Memories
Charged
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Logan stared at Steve. Steve stared at Logan. And then Captain America looked away.
"Steve, tell me."
"They're… They're charging her with coercion through use of telepathy, illusion, hypnotism or similar; unlawful imprisonment; espionage; theft to the sum of about 600 billion dollars and kidnapping."
"WHAT!?"
"I wore them down. They were going to charge her with treason."
Logan slumped back.
"Espionage?"
"All that stuff she brought up to the top. Scandals, things that a lot of people wanted left alone."
"Theft?"
"You didn't see it, Logan. She was shifting numbers around like they were little balls of lint being flicked across the desk. She took money from the richest and gave it to those who needed it. They've lumped all the charges together but there's no way those who had the money will get it back. It was all the end results of trafficking or crime and she spread it so thinly, so carefully, crashing all the computers that it's basically gone."
Logan snarled. Steve sighed.
"No, I don't like it either. I say Tora had the right idea on that one. Along with the destruction of the Afghan poppy fields and the Columbian plantations. She's not being prosecuted for that. In fact, it probably won't be brought up at all. It makes the military look stupid and inefficient."
"So basically, all the good things she did are being ignored?"
"No. Jen and I are doing our best but it's going to be tricky. If we're seen coming out too strongly on Tora's side, we'll be accused of trying to sway the jury and they'll vote against her just to spite us."
"Kidnapping?"
"Now that's one we're pretty sure we can get pushed aside, since everything Hope-"
"Hope! They're accusing her of kidnapping Hope!"
"Like I said, Hope refused to speak with us. That's good. We get Hope in and she states she went with Tora willingly, then the other charges start looking trumped up."
"Steve…"
"Yes?"
"They're not going to let her off this one, are they?"
"Not unless we cheat. And we can't afford to cheat."
"Even if you do cheat, they'll still find her guilty. She's a mutant."
"Ah. But that's one thing we have managed!"
"What?"
Steve grinned.
"She has the right to be tried by her peers. Without prejudice."
"You're saying…"
"The jury has to be made up of mutants or superhumans and have to all have clean records regarding membership to groups like the FOH or the Purifiers."
Logan stared.
"How did you manage that one?"
"Easily enough. I just said that if we filled the jury with humans, we'd be opening ourselves up to a successful appeal against discrimination."
Logan lowered his head.
"What's the situation like?"
Steve sighed and slumped in his chair.
"At the moment? Not good at all. We've got Wanda agreeing to testify on both sides and Jen wants to speak to whoever you get about some evidence. But there's going to be a lot of protestors outside when the time comes."
"Steve…"
"Yes, Logan?"
"How did you get them to drop the treason charges?"
"By getting Tony to completely wipe any record of Tora's American citizenship. She's a French national and a Canadian by marriage but not American. How can she commit treason –or be charged for it in the States- if she isn't American?"
Logan relaxed.
"You're in our corner here, aren't you?"
"Let's just say, Tora gave me a lot to think about."
"That's your 'planning something' face."
"What?"
"You get that look every time you're planning something. You got it in Madripoor, you got it a lot on the front, you got it every time you plan something big with the Avengers. And you're getting it now."
"I am not."
Logan just raised an eyebrow before silently getting up to leave. Steve spoke just before he left.
"Who are you getting?"
Logan shrugged.
"Not sure. Looking at Murdock. Don't know if he'll bite though."
"He trusts Tora. He'll take it."
"It's more than about trust."
"I thought Daredevil got on very well with Tora."
"Yes. But if she ordered him not to take it?"
"She wouldn't…"
"If she thought taking the case would damage him, she would."
"Matt can't take the case."
Rachel looked up, horrified.
"You mean won't."
"I mean can't. After all that stuff about him being Daredevil, getting asked to defend on a case like this –for one of Daredevil's teammates, is tantamount to admitting who he is. He's sorry –he still counts Tora as a friend. She stood by him after Shadowland."
"So get Jen Walters."
"Steve's got her on prosecution. I can't decide if that's good or bad. On one hand, Jen's one of the best. On the other… Well, she won't want the Avengers' dirty laundry aired any more than Steve does."
"Madrox…"
"What?"
"Jamie Madrox. He's passed the bar. And he's one of us so we can trust him."
"He's never got on too well with Tora. They always end up arguing."
"But he's one of us."
"Get X-Factor on the phone. I'll see if Madrox is up for it."
"She never did talk about this."
"Well, Steve Rogers did cheat."
In the cave in Arizona, Kurt Darkholme left his room to look for the only other member of X-Force who lived there. Deathlock had his haunts yet Kurt could never quite call him a 'member'.
"I thought I'd find you here."
Tigress inhaled, still sitting in the cold hall, surrounded by memorabilia from a world they had no place in.
"It helps me concentrate."
He waited but she didn't move from her cross-legged position, her breathing slow and regulated. She had done this every night for as long as he remembered. Before Etana di… Before the Brood invasion, Tora had sat with her adoptive mother each and every night and they never said anything. Just sat, face-to-face, eyes closed, breathing slowly and softly. After Etana had…destroyed the Brood Queen, Tora continued alone. But never for this long. Never for almost three hours.
"Come to bed. It's late…"
She shook her head.
"I need to clear my head."
"You've been sitting here far too long. At least let me get you a blanket or something…"
"Kurt? Did I ever tell you about the time –before the X-Men- when I was flung naked into Hudson Bay in December? I'm fine."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Meditating was always her way of gathering her thoughts, processing her day. It means you sleep better. And I've a lot to process."
"Even you need sleep."
"I can't. Even if I can't touch her while I'm here… She still reaches out to me."
"You can't let her distract you. She isn't you."
"You think I don't know that? We spent a lot of time in each other's head. We're all the same, in a way. A nexus being is always tied to certain…points. We are needed. In every reality, Marie Circen was born. Even if she only lived for a few hours, she helped realign the worlds. That is what a nexus being must do. Align the worlds, and suffer as they do so."
Her eyes flickered open for the briefest of moments.
"At times I feel her life has been worse than mine."
"Tora?"
"She suffered as I did. And in some ways, it was worse. She had someone she cared for –like Nate in the pen next to me. She felt responsible for her friend's death. She was saved. She found peace. And then her peace was ripped from her in the form of death and destruction. At least for me… I who have always been fighting and never expect to stop… I was ready for pain. She hoped otherwise."
"Tora, can you come back? It's freezing out here."
She waved one hand.
"Give me ten more minutes. I'll join you then. Go back to sleep."
He stood for a moment before going, knowing she'd probably stay up all night, sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, breathing slowly and deeply as she went through her waking dreams.
It therefore was quite a surprise when, indeed ten minutes later, Tigress joined him.
"They weren't exactly the most functional couple, were they?"
"Of course not. He grew up in terror of being killed for his appearance, she was Dark Beast's pet project. I don't think either of them were ready for a stable relationship."