Memories
War
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The arguments had raged for hours. Scott, Logan and Tora were there as representatives for both the X-Men and mutants as a whole. Scott because he was the de-facto leader, Logan because of his further reaching tendrils that allowed him to have contacts not only with U.S. teams, but Alpha Flight as well and Tora, as she remembered everything said, a useful skill for an important conversation like this and also gave the wider reaching aspects, especially with Dragon's sometimes dry comments explaining more…universal points. She'd removed the mask, leaving only the silver metal headdress. No one mentioned the fact a series of charred blue pieces of cloth had been found outside the Xavier Institute, or the fact that in the last week she'd been back on active duty, she'd gone barefaced, wearing only the headdress, despite the whispers regarding her mutilated face. Scott spoke up.
"What's the general consensus?"
Everyone turned to look at him. Iron Man was the one to answer.
"As far as I'm concerned, Stamford was our wake-up call, what alcoholics refer to as a 'moment of clarity'. Becoming public employees makes perfect sense if it helps people sleep a little easier."
"I don't believe I'm hearing this! The masks are a tradition. We can't just let them turn us into super-cops."
"Are you kidding? We're lucky people have tolerated this for as long as they have Sam. Why should we be allowed to hide behind these things?"
"Because the world ain't so nice outside your ivory tower bub."
"Tell me about it Stumpy. You think Johnny would have ended up in hospital last night if morons like you wasn't out there givin' us a bad name?"
There was the dull thunk of metal hitting rock and Tora groaned and flexed her hand as the skin started to grow over the exposed metal.
"Who knows? But if they're forcing everyone to work for Uncle Sam, then I think a whole lotta people might just hang up their tights."
"The secret identity thing isn't such a big deal. The FF have been public since the very beginning and it's never really been a serious concern."
"Yeah, well… not until the day I come home and find my wife impaled on an octopus arm and the woman who raised me begging for her life."
Tora nodded.
"I agree. There is still a great deal of anti-mutant sentiment. I will not have my children registered for what they were born as. I have fought against a mutant registration act for five years and I will not allow them to tear down everything I have worked for. Also, I'm not a U.S. citizen and I have little love for the U.S. government," the claws chikted out, "I've still not forgotten what they helped do to me. And also, what's the rule for people like me who answer to a higher authority? I'm not even fully human anymore. It's fine for you Stephen, everyone knows he's a sorcerer. But I'm not prepared to make public the fact that I share my head with an anthropomorphic dragon that represents knowledge."
I agree. It is foolhardy for my presence to be bandied about.
"I'm the librarian of all knowledge. Will the Government ban me from saving lives if I refuse to give them the specs for faster-than-light travel or a whiteout bomb? Even if I feel humanity isn't ready for it yet?"
"A whiteout bomb?"
Xixy answered as the alien representative.
"The whiteout bomb was designed by a race of intelligent humanoids who originally created it as a way of removing diseased flesh. It was changed for military uses. The first one was ridiculously over-powerful and ate all organic animal matter on a planet-wide scale. Other races found the plans and tested it under more suitable conditions and discovered how to design a working whiteout bomb. Recently the United Confederation of Planets decreed whiteouts to be an unacceptable method of warfare. Quite rightly as well. It gives us K'Meer an unfair advantage."
"You see? I am not prepared to give the ability to destroy all life in a tailored radius to a group of war-happy savages. And I don't just mean the US."
"Uh, does anybody feel we're being a little paranoid here? After all, this is just speculation at the moment, right?"
"No, this has been building up for a long time Nighthawk. Stamford's just the straw that broke the camel's back. This is the end of the way we do business. You can smell it in the air."
Tora nodded softly.
"I understand Daredevil. I'm getting all the warning signs. Just like the Decimation. Dreams, itches in the base of the skull, that feeling you're being watched. All of it. Something big is in the works. Something bigger than a stupid law. Something terrible is going to happen. This is just the calm before the storm. The air pressure is dropping, the clouds are gathering…"
Dragon finished for her.
…Someone is going to die.
"Would the words 'really, really accurate' be amiss here?"
"Not at all."
She was collapsed with Hank and Scott on the sofa, eyes closed and regulating her breathing as the stress of an eight-hour trial in front of the Living Tribunal was dissipated. She was slightly surprised that she'd managed to be dragged up in front of the ultimate court twice in six months. Apparently that was some sort of record. Especially for a previously exemplary cosmic entity who spent most of their time as a librarian of the highest order. Tora was apparently the catalyst for the change. Some were congratulating her on coaxing the shyest cosmic entity out of its shell, others were cursing her twenty-four/seven. Xixy and the other K'Meer thought this was brilliant.
She opened her eyes when Tony's voice reached her brain from the TV. She looked around and frowned.
"Where's Logan? I thought he wanted to watch this?"
"I think he went off half an hour ago to give Eva a bath and put her to bed."
"Hasn't anyone told him? Eva requires an hour and forty-five minutes to get to sleep. She doesn't like getting her head wet and needs to be read at least three chapters of a book. I find 'On The Origin of Species' gets her to sleep quickly. Knowing Logan he'll be reading something delightfully twee and suitable for a ten-month-old. She hates those books."
"You do know your kids have a odd taste in reading material Tora."
"Tell me about it. Jamie loves genetics, physics and chemistry, Eva likes fantasy violence. She is far too like Logan."
She turned back to the TV as Tony began explaining why he was backing the Act. Logan entered and flopped down next to Tora.
"Your daughter is hell to get to sleep."
"My daughter? Logan, Eva is so like you, it's scary."
Hank inhaled sharply and they turned to see Spider-Man drop down on the TV screen. Tora groaned.
"Peter, what are you doing?"
"…and it's only after a long talk with my wife and family…"
"He wouldn't be so stupid would he?"
"Logan, this is Peter we're talking about."
"Good point."
"My name is Peter Parker and I've been Spider-Man since I was fifteen years old."
"He was."
Tora stood up.
"Excuse me, I'm going to ring MJ. Then I'm going to see if I can delete the past three days from my mind. I hate that pompous Tribunal."
"Her and the Tribunal. A love-hate relationship if there ever was one."
"They couldn't stand the other's guts but had a grudging respect for the methods employed."