Memories
The Great Jam Doughnut of Time
(With Chocolate Sprinkles and Vanilla Icing)
Disclaimer: What do you think?
If you want to use Tora, or any of my other characters, PM me.
Curt sat cross-legged in the Danger Room, feeling rather stupid. Rachel nodded.
"Now, reach out. Try and find this feeling. You'll sense the time ticking back and forth. For me it feels like a thread. I don't know what it feels like for you but-"
"It's a doughnut."
"What?"
"It's like a big circle but you can also go up, down, left and right as well as around. Either way."
"A…doughnut?"
"Yeah. And then you just keep going round and round, over and over again. Every cycle could be the same or it could be different. It depends on which point you remain at."
"Now… You have your…er…doughnut… Can you find me?"
"Yeah. You're like custard in jam. You're different."
"Custard in jam? Okaaay… Now try and move it a little. Custard in jam? Okaay… Now try and move it a little."
Curt yelped in surprise. Rachel shook her head violently.
"Did you just…? You did. Wow."
"What?"
"It took me years to learn to do that. You took ten minutes."
Curt suddenly blinked a few times.
"I've found myself."
"What?"
"Keeping with the doughnut analogy, I'm strawberry jam in a grape doughnut. Of this reality but slightly different. Slightly out of sync."
Rachel blinked a few times. She could tell he saw time completely differently to her. To Curt, everything was circular, repeating. And somehow he instinctively knew how to control time. Or at least how to slip it a bit.
Curt was frowning. Then he got up and walked over to the wall of weaponry and picked up a small knife. He weighed it in his hands, still frowning. Then he raised his right hand and opened his left. Immediately, thick strands of webbing coated his hand but Curt spoke softly in the voice Rachel had come to recognise as his "talking-to-Poison-voice".
"No. Not this time. Please, let me try this."
And then he slashed the knife right across his palm before Rachel could stop him. She screamed but he was staring at his hand in amazement before raising it to show a white line gradually fading to nothing. He blinked a few times.
"I… I'm repowered… But… How? I mean, that's impossible."
Rachel shook her head.
"Obviously not."
He blinked. Then his mouth dropped open.
"That is way cool."
"What?"
"When… When I was in the timestream with the Young Avengers, my older self went back and repowered me. Which is totally cool and also kinda creepy when you think about it. This is so epic! I have got to go and tell Jubilee this! I mean, that means that I can let her age so she won't be nineteen forever! We can age 'til we decide we're old enough then stop! This is brilliant!"
Rachel grabbed him as he tried to run out.
"Ah. Who do you need to tell before Jubilee?"
Curt paused, thought for a moment.
"Dad, Maman and Uncle Hank. This is so cool! I mean, I thought getting my mutation back would drive me insane because my mind would be in a constant state of flux but what it's actually done is fixed it all. But I've still got Brian and Poison to talk to so maybe Brian is actually a part of my… No. Way."
"What?"
"This is so epic! I do not believe this!"
"What?!"
"Brian is a part of my mutation! Like the sensible, older version of me only he can't remember anything that happened! Excuse me, I'm going off to tell Maman and Dad!"
He shot out of the room, leaving Rachel to wonder exactly what kind of trouble Curt would get himself into this time.
"So endearing."
"Death, do you actually understand the meaning of that word?"
"Appealing? Attractive? Charming? Engaging? Loveable?"
"Do you understand the meaning of the other words? Or are you just quoting a dictionary?"
The meeting was between the heads and vice-principals. Kitty and Logan, Hank and Tora. The conversation was moving from lessons to funding.
"We can't keep increasing our spending exponentially. Yes, Logan, I know you've finally started spending all the money you've hoarded over the years. Yes, I know Etana's holdings are worth than the GDP of most developing countries. But the resources aren't infinite. Yes, the Shi'ar funds for Kid Gladiator are helping but at this rate of spending, we have six, seven years at most."
Beast nodded.
"What our dear Tora says is true. Our resources most assuredly finite. I know that much of the budget this year went into building the school and repairing the damage from Krakoa's attack. But judging on past experiences, we'll have to set aside an astromical sum each year for repairs and maintenance. We're fast running out and-"
What Beast was about to say was never said. Curt burst into the room, grinning from ear to ear. Logan stood up.
"Curt, what the-"
"I've got my powers back!"
Everyone went totally silent. Kitty's mouth dropped open, Hank's eyes widened, Tora's expression remained one of schooled emotionless. Logan dropped back into his chair.
"Come again?"
"I-was-training-with-Rachel-because-I-thought-I-could-be-chronokinetic-and-then-I-cut-myself-deliberately-and-made-sure-Poison-didn't-stop-the-knife-and-I-healed-and-then-I-realised-my-older-self-gave-me-my-powers-back-when-I-was-in-the-time-stream-but-I-didn't-realise-it-because-Poison-protects-me-from-injuries-and-I-didn't-realise-my-reflexes-and-senses-were-better-because-I-didn't-expect-them-to-be-and-this-is-so-cool-and-I'm-a-mutant-again-and-time-is-doughnut-shaped!"
"Whoa. Slow down. You've been given your powers back by an older version of yourself and now you're chronokinetic and time is apparently a doughnut?"
Kitty giggled.
"What flavour doughnut?"
Curt shrugged.
"It's jam. With chocolate sprinkles and vanilla icing."
Hank buried his head in his hands.
"Why is this considered normal for me?"
This time all three women failed to hold back their giggles. Egged on by the horrified gasps of "We have to stop laughing!" they started laughing madly. The masked woman stopped then hiccupped. That set Death and Phoenix off again but the woman folded her arms.
"It's –hic– not –hic– funny –hic– at all –hic–."
A.N. And this is why my brother and I should never be allowed to discuss the nature of time together. He suggested the title by the way.