Memories

Mind Games

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

Emma screamed as she returned to her mind. She was vaguely aware of the men behind her screaming as well. Betsy had a purple blade held to Tora's head, and was just looking at Emma.

"What's wrong?"

"I…I don't know…"

Curt groaned then answered.

"Someone's been trying to get in. She was fixing up her mind when Emma and Logan here attacked Dark Dragon-"

"WHAT!"

"Listen and let me finish. These two idiots then released what I can only assume was Maman's dark side. Right now, they are probably fighting for supremacy."

"How do you know that?"

"Dragon told me."

Emma shook her head when Betsy opened her mouth to question further.

"All we can hope is Tora is going to win. If not, we will have to kill her. That thing in control of Tora's body and Dragon's power is not a thing to trifle with."

"Dark Dragon was created as a jailor. Marie told us it was better to fight Dark Dragon than Her."

"Excuse me, but I'm lost. Already."

"You know what Dark Dragon was capable of? Well you know what motivated her. Dark Dragon was insane. But it was random insanity. Her, was that what you called her Kurt? Her is the most dangerous insanity of all. Her is all the pain and hatred left over from Weapon X. Like that, Tora or rather, the shell of Tora will go on an ordered, senseless massacre of every person she can get her hands on, just so the rest of the world feels a fraction the pain she has felt. And believe me, I did and it was the worst feeling ever."

Logan shuddered.

"For a second… I…I thought I was…you know…back there."

"What… Can you guys stop talking so cryptically… oh-"

And Psylocke started to scream as Emma gave her a flash of the pain.

"It was worse than that. A thousand times worse. It was like someone was tearing me apart but it wasn't."

Logan looked up.

"You can't describe that pain. You just can't."

Tora stirred and instantly all eyes were on her. If she wasn't Tora, would they be able to tell? Would they be able to stop her? Would they be able to kill her?

"Who danced 'bout in my head… Whatid I miss? Urgh…brain freeze…"

She blinked then groaned.

"I'm not making any sense am I?"

"Are you you Tora?"

"What sort of stupid question is that? Of course I'm me. Who else could I be? Don't worry. Mental crisis averted. Because Tora is all the versions of herself you met, she doesn't actually remember interactions in her mind. DRAGON!"

They exchanged glances then nodded. The straps were loosened and Tora groaned again as she sat up.

"Was it the ice cream?"

"What?"

"The ice cream. After dinner? Was that what gave me a headache? It feels like the head ache Curt got when he ate seven litres of the stuff."

Emma smiled.

"Yes. It was just the ice cream."

"Ice cream? She actually fell for that?"

"Her head was shattered. She was confused."

"She had just beaten her own psyche into submission."

"Can we stop? You're confusing me now, and I'm the one who married into the Summers family."

"What caused it?"

"We don't know. Someone was trying to get in, and they weren't able to get far. But they damaged her. Tora's mind is…different. All the telepaths know that. It comes of having part of it outside of reality."

"What sort of different?"

Unbidden, Scott, Logan and Emma all glanced through the window to see Tora, who was sitting up in bed, reading, looking thoroughly bored after Hank had delivered his ultimatum. Stay in bed for twelve hours; remain under observation for another six. She had raged for a full twenty minutes about that. Logan looked up.

"You found the telepath yet?"

"No."

They turned as Charles walked into the room Tora was in and bowed his head. Tora's voice rang out loud and clear over the speakers.

"I know what you did."

"It was for the best."

"For the best or what you thought was the best?"

"I didn't know."

"No. You didn't."

"Tora…"

"Look Charles. What you did was inexcusable."

"It was for the best."

"My mind, Charles. You read my mind. My one place that belongs fully to me. My body has been mucked around with, my learning ability tampered with, my powers increased. My mind is the only place left for me. And you go trampling in, tearing down all my barriers, pushing me and my beast together. Whatever happens next, remember you did this. You and your manipulations."

The three X-Men stared at each other in horror.

"You aren't using your Dragon powers to their limits. We will need them."

"No. Listen to me Charles. I am not some sort of omnipresent early warning system. I am not your pet like Jean was. The Phoenix may have agreed to being tethered to Jean but I am telling you, if you push Dragon, you will live to regret it. And I hope I never have to use Dragon to its limits because if I do, then everything will have been destroyed. Understand? I am the World Healer. I am hosting inside me the third most powerful being in the universe. Well, Eternity, Infinity, Oblivion, Death and Galactus as pretty powerful but they have…weaknesses. Dragon only has one and right now, I am that weakness. But I'm also its greatest strength. So next time you go digging in my mind, remember that I am more than human."

She sat back and went on reading her book. Charles looked down then sighed and got up. And walked out, leaving Emma, Scott and Logan to exchange horrified looks.

"Well, that was a highly typical point. Treating a horrendous thing like that as normal."

"She was an X-Man. I don't think normal registered in her vocabulary."

There was a crash as an object flew across the room and shattered. Logan swore and dived into the room in time to see Hellion trying to dodge another thrown ornament.

What surprised him was the person throwing stuff. Tora's eyes were sparking but they were gold, meaning it was something highly personal.

"You. Have. Hurt. Her. And. I. Am. Going. To. Make. You. Pay."

Each word resulted in another object being thrown. Green light flared as the objects slowed but the next one thrown glowed silver and went straight through the green hand, smacking the boy in the face.

"YOU GOT HER HOPES UP THEN DASHED THEM FOR A DEAD GIRL! GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON NOT TO KILL YOU!"

"Tora?"

She turned and he saw something fiercely protective there, like when people threatened Jamie or Eva.

"This piece of…of…scum just started talking about his dead girlfriend, whilst Laura was listening in."

"I was unconscious –mmmpph."

"I haven't given you permission to talk yet."

"Tora, can you remove the water bubble from around his head. I think he's drowning."

"He deserves it."

"Tora, you don't think you're being a little overprotective of Laura? I mean, you were the one who told me not to behead him."

She snarled.

"He hadn't hurt her then."

"Tora, you are being rather…overprotective. You do know Laura isn't your daughter?"

She spun round.

"She's your daughter, and that's good enough for me. Understand?"

"Er… Tora…?"

"And she's gone through hell, just like I have so at times, I feel she is more my child than yours. Understand?"

"Tora…?"

"You were an adult. You don't understand. You were not trained from birth to be a killing machine, which is what Laura and I are. So frankly, anyone who hurts her, answers to me. Compris?"

She turned back to Hellion and marched towards him. A claw was placed to his face.

"Hurt her again, and you'll have a scar to rival my own."

The boy looked at the mutilated right side of her face and nodded, careful not to move too quickly. A thin trickle of blood slipped down his face anyway.

"I think that classes as 'overprotective stepmother' don't you?"

"Well, it made up for what she did to Daken."

"Yes, what did she do to Daken?"

"You'll see."

A.N. I'm starting exams shortly and a lot of my time until then will be spent revising. Expect updates at a mush slower pace. Writing may be my way of relaxing (and getting great English revision) but if I'm under pressure, I won't write as much. I'm not only working on Memories and 1000 Firsts (2nd chapter -Coffee is halfway finished), I've also finally been inspired for More Than Just A Kiss, the next in my Etana stories. I'm cutting it down a lot as if I'm not careful, I'll have another Memories-sized monster on my hands. Can you believe 1,383KB? 331 pages? 10619 paragraphs? 18530 lines? 198498 words? 893625 characters, not including spaces? 188116 spaces? I can't and I'm the one who wrote it!