Memories

I Want You to Fear Me

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

Jamie hurried after Val and Franklin, towards the Thing.

"Jay, odds?"

The boy's eyes changed, becoming icy-blue orbs. Then he smiled.

"Pretty good. Most you manage to totally fix him, 'bout twelve percent you heal him but he's still evil, two percent you make him good but he dies and one point six times ten to the minus fifteen percent chance of total failure."

"I like those odds."

And Franklin scanned his Uncle Ben as Valeria leant over to Jamie.

"I love the way you just spit out the statistics like that."

He blushed.

"It's not hard."

She grinned.

"I know it's not. Well, not for me. It's just really impressive that someone else can effortlessly calculate a percentage of infinity. Even my stupid loser brother can't do that."

"Well, it's only sorta infinity. I think Maman has it worse. She's got loads of other realities because she doesn't always marry Dad and have me. So she's got an even bigger infinity."

Franklin grinned then he grabbed his uncle's chest and warped reality. Jamie winced when the light fizzled out.

"Ow. Tell me next time, idiot. Remember, my powers are to do with reality as well. Warps hurt like crazy."

"Sorry. Now, what are we to do now?"

"We could go and watch Maman go crazy and beat up people?"

"Jamie, that's you channelling your dad."

"Oh, I don't know. I always did find her fights rather amusing."

"What part?"

"Well, it may be the inventive insults or it may be the fact she was incredibly skilled at getting people in uncomfortable body locks."

Tora arriving with Logan was one of the best sights Steve could see right now. But he halted when he saw the strapped-up chest and shook his head when she coughed and some blood splattered her hand.

"Go. Home."

"No."

"Tora, you're obviously in no fit state-"

"I'll heal. Look, you're going to need everything you can get and apparently I did a pretty good job of totalling Kuurth."

"What do you mean 'apparently'?"

"Well, I was out of it at the time, wasn't I? Just let Dragon take over, do what it needed to."

"You mean you were unconscious but you still managed to damage one of these guys?"

"Well, yes but…"

"Would you be able to help Thor? He seems to think he's going to die."

"But…"

"Thanks Tora. Tony said he'd be back soon with stuff for us."

"Steve, I need to tell you…"

He slapped her back and muttered 'Sorry' when she winced.

"How did your bones get broken anyway? I thought they were unbreakable."

She stared at him.

"I thought proto-adamantium was stronger than adamantium. Anyway, the ratio isn't as high as Logan's. If you were to look at any of my bones except the claws it would be more bone with streaks of metal through them."

He looked upset.

"I loved that shield…"

"Yes, we all know. If we survive, I shall fix it and maybe even meld it with a certain alloy that Dragon has the recipe for which happens to be stronger than your shield."

"You can do that?"

"Yes, but…"

"You better go over. I think Tony's back."

"But…"

"I'll hold the fort."

"But…"

She shook her head slightly. There was no point in trying to talk to Steve right now. He was busy leading the attack. Tora walked to Tony who held out a set of heavy, clunky-looking armour.

"Here."

"Not. A. Chance."

"What?"

"Uru? For Dragon's sake, I could destroy Uru with a thought! Give me some credit Tony! All I need is some cosmic fire, like Phoenix fire or-"

A black and silver fireball hit the ground just beside Tora and the ground burst into flames in a neat circle.

"Or fire like that. Thanks again! I owe you one!"

Ice crystallised over her body, creating armour that looked beautiful as well as functional. Iron Man snorted.

"Well, that's only going to work as long as they don't use fire. And they have flamethrowers!"

"Give me credit Tony."

She turned and then stepped right into the raging inferno. When she stepped out the ice was now a silvery metal that gleamed. The flames died down to nothing and Tora glanced at the curled claw gloves.

"Excuse me, I'm going to help Thor."

"What! He won't thank you!"

She flipped the visor up and smirked.

"Well, he's not going to complain, is he? I fight, his chance of dying halves."

"What?"

"Look… I gotta go."

And she charged off in the direction of Thor. Everyone faltered as the Serpent changed from man to monster and Mjolnir fell to the ground. And when Thor was caught in the claws another voice rang out.

HALT!

And Tora's eyes were gleaming through the helmet as she ran, her body elongating, graceful wings bursting out of her back, silver armour changing to gleaming bluish-silver scales and then two huge winged reptiles were staring at each other. And the Serpent laughed.

"You will have to do more than pitiful imitations of beings of power to impress me."

And Tora's voice was heard by everyone on the field, as beautiful and as terrible as the thing she had become.

I am no imitation. I am the World Healer. I am the Calm Bringer. I. Am. The. LIBRARIAN!

Someone muttered under their breath 'What's so impressive about a librarian?' But Tora continued.

I am the Librarian of All, the Archivist of Reality, She Who Rides the Waves of Time Themselves. Fear me little Serpent. God of Fear; Fear the Dragon.

"Okay, that's impressive."

But the Serpent was laughing. At least he was until the Tora-Dragon slammed right into him, long silver claws raking huge gouges down his chest. The green Serpent screamed and Thor shouted something that was lost in the haze. But the Avengers and Worthy were now fighting so no one saw the cruel fangs dig right into the elongated neck. And Tora's tail thrashed as she was dragged upwards, forced to beat her wings to keep up whilst being pushed into her darkest fears.

She was staring at the bodies surrounding her. The Avengers, the FF, the X-Men. And at the top of the pile, Logan and the children. And without knowing how she knew, Tora understood that these were her victims, that she had lost control and killed all she held dear and she screamed as she stabbed herself again and again in the stomach with her claws but she wouldn't die and she wanted so much to die and all she could think over and over and over and over again was 'please please please please please please let me die…' And then something soft and warm and comforting surrounded her, inky black wings enfolding Tora's human form and there was no more fear.

"Be brave my friend. You are almost there."

And another voice, so dear to her called out.

"Tora! You can do this! For the X-Men! Come on Tora! You never gave up on me and I'm not giving up on you!"

"Kurt!"

And another voice, a child's voice, one she hadn't heard in far too long.

"Xii!"

"EVA!"

"Conquer your fear! You were always the brave one! Be brave, not just for me! Be brave for the world! Beat this, like you beat everything they threw at you!"

And Tora stood up and didn't turn to face the voices because she knew that if she turned they would be gone. And then she started laughing, so softly at first.

The Serpent recoiled.

"How?"

Because true courage is not never feeling fear. Because courage is CONQUERING fear! And I have been conquering my fears since I was a child! You cannot touch me, Cul Borson! You cannot touch me because I AM NOT AFRAID! THOR! NOW!

And she broke away and now the Serpent was the one with his neck between her teeth as she pushed his head back and Thor drove the sword through the Serpent's mouth which was open and screaming in pain. And Tora howled as well as the Odinsword pierced her neck and the massive wings ceased beating and she fell, tumbling over and over with the Serpent and Thor falling with her, and they crashed to the ground and she felt her wings and massive form melting away until she was just Tora again and she lay there, so cold, oh so cold. And Thor, crawling towards her, trying to speak and then a beautiful, silver light, a dark face wreathed by flickering silver flames for hair and Tora knew that she was staring Death right in the face and she smiled.

"Th…Thank you…"

Hush my dear. Hush my dear. This is not over yet.

Phoenix's eyes were wide as she stared at the pool.

"Oh, you can't cut it off there!"

"Yes I can."

"WHY!?"

"Because I'm evil and totally enjoy causing you torment?"

Death laughed and punched the masked woman on the shoulder.

"You know, I used to think you were a stuck-up goody-goody. You're growing on me!"