Memories

Vengeance and Justice

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Tora froze and then she ran forward, hoping against hope that the body she saw destroyed on the ground wasn't who she thought it was. And then she caught the scent.

"KEN!"

She knelt down and pressed her fingers into the dirt. Ken… Big, gentle, kind Mettle; incapable of hurting anyone. She closed her eyes slowly.

"Hank."

He didn't answer. In shock probably. He cared for his students a lot more than he liked to let on.

"Hank, you have to go. I'm about to try something very dangerous."

She felt something tiny leave her hair, saw the ants. Then she stood and held out her hands.

"Come on, you stupid reptile. Don't let me down."

She felt the power rush to the fore. Too long to do the simple 'heal the body, let the soul come rushing back in'. She had to do this the more difficult way.

"Thanata scri mana kor tasa ma norma…"

The chant was ancient. Binding and full of power. The Old Tongue; calling and ordering; binding the being in charge of Mettle's soul to Tora's will.

And in the centre of the circle of water, a pillar of fire. Black and silver and a figure began to slowly form. But unlike she normally appeared, this time there was nothing human about the Malach Hamavet…

The huge arcing wings were black fire. Silver flames wreathed an inhuman face that flickered like a candle in a slight breeze.

You bind me to thyself, oh Dragon.

Tora gulped.

"The soul, Ken Mack. I request he be surrendered to me."

The Malach Hamavet tilted its head quizzically.

I require blood sacrifice. The laws of cosmic balance must be maintained.

"It is just one life."

A life for a life. The oldest of the Laws. Even you may not break that law, for all your power, Archivist.

Tora snapped.

"What happened to the old Etana!? I'd like to speak to her now! She would never condone the death of a mere child!"

He made his choice. He is mine now. He is my Chosen.

"He wouldn't accept death!"

He would if it meant his love would survive.

Tora froze.

"Jenny!"

She released the binding and the angel faded away with a soft sigh. Tora charged off in the direction that Hank had gone. Then she staggered as the full brunt of the summoning and binding came onto her.

Knees hit dirt and Tora clutched her head. She could feel the tick of the universe and the spinning of the spheres. She should have known better than to do something as stupid as use one of the Three Great Rights. Of course it would throw her out of sync with human senses. Too much Dragon meant she had to lose her human senses. But enough remained to hear the gun being cocked.

She leapt and twisted, her claws sliding out, moving forward, almost impaling…

Almost impaling a scared looking girl, aged about thirteen. Tora retracted her claws. And the girl shot her.

"Is that…Cammi? The girl Abigail kept going on about?"

"Yes."

"I can understand that. Didn't she spend years in space?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to be irritatingly monosyllabic now?"

"…No."

"And she's reverted to her usual form of sarcasm."

Tora groaned as she woke up. Hanging upside-down, trussed up like a turkey. Great. Knocked out by a thirteen-year-old. She slowly span around and sighed as she rotated past the girl, sitting there with a gun pointed right at her face.

"Hello."

The girl didn't answer. Tora rotated again.

"I was actually here to try and rescue you."

The girl didn't look impressed. Tora's spinning slowed and she began to move in the opposite direction.

"I'm Dragon. You know; X-Man, New Avenger, Laura's adoptive mother?"

"How do I know you're not one of Arcade's traps?"

Tora closed her eyes.

"You do know all the blood has rushed to my head? It's rather uncomfortable. Good knots by the way. Not seen vine work this good since Etana."

Silence greeted her. Tora sighed.

"Look, I can't prove I'm not some sort of android. I can't prove I'm Tora Logan. But Laura can. Please. Find her for me."

"You do know why we're here?"

Tora shook her head then swore softly as the spinning replicated her movement.

"Arcade told us the last one alive was free to go."

Tora swore loudly, in the Old Tongue this time. In some far-off distant galaxy, a large part of a forest ecosystem on a small moon died, forever altering the fate of humanity. Not really. The moon would be torn apart by the gravitational pull of the gas giant it orbited within a few years. But it could have. The Old Tongue was dangerous.

"When I get out of these stupid ropes and the right way up, I am so taking him apart. OI! ARCADE! Yeah, I'm talking to you! Come on and face me, you crazy piece of trash!"

And then –somehow- he responded, his voice echoing out across the entire dome.

"Darlin'! Great to see you! It's been too long! I would, but you seem a little 'tied up' right now! You honestly brought no back-up? I don't believe that! Well, I do, seeing how rash you were when we first met!"

Tora struggled.

"One-on-one. No powers on my part. I win, you let the kids go."

"And if I win, darlin'?"

"You get me. Surely Dragon's a bigger hit than a load of kids who never did anything spectacular? I'm an A-lister! If you announce you killed me, people will take you seriously. You let the kids go and they tell everyone they saw you kill me."

"So, either way the kids live? Boo-ooring."

"Not boring. Fun. Come on, you've been wanting to test me for years."

"No powers, Dragon dear?"

"Well… I can't exactly shut off the healing factor without killing myself, which you wouldn't really want, would you? But no cosmic Dragon powers. Promise."

"Darlin', we have a deal. Let her down, sweetie."

The girl silently cut the ropes and let Tora fall to the ground then helped her up.

"Thank you…"

"No problem. It's kind of in the job description. Who are you, by the way?"

"Cammi."

"The Cammi? The one Abi keeps going on about?"

"You call Agent Brand, Abi?"

"Long story, involving us trying to get drunk whilst moaning about our respective partners."

She stretched.

"Dragon, dear. I think you have to leave."

No. Way.

"Look, I don't like it either. But I kind of promised."

Not. Leaving.

"Look, I accept you lodging in my brain. I don't mind helping with the horrific filing –what is it with your hatred of the Dewy Decimal System anyway? I let you take over my body whenever the fancy takes you. I quite like being able to help out my friends with the cosmic powers. But I don't see why you have to be so stubborn!"

I take the characteristics of the Avatar.

"I am not stubborn!"

Yes you are.

"I am not!"

Are so.

"Am not!"

Are so.

"Am not!"

Are so.

"Am NOT!"

Are we actually arguing like this?

"Come on, this is an everyday occurrence with us. Now, out!"

There was a definite sulkiness –not that a cosmic being was capable of being anything as petty as sulking- in the way the Dragon slid out of Tora.

I hope you know what you're doing.

"Dear, do I ever know what I'm doing?"

That's what worries me.

Tora smiled then turned around to face the man hovering down towards her.

"Arcade."

"Dragon. Darling, it's been too long!"

"Quite frankly, I'd have been happy never hearing your name my whole life."

When Tora said things like that, she normally did it with a saccharine smile. This time was no exception, although there was something forced in her grin.

"So then, Arcade. Let's set down a few little rules. One weapon. Only one weapon each. You pick first."

He grinned and suddenly a gun was twirling in his hand. Tora was aware a lot of other figures were gathering on the edges. Right. Time to show off.

She flipped over, grabbed a straightish tree branch and ripped it off. Two claws –middle and little finger- up either side and soon had a hastily improvised bō. Of course, given time she could smooth and work the wood into a more permanent feature but as it was, it would do. Spin it once as she turned to face her opponent, making her centre of gravity low and in a traditional guard position. He laughed.

"You always loved the safe weapons, didn't you, darling?"

She allowed herself a feral snarl.

"Come and get me, Arcade."

He fired and she leapt, cat-like, into a tree, using the staff to help support her as she kicked off and down towards him, rolling to dodge the shots. In her ear she could hear Hank screaming at her –probably still small or far off; Tigra telling her to stop being so stupid and Finesse telling Tigra to shut up so she could watch. And then a voice not in the earpiece; Laura, a scream begging Tora to stop, to just go, not to die for her because she wasn't worth saving, none of them were. And Tora continued to dodge and dart, getting closer to the man who had dared threaten her daughter and she felt blood trickling down her knuckles as claws tried to extend, to pierce this threat to her child and she had to restrain herself.

She ducked low and then brought the bō round in a fast one-two motion, slamming it first at the back of his knees then rotating it round in the palm of her hand to shatter both kneecaps. Thank you Etana for agreeing to demonstrate that little move –then going through it another three times to make sure Tora had it right.

Arcade had collapsed but he still scrabbled to bring the gun up and around to shoot her. It was the work of a moment to stamp on his hand, breaking his fingers and then to kick the gun away, into the undergrowth. She grabbed him by the lapels of his muddied white suit and dragged him up so she was looking right into his eyes.

"You. Disgust. Me."

One claw slid out so it tangled in the long red hair. She heard one of the children scream "Kill him" but she had a much better punishment in store for him. She jerked her hand and caught a lock of hair in one hand, closing her fist around it as she dropped him.

"I honestly thought you couldn't get any more stupid! But you took my daughter! After all that! Haven't you heard? Those who hurt my children die."

"You mean the Wolverine clone, the little kille-erk!"

Tora slowly released her grip on his throat after her hand had automatically leapt there.

"You will be polite about her. And I win, Arcade. I win."

She smiled. It wasn't a particularly nice smile. In fact, it was more a baring of the teeth in something approximating a shark's grin. She slid her hand into the small pouch that hung on her belt and pulled out what looked like a thick finger bone, almost Hulk-sized. She flicked up the end and it opened, a sudden flame sparking up. Arcade laughed.

"A cigarette lighter? I didn't know you smoked, darling!"

She let her lips slide back further and now there was no way of mistaking the look on her face with anything resembling a smile.

"This was a little gift from the Spirit of Vengeance. A direct, DNA-encoded link to Zarathos. If I were to drop something into it, say…hair, for instance…"

She was suddenly twirling the little lock around her fingers.

"A beacon is formed. Zarathos seeks out his new prey. And then when the Ghost Rider finds his quarry… The Penance Stare. Do you know what that is, Arcade? The Ghost Rider makes you feel every little thing you have done to another, all at the same time, for the rest of your life. How many have you killed, Arcade? How many?"

He was staring up at her, his eyes suddenly afraid.

"You wouldn't… You would never…"

She opened her fingers.

"Whoops."

The hair fell into the bone and caught alight. But the fire remained even after it looked like the hair should have burnt away and the bone began to radiate an ominous red light.

"You better start running, 'darling'. The Rider's coming for you."

She turned away and then, knowing he was scrabbling for the gun she flicked her hand up.

"Sweetie, it's lonely in here without you."

And the Dragon Song returned to its temple and Tora turned on one foot, her eyes suddenly radiating silver light.

"Count yourself blessed that she chose to deal with you herself. I am capable of much, much worse than the Spirit of Vengeance."

And then Tora turned and ran to Laura, hugging her close and then she pulled back.

"I hate being shorter than you."

"Tora."

"Laura."

And then they hugged again, because they couldn't find enough words to say. And then, finally, Laura whispered one word.

"Mettle…"

"I have a plan."

Tora stepped back.

"How many dead?"

The children –and how easy now to see that they were just children- looked around.

"I…I'm not sure…"

"I need to know."

"Three… Three dead for sure… Two vanished."

Tora closed her eyes.

"Mettle, the avian girl I saw and who else?"

Please not Juston, please not Juston. He's not here, he's not here!

"Kid Briton."

Great, this is even worse. Brian will be devastated.

"Who's missing?"

It's Juston, I know it's Juston, Hank will never forgive me if I can't save them all…

"Darkhawk and…Juston…"

Tora felt her mind click into gear, flying forward at a million miles per hour.

"Hank, this is Tora. Find Juston and the other missing casualty, Darkhawk. Tigra, Finesse, I need you too to see if you can find them on the monitors, help Hank find them. Jocasta, I'll need a Pym Gate in about fifteen minutes."

"Where too, Dragon?"

"Could you manage San Francisco? I have a favour I need to call in…"

She turned her attention to Laura and Hazmat.

"You two. I need you to help me. I need those who died."

Hazmat's face lit up.

"You can bring Ken back!"

Tora sighed.

"Yes. And no. Not here. Not now. But I know a…friend."

Laura's eyes widened.

"Tora, you can't…!"

"Laura. I must."

"But…"

"Laura."

There was a warning tone in there, Tora quietly telling Laura not to say anything further. Walking towards the clearing where Mettle's remains lay, Tora felt the children gravitate around her. Unsurprising. She was an authority figure, someone well known. Trusted, however misplaced that trust may be. And she came and she was calm and she defeated Arcade and now she was taking control and they needed that.

She sat and closed her eyes.

"You cannot disturb me. This is a…delicate procedure."

And then she inhaled, exhaled, focused only on her breathing. And then immersed herself in Dragon.

Phoenix whistled through her teeth.

"Okay, what's she planning?"

"Between your times, sweetie. Sorry."

"Oh no… She isn't…?"

"She is?"

"Why are you talking in the present tense?"

"Death?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

A.N. Anyone guess where this is going? Guest, lots of Laura-Tora interactions next chapter.