Memories
Warped Metal
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If you want to use Tora, or any of my other characters, PM me.
Carol raised an eyebrow as Tora leant backwards, back parallel to the floor from the knees.
"Okay, is it true that the X-Men have limbo parties? Because you look like you're used to this sort of thing."
Tora straightened up and pirouetted on one toe.
"No. I've just always been rather good at this. Also, we have a group allergy to the name 'Limbo'. Bad connotations, all that."
Carol leant up against the wall as Tora slid to the floor and rose up again, less than a metre from where she went down.
"You're good at this. How? Because all we see is empty air."
Tora's arms were outstretched as she appeared to step through an invisible hole.
"I see slightly into the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. To you, the lights don't show up. To me… I always fail miserable to describe it. It's like trying to explain colour to a blind man, no offense meant, Matt."
"None taken."
She pirouetted again.
"It took me years to realise I could do it. See infrared, I mean. Well, I tell a lie. It took me years to realise it wasn't normal. Red that isn't red. A thousand shades. And I don't even see that far into it. But I can see the lasers criss-crossing back and forth and I used to do this with hot ones that could sear your flesh badly. There!"
She triumphantly reached the key pad, leant down and sniffed.
"3 has a slight deposit of oil on it, therefore it's the first number in the sequence. 9 smells of sweat and that's the strongest after 3, so either it's second or used twice. Oh, stuff it."
The slightest hint of a claw slid out, she unscrewed the panel and cut the wires.
"Security system disabled thanks to my incredibly handy natural multi-tool."
The Thing snorted.
"Handy. Good one."
Tora frowned.
"That wasn't meant as a pun. Anyway, my claws are a part of my metacarpals. Hand suggests that they're interlinked, when they aren't. My claws are actually capable of more individual movement than my fingers."
Ms Marvel sighed.
"I wonder about you at times. One minute, you're all dry textbook, the next you're a bundle of laughs."
Tora shrugged.
"Strictly speaking, in cut and dried medical terminology, I suffer dissociative identity disorder and schizophrenia. Which is stupid, as what I actually have is a nosy cosmic entity and an open line to alternate realities. I've never been good with shrinks."
Then she neatly stepped back and the door opened. Luke blinked.
"Okay, how did you do that?"
She smirked.
"I was picking the lock with my hands behind my back. You think that's impressive? Storm can do it with her teeth while she has the coordination of a toddler. Anyway, you'd think with this complicated set up they'd use a halfway decent tumbler lock. But no, it's one of the easiest to pick. I think they put too much faith in their tech."
"Where are your lockpicks?"
Tora's smirk widened.
"I don't have any. My handy natural multi-tool comes with both lockpicking and lock cutting capabilities. After you, leader with unbreakable skin."
Luke laughed as he walked down the corridor. Ben waved the others through then walked backwards down the corridor.
"All this undercover stuff is giving me the heebie-jeebies."
Tora snorted in amusement.
"Well, the only undercover I'd put you down for would be in Utah, but who cares? I mean, look at Danny and Carol. Reflective bright colours, anyone? Basically a target. There's a reason I got rid of that terrible reflective silver, apart from the fact it looked tacky. Of course, reflective clothing does have its place, but that's on a ledge in a pit that goes to the centre of the earth in a cave where the only light is from the torches and you have an evil god trying to kill you because you weren't able to save him the last time he died due to your claustrophobia. Ro, not me. Long story, before my time. First mission Kitty Pryde went on. And very nearly her last."
Iron Fist glanced back.
"Are you saying my costume looks tacky?"
"Danny, you're the one who once had his shirt open to his navel to show off his big tattoo. That's tacky."
"I liked that costume!"
"You're a man, you would."
Then Luke swore softly.
"Tora, need you up here now."
She pushed past everyone and curse softly before falling to her knees to check the pulse of the first woman.
"They're alive but barely. I'll give them a reconstructive burst but they need proper medical treatment. Last time I healed something like this totally, the woman didn't remember anything and basically blew the whole case out the water. The defendant argued that because –in essence- the abuse never happened, how could he be charged for it? I hate smarmy, suck-up, do-bad lawyers, again no offence meant, Daredevil, because I know you're the exact opposite."
She glimmered silver and water slid up the arm of the woman whose hand she was holding and further into the room. Then she got up and turned to them, her eyes icy and cold.
"You get them out. All of them. I'll go find the ones responsible for this."
"And do what?"
Tora gave them that look.
"Don't ask. Trust me, I'd get out as fast as possible. I'll try and leave some for you."
She stalked off and Luke tried to go after her. Jessica held him back.
"What?"
"Did you see her face? Luke, this is personal for her."
"What?"
"Trafficking. Come on, Luke, see the parallels. Girls manipulated and abused. And then there was the whole X-23 thing. Tora won't go as far as killing them but… Let's just say, I reckon she knows lots of ways of keeping you alive when you'd rather die. And looking at these kids, I can only say I don't blame her."
They picked up the girls and ran. Matt glanced over to Danny.
"If she blows this place sky high, I don't blame her. You wouldn't believe what I can hear from further in."
His head jerked and an odd smile slid over his face.
"You get them, girl."
They gasped in the fresh air and the Thing turned to go back in. And flames rippled out in an explosion, sending the rock-man flying backwards into Luke. And Carol screamed out a name then remembered her radio and shouted into it, desperate and then her face went white as all that came out was a crackle of static and she dived into the rubble, throwing huge chunks of concrete aside.
"Get out of there, now! Come on, Dragon!"
Iron Fist looked over to Luke.
"She can survive a building falling on her, can't she? I mean, she's basically as tough as Wolverine with the added advantage of being able to make Thor nervous when she's suffering from caffeine deprivation."
Luke nodded.
"She jumps off buildings and survived in Osborn's custody for thirty-eight hours whilst being tortured non-stop by Daken. I think a small building won't have that much effect on her."
And then they heard Carol's scream and she burst out of the rubble and dropped a piece of warped and scuffed metal that bore only the slightest resemblance to the silver headdress that was a singly distinctive part of Tora's apparel, no matter what her uniform was.
The host had an oddly secretive smile on her face, like this was something she considered moderately amusing.
Logan smiled at the couple sitting on the other side of his desk.
"Thanks for coming, both of you. I think right now, what with everything that's happened, we need as many familiar faces around as possible. I know neither of you like being in combat situations so you're both down as teaching only. And… Eloise, we need telepaths. I know you're not Omega-level but you're still better than most and you've been trained by Chuck, Jeannie and Emma. What you lack in brute strength you make up for in plain cunning."
Eloise smiled softly.
"I know. To begin with, I thought I was a naturally weak telepath as I couldn't go much deeper than surface thoughts in one mind but then I realised that my talents are more… wide-range. I can read more minds and not be overloaded than most other Alpha-levels and my shields are almost as strong as Tora's. I can't compare myself with other Alpha's because I'm not like most telepaths."
And then Kitty threw the door open, her face pale and horrified.
"Logan, Tora's MIA in New York! Cage wants you down there as soon as possible!"
Eloise was already up, Luke following her, both looking absolutely terrified. Then Eloise shook her head and her mind brushed his.
No. You haven't got any powers.
I might not be able to weave illusions anymore but I can fight. Physically, I'm in better shape than you and I could always look after myself better than you. And I've kind of been doing undercover work for MI-13.
Eloise frowned, slapped him round the head then reached for her coat.
"We're both coming."
Logan nodded, then looked over to Kitty.
"Take Eva to the FF. Tell them I'll pick her up when I've sorted this out."
Kitty nodded and then walked out through the closed door. Logan turned to Eloise and Luke.
"We haven't got any spare uniforms…"
Luke blushed.
"Well, I have my MI-13 uniform, which should give me some leeway with the authorities and 'Loise can just make herself fuzzy. It's freaky, but it works."
Logan nodded and stormed out.
Phoenix raised an eyebrow at the masked woman, who remained resolutely silent.
A.N. Busy, busy, busy. Although if you want to show your sense of humour, go around with a boat on your head all day (I won Jelly Babies for Maddest Hat in Mad Hat Day!). No one got the nautical Physics joke. The boat was called the Higgs Bo'sun.