Memories
Minor Continuity Errors
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Logan stood in the wings of the school auditorium, about to go out and explain everything. Then Etana gripped his arm tightly.
"Logan… Before you go… I need to check something… You went to the island, didn't you?"
Logan frowned.
"What island?"
Etana's eyes widened in shock.
"The island I gave you the coordinates to. The one I told you to go to after I died."
"What island?"
The look of Etana's face made it quite clear something had gone horribly, horribly wrong. She snatched up some paper and a pen scribbled down a latitude and longitude then handed it over.
Logan glanced down then back up. Something told him there was more at stake than Etana was hinting.
"Tan… What's on the island?"
She glared at him.
"Something incredibly precious, that you may well have ruined forever."
And she stalked off, leaving him very, very worried.
"Oh, for pity's sake! Just tell him!"
"I think this was a case of 'if I tell him, he'll be so guilt-striken he'll either forget the job at hand or do his best to forget about it'."
"He wouldn't…"
"If it suited him, he might."
Logan stepped into the light, his face tense.
"We think we know where Tora is. But getting her back is going to be diff-"
"Why don't we just leave her there?"
Logan's head snapped around to face the speaker.
"Hawkeye, are you seriously suggesting we leave a mentally-unstabled woman with power a god would dream of having in the hands of Weapon X?"
There was a long moment's silence. Then uproar.
"Why the hell would she be there?!"
"That's just stupid?"
"She deserves what they'd do to her!"
"They'll torture her to death!"
Etana rose and her voice thundered across the room.
"QUIEEET!"
Silence fell once more. Etana's face was unreadable. And then she spoke softly, calmly.
"How many people in this room owe their lives to Tora one way or another? How many of you has she fought beside? How many of you have been mentally controlled at one time, or lost control, or been manipulated, or come over from the other side? You can't begin to truly imagine what Weapon X is capable of. Think carefully about what you say, because you could end up condemning a woman who could be any one of us to a slow, agonising and humiliating death."
Silence for a long time. And then Daredevil spoke; slowly, hesitantly.
"I'm with Logan. I'm going to save Tora."
"So am I!"
The flood gates were open and promises of help rushed in. Logan raised a hand for quiet.
"We can only take a few. Those closest to Tora for preference. And those capable of stomaching what we're about to see."
"I'll go."
They all turned and Logan frowned as Scott got up –the fact he had been underground for the last few months was being ignored in light of the Tora crisis.
Half an hour later the final team had been assembled –Wolverine, Shadow, Nightcrawler (after insisting he was allowed to go and that he felt fine, really, he did), Cyclops, the Scarlet Witch (pointedly not meeting eyes with Cyclops), Storm, Marvel Girl and –after much arguement– Captain America. Daredevil was patently not sulking and the Young Avengers certainly weren't planning on following behind and getting involved (Heaven forbid!). Logan looked over the remaining X-Men and Avengers.
"If you wait on the outside, we'll manage most of the guards. Problem, we'll call you in. Understand?"
The assembled heroes nodded. Logan snarled.
"Then let's get Tora back!"
"Yay! Rousing speech, war cry, huzzah!"
Phoenix and Death exchanged nervous glances then looked at their host. The unmasked side of the face was taut.
"Are we a little highly-strung right now, dearie?"
The look Death got was pure poison.
Logan looked down at the enterance into the complex then looked back up at the team.
"Listen… Ray, Steve, Kurt, 'Ro… I want your promise that if there are guards down there, you won't interfere."
Storm's eyes were steely.
"Logan, I saw Tora's suffering too. I doubt any of us shall get in your way. Isn't that correct, Captain?"
Etana span a sword round in her hand.
"I've wanted to get my hands on Weapon Plus for decades. I just needed a decent excuse."
Then she turned to Nightcrawler.
"I'll take Logan, Steve and Scott. You take Ororo, Rachel and Wanda."
A swift nod and the two teleporters made their groups huddle around them, counted down and –in perfect unison- vanished and reappeared right in front of the gate. The guards didn't have time to yell before a hex bolt downed one, an optic blast another and the third fell with one of Etana's throwing knives embedded in his throat. She stooped and was soon flipping the now clean blade around.
"I'll take point."
No one questioned her prerogative. Her wings could easily shield them and she was wearing unbreakable adamantine armour.
As soon as they were through the door, guards came storming out, heavily armed. The small group was outnumbered but easily ripped through the ranks like a hurricane. In Storm's case, actual hurricane force winds were used. Down the corridor, searching desperately for any sign of Tora. And then the woman stepped out.
She wasn't armoured. Her black hair was a riot of curls. Her eyes were dark. And a metal collar peeked out through the open neck of her fatigues. Then she gestured and the scratchings on the metal walls that they had all ignored became three-dimensional turrent guns. Cap got his shield up just in time as the others let rip; smashing right throught the Gatlings. Logan span forward so his claws rested right on the woman's stomach.
"W… Weapon X…?"
His eyes widened as he called up an old description.
"You're Eva, aren't you?"
The woman nodded hesitantly. Logan snikted his claws back in.
"We're here to rescue Tora… Xii… You as well, now we know you're alive."
Eva looked amazed. Then sad, so very sad.
"Xii… Xii's beyond redemption…"
"No."
They turned. Kurt stood there silently.
"No one is beyond redemption."
Eva looked away despairingly then continued.
"We used to do everything together. And now she tries to kill me on sight. They broke her. She's theirs'; mind, body and soul now."
Logan snarled.
"Not if I can help it. You able to help us?"
"If I can get this maldito collar off…"
Marvel Girl grinned as the collar neatly disassembled itself.
"No bother."
Eva jerked her head as Logan pulled her up.
"This way. It isn't pretty."
There was no more resistance. Eva was obviously the last line of defence. The now turncoat last line of defence stopped outside a metal door.
"The control room is directly opposite. If… If you can save Xii…"
She turned away, obviously not wanting to see what was inside. Logan prepared to stab the door but Etana shook her head.
"Adamantium. My area, sweetie. Molecular slicing, coming right up."
The katana swished and the door fell in. And they all stood frozen.
Phoenix looked worriedly at their faces.
"This isn't going to be nice, is it?"
The masked woman shook her head slowly.
"Not at all."