat the other one in this game of minds.

"Odd isn't it, how a symbol and a former slave can be so close."

"They were both products of Weapon Plus."

"But the project changed between Weapons I and X."

"She has a point."

The woman shied away from Tora's hand.

"Mutie scum!"

Tora sighed and sat down in the rubble.

"What are you doing you piece of filth!"

"Well, I promised your family I'd get you out or die trying. Can we talk? I'd hate to die in uncomfortable silence."

"Mutie filth!"

Tora rolled her eyes then realised the woman couldn't see her face.

"Well then, who will you miss most?"

Silence.

"I think I'll miss my family most. My kids, Logan, Eloise. Oh, and I'll miss the chess games with everyone. And the New Year's Eve party. And Christmas. We always make a point of just relaxing at Christmas."

She smiled at the woman.

"You know, you could be a little more talkative."

The building creaked ominously.

"You know, all you have to do is take my hand and we'll both survive."

"I'd rather die than owe my life to mutie scum like you!"

"Ouch. You know, mutie scum like me have feelings? Are you a patriotic American?"

"Of course!"

"You do know, a mutant kick-started the War of Independence. I asked her and she just went bright red and said that George needed a good kick up the backside to get going. And she provided it."

"LIAR!"

"Shhh. Unless you want this building to topple down much faster."

"Mutants can't be trusted to tell the truth!"

"Oh for goodness sake! We're just people who are slightly different. Do you consider yourself racist?"

"Of course not."

"But you are. We're just another group of people."

"Liar!"

"We're an…well, not an ethnic group because we're all really, really different. Nightcrawler's a Roman Catholic and left us to be a priest for a while, did you know that? And Beast is… Hey Hank, are you a deist?"

The comm crackled. Hank's voice was urgent.

"Tora, the whole building's going to collapse soon. Just get out!"

"Sorry. No can do. I promised this woman's family I'd come out with their daughter or dead and she won't let me help her."

"TORA! What about Eva and Jamie?"

"Tell them their Maman died saving a life and tell them not to be as stubborn as she is."

"Tora, please, get out of there…"

It was Logan, pleading.

"Sorry Carcajou. I made a promise I intend to keep."

"You and your damn promises!"

"I'm sorry."

Then Curt's voice, so so quiet and sad.

"Maman?"

"Hey Curt."

"Are you going to die Maman?"

"Possibly."

"Why?"

"Because there's a woman in here who needs saving from herself."

"Why can't you just grab her and get out?"

"Because that would achieve nothing darling."

"But you'll die…"

"Look, I do have an exceptionally dangerous job."

"What, being an X-Man?"

"No Curt. Teaching. Especially your class."

"Maman…"

The woman squirmed uncomfortably.

"Is that your son?"

Tora started and then nodded.

"Is he a mutant?"

"Not anymore."

"How old is he?"

"Do you want his real age or his apparent age?"

"Both."

"He looks about fifteen. He's actually nine months old."

"How?"

"People wanted to hurt me so they stole my son. It happens."

The woman considered then reached out a hand.

"Mutants are people too."

Tora grinned and grabbed the woman's wrist.

"Of course we are."

"The mutant woman? The one who started the War of Independence? What was her name?"

"Etana, Daughter of Aleka."

"Ok, how on earth did she find out about Aleka? Her existence was a closely guarded secret."

"She asked. Duh."

"You know, you really can be insufferable at times."

Curt tilted his head as Spider-Man sighed.

"No. It's left, right, right, left, right, left, right, right, left."

"What…?"

"Look, you have the natural talent. Heck, I've never seen anyone as good at web-slinging as you are first time, but you need to practise. It took me over a year to be half-way decent at it. Now, you need to be able to throw yourself forward and know when to release a line. Like so…"

Peter launched himself off the building and Curt followed, cheering. Curt had pestered and pestered until eventually Dad had shouted 'GO WITH PARKER FOR ALL I CARE! BUT I AIN'T SCRAPING YOU OFF THE ROAD!' Maman had rolled her eyes and given Uncle Peter a half-hour lecture of safety before pecking a kiss to Curt's forehead and grinning then telling him to go. So now Curt was swinging from the skyscrapers, at exact odds to his parents' instructions and enjoying every second of it. He copied Spider-Man's moves and fell into an easy rhythm. Web, web, flip, web, fall, web, web, web. It was amazing. His foot grazed the top of the car and then the next second he was level with a small scraper. It was fast paced, furious, the adrenalin rush he'd been looking for. He heard Uncle Spidey laughing up ahead, his words snatched away by the wind. And then he flipped forward and landed on a gargoyle on a church and Curt landed next to him.

"Now that's web-slinging Kid!"

"Can we do this more often?"

"You know, your parents are going to kill us for this?"

"Ah, they ground me every other day."

"Yeah, but you're their kid. Logan will probably impale me and Tora… does she ever do that freaky Dragon thing when she gets mad?"

"She has to be really, really mad."

"I'm dead."

"No you're not."

"Okay, in half an hour, I'm going to wish I were dead."

Curt grinned and the symbiote slid back from his face.

"Comeon Uncle Spidey. Can we do this more often? Poison and Spider-Man, the butt-kicking crime-fighting duo!"

"I thought the X-Men had dibs on you?"

"Yeah, but if I'm an X-Man, we can use the Fastball Special."

"Oh, the Fastball Special. The most famous duo move in history. Did you know there was a ship called the 'Fastball Special'. No, really!"