"Shattered" -- Part 4

Author: Notmanos

E-Mail: notmanos at yahoo dot com

Rating: R

Disclaimer: The characters of Angel and Drusilla are owned by 20th Century Fox and Mutant Enemy; the character of Wolverine is also owned by 20th Century Fox and Marvel Comics. No copyright
infringement intended. I'm not making any money off of this, but if you'd like to be a patron of the arts,
I won't object. ;-) Oh, and Bob is *my* character - keep your hands off!

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Helga's tail snaked around his arm again,and gave a slight squeeze.He had a feeling that was her tacit way of saying "Let it go". "No,I don't mind.Wherever Logan goes,I follow."

It was hard not to laugh,but Logan managed to swallow it down as Pym got off on a 'branch' of the stairs that Logan knew was the fifth floor,and led them down a narrow hallway,to a pair of large wooden doors."Here's your accommodations.I hope they're to your liking.If not,there are others-not many mutants have survived this long;the Tower is almost empty."

Pym opened the doors on a room that seemed not like a hotel but an apartment-a fancy apartment.

Helga gasped as Pym led them inside.The front room was open and spacious,Oriental style carpets covering the bare wooden floors and a few pieces of wicker furniture on the right(sofa,chairs,table) taking up very little room,while a large black cabinet dominated the left side wall (the 'entertainment center',he'd wager),and a tiny mahogany bar nestled in the far left corner.There was a series of huge glass doors running from the 'living' room to the back (bedroom?),exposing a very large balcony that seemed to surround the apartment,all their gauzy white curtains parted to let the golden sunlight spill across the floor.

"If you have any special needs,we have a staff willing and able to accommodate your requests,no matter how Byzantine or questionable,"Pym said,as he led them to the connecting bedroom.It was almost as large as the front room,but it had a bit more furniture,the largest of which was a king sized canopy bed surrounded by a sheer black curtain that looked a bit like fancy mosquito netting.The nightstands and dressers were black lacquer,a large mirror on one dresser directly opposite the bed (surely not a coincidence),and Pym opened a door to reveal a walk in closet before moving on to the bathroom.That appeared to be made of marble,with a sunken bathtub capable of holding about four people at once,or maybe one slender Berserker.

"Wow,"Helga said,honestly impressed."This is the life."

"Quite,"Pym agreed primly.

Logan heard something padding against the white plaster walls,and looked up to see,almost hidden by the slowly rotating blades of a ceiling fan (purely for atmosphere-this place was air conditioned),a tiny green lizard-most likely a species of gecko-looking down at them from the ceiling.It was like he'd been sent out by central casting.But from the smell Logan knew it was just what it seemed,a lizard,and nothing more.

"Hold up,what's the catch?"Logan demanded."I ain't never been in a place this nice in my life,and I know there's no such thing as a free lunch."

"Cynic,"Helga teased,although he knew she agreed with him.

Pym turned towards them,posture stiff,hands behind his back,and Logan got a feeling a lecture was incoming."There are several rules you are required to abide by while here.You cannot leave Dis while still active in competition;you cannot place a phone call outside the island,as we are not cellular friendly and there are no connecting lines out;you are to avoid the South end of the island for your own safety,as the protection spells only goes so far,and we still have yet to contain all the Scutters;you are to avoid brawling with other competitors outside the arena;and you are to be prompt when called to the arena,no excuses."

Logan had no idea what 'Scutters' were,but he suddenly knew he and Helga had to check out the South side of the island ASAP. "When are we going to the arena?"He wondered.

"We like to give the newcomers time to get adjusted,so you will be called into competition tomorrow.It is advised-although by no means mandatory-that you come by the arena to see how things are done,and perhaps 'scope out' the competition."

Logan nodded.That made sense,and he had planned to do that anyways."When do we get to meet the big cheese?"

Pym gave him a look like he just farted in a crowded elevator."I beg your pardon?"

"The guy-or guys-behind all this,"Helga quickly elaborated."Our 'patrons'."

Pym sniffed,pulling himself up even straighter,and he looked briefly like the blind ghost of a perfectly haughty English butler. "When you win the competition and become the ultimate champion.Now,I'll leave you two alone to get acquainted with your surroundings.You will find liquors and many foodstuffs in the bar,and there are some spare clothes in the closet,although there is a marketplace where you can get your own.On the house,of course.Please call down if you require anything else."Pym then bowed stiffly from his waist,and left the room,leaving them alone in their temporary new digs.

As soon as Logan was sure he was gone,he said,"If this is hell,I'm glad I'm goin'."

"It is pretty sweet,isn't it?"She agreed.She then threw her arms around his neck,and buried her face in the side of his throat, nibbling it lightly with her teeth.Before he could pull her off of him,she whispered,"Picking up any surveillance equipment?"

Okay,that made sense.He pretended to kiss her neck,brushing his lips against the skin of her throat,and whispered,"Not yet,but I don't trust it."

"There could be mystical as well as physical surveillance,"she murmured,trailing her lips and the tip of her tongue over his Adam's apple.He felt her tail wrap around his waist,pulling him tightly against her as her hands slid beneath his shirt.She was really selling this clench.

"If someone's watchin' me from anywhere,I know,"he replied,pretending to kiss her ear.

"I know,but this surveillance may be periodic."She really did kiss his ear,running her hands through his hair as she gently bit his ear lobe."Give me a signal if you pick it up."

"What kind of signal?"

"Do you know Morse Code?"At his humorous grunt,she nipped his chin,and said,"Give me a strange look.Smile for once."

"Very funny,"he muttered.He attempted to pull away,but she pulled him back,and gave him a passionate kiss on the mouth.It was nice-again,Helga was always nice-but he broke away from her,grabbing her tail and pulling it from his waist.

"Not now,"he told her,not wanting to have an argument with her at the moment."We have some sightseeing to do."

She scowled at him,not at all happy,but she was willing to let it go for once.She yanked her tail away from his hand,and said,"The arena?"

He shrugged."Might as well.By the way,what the hell's a Scutter?"

"It's a type of demon,not at all intelligent,that's the dry land equivalent of a piranha.They travel in packs and strip the skin off anything with a circulatory system in a couple of minutes."

"Cute.How do you kill them?"

"Oh,they're not hard to kill.A flamethrower will do,bullets.You could probably slice them to pieces.And like many a demon, they're nocturnal."

"Convenient.So nobody dares venture out under the cover of darkness."

She nodded,taking a brief look in the closet."It is a neat set up,isn't it?"

He went to the bedroom balcony doors and opened it,stepped out onto the wide,wraparound terrace.The air smelled strangely clean,like saline and vegetation,terra cotta with a hint of demons.The sky was a clear cerulean blue,stretching seemingly to eternity over a calm aquamarine ocean.They were about a hundred yards from the shore,a stretch of ocher sand and coconut palms clinging tenaciously to small patches of scrub grass separating the hotel (?) from the sea,and the beach looked empty,virtually deserted.He could hear noise-voices,feel the thrum of small motors,such as on boats and perhaps scooters,doors opening and closing -but they seemed to be carrying from another part of the island.

Large seabirds wheeled overhead,terns and possibly albatross,occasionally landing on the shoreline and padding through the wet sand,scattering before the waves that lapped gently at the beach.

Helga came out then and stood beside him,admiring the view."We need to do some sunbathing."

"Do you tan?"He wondered,giving her a wry smirk.

"No,I turn a darker green,"she said,nudging him gently with her elbow."From bottle green to olive.What about you?Can you tan?"

That was actually a good question."I don't know."

Her tail snaked underneath his shirt and seemed to tickle the small of his back."Well,we'll have to find out then,won't we?In the name of science."

"Far be it from me to impede science."

For a moment they just stood there,enjoying the view and the sweet smelling tropical air,and he said quietly,"Funny place to have a nexus of total evil."

"It's always where you least suspect it,"she said,leaning against his shoulder.He let her,not minding the contact for once.

This had already been a strange day.He had a feeling it was about to get stranger than he could ever imagine.

All the city-such as it was-seemed to be centralized,a mile long hub all centered around a dome shaped building that had to be the arena.The city (which Logan had already mentally dubbed 'Distopia') was full of whitewashed buildings and tiled courtyards, grassy esplanades and open fountains.It was undeniably lovely,but Logan could sense the artifice of it all:it was a calculated pose,a lure for wayward tourists who would undoubtedly become someone's snack.

The grey dome of the arena actually looked slightly tarnished,eroded by time,something the other seemingly young buildings didn't have.It was like the only real thing among a backdrop of cut away buildings,plywood illusions the prop department would soon come to collect and put away as soon as shooting wrapped.

There were few people out,and those that were hardly noticed Helga but openly gaped at him.There must not have been many humans in the competition-he felt like a freak show exhibit.

A cement concourse led to the arena,and Logan could hear the noise of the crowd,feel the thrum of loud voices and movement through the ground.There had to be hundreds if not thousands of demons in there.He bet it stunk to high heaven.

The concourse narrowed into an entryway currently cordoned off by a black metal gate,not unlike the kind often used in lieu of outer doors by old fashioned elevators,except he was sure this was bound to be far sturdier.As he reached for it to test his theory,he realized he smelled something familiar-electricity.It was electrified.But it still needed to be sturdier than it looked,or there'd be no point in having it.

Suddenly a big green demon who seemed to be all three hundred pounds of muscle appeared on the opposite side,dressed in nothing but a brown leather vest and matching pants,glowered at them from the other side,crossing his anaconda thick arms across his barrel chest."Participants enter through the underground passage,"the main said gruffly,his voice tinged with an Indian accent. Southern Bangalore was his guess."But since you're newbies,you can come this way once."

He hit some buttons on the far right side,and the electricity switched off with a snap before the metal gate began to accordion open."Where's the underground passage?"Logan asked.

"It should be in the lobby of your building.A door marked 'Employees Only'."

"You're not participating,brother?"Helga said to the man,nearly making Logan do a double take.Why had she called him brother?

The demon,as olive as the Jolly Green Giant from head to toe,eyes to hair,shook his head."No,I've no desire to beat the shit out of people for money.You should be careful,sister;there are some vicious creatures in the contest."

"Don't worry,I'm pretty vicious myself,"she said,sliding her arm around Logan's waist as they walked through the open gate and past the Jolly Green Guard.He smelled a bit of dried wood with a hint of curry,and Logan realized they had called each other 'brother' and 'sister' because they were both Stansin demons.But where was his tail?He didn't seem to have one.Maybe it was a rare mutation in the species,or just a female thing.Or just a Helga thing,knowing her.

As they walked down the cement corridor to the main concourse of the dome,the crowd was an almost constant wave of noise,a roar that refused to die.And the smell was just as bad as Logan feared:a miasma of stink,hot demon (but there were some humans here too-he could parse that much) bodies in a confined space,and it basically smelled like a spice factory slowly decaying in a swamp fetid with sewer run off from the local slaughterhouse.Now there was a stench he'd probably never get out of his clothes.

The dome was just like any sports arena anywhere in the world-deep and seemingly endless rows of seats were raised above a central 'pit',where a large,igloo shaped cage of metal mesh (adamantium?) took up the bulk of the 'field',maybe twenty feet high and thirty five feet wide.There were two doors in the cage,opposite each other,and two big Stansin men who could been the identical brothers of the first guard stood outside,mainly watching the crowd with their backs to the cage.There didn't seem to be an empty seat in the house.

As a large and ugly demon of a type he didn't recognize entered the cage from the far end,the crowd roared louder and the perimeter lights dimmed,throwing spotlights on the cage.Logan saw at least two huge 'jumbo screens',showing real time images of the cage for people whose seats were so bad they could barely see anything.

"We've entered Thunderdome,"he said derisively to Helga.They were standing in a passage level with the field,just below the first seating level.

A voice boomed over a loudspeaker,sounding as cheesy as any game show emcee:"The next event pits the Titan of Torture, Freyza'Gul-"The crowd roared loudly,although some also booed,and Logan saw thrown objects-mainly beer cans and what very well could have been (but probably wasn't) popcorn boxes bounce off the top of the cage,perhaps explaining its existence.

"What the fuck is he?"He asked Helga.He looked like a snake on two legs.

"Carrion demon.Ain't exactly the type of guys you want to invite to parties."

"Carrion?As in-"

"Dead flesh eaters,yep.You won't believe how bad their breath smells."

The emcee went on bombastically overhead,like the voice of a god offering fabulous cash prizes."-against the Mistress of Darkness, Drusilla."More enthusiastic cheering,booing,and litter flinging,as Helga suddenly exclaimed,"No fucking way!What the hell's she doing here?!"

"Old friend?"He asked,finally getting to see Drusilla as the guards surrounding the cage shifted position.The 'Mistress of Darkness' was a pale,dark haired woman who looked almost ludicrously frail,and was wearing what appeared to be a crimson velvet dress- absolutely not fighting clothes.This was not a fight but a slaughter;she'd be dead in a few seconds.What on earth was that woman thinking?

Helga snorted at his question."Yeah,sure-if your idea of friends includes crazy vampire bitches."

Vampire?Okay,he gave her ten seconds."Well,at least you arrived here in time to watch her get dusted."

"Don't count on that."

It wasn't a bell that sounded more than a high pitched warning sound,and then the crowd fell to quiet murmuring as Freyza'Gul lurched menacingly towards the smaller,slighter Drusilla.She didn't move;in fact,he swore he heard her laugh,a sort of cackle that was as derisive as it was amused.She had said something to the Carrion demon,but he couldn't hear what,and then she began swaying gently from foot to foot,as if moving to music only she could hear.

"Why isn't he attacking?"Logan wondered.Then he saw the Carrion demon was starting to sway right along with her,mimicking her actions.The cobra had been hypnotized.

"Dru's a complete head case,but she does have a few perks that keep her alive,"Helga said,as Dru broke formation and walked right up to the suddenly motionless Freyza'Gul.She simply grabbed his snake shaped head and gave it a quick,violent twist, breaking his neck with a loud crack.The Carrion demon collapsed to the metal floor of the cage,and the siren sounded again,as the crowd came alive in a chorus of cheers and boos.

"The winner-Drusilla!"The emcee god announced,and Drusilla,still obviously laughing,gathered up the hem of her skirt and curtseyed to the crowd as if they were the royal family.She was nuts.

"I thought telepaths weren't allowed,"he said,as the Stansin on Dru's side opened the cage door and escorted her out to a door beneath the stands.If this was a normal sports stadium,it would be the locker room.The other cage door then opened,and another warty looking demon appeared to drag the body away.

"She's not a telepath,"Helga replied."Her 'gift' is a bit more tenuous than that.She has the sight-a form of E.S.P.-and some minor powers of mesmerism,as you saw.Don't be fooled by her frail appearance;she's an old vamp,and pretty tough.And crazy as a shit house rat."

"Will she blow your cover?"

Helga had to think about that for a moment,which was disturbing."I don't think so.I was with Bob when I first-and last- encountered her,but hell,now I'm with you.I'm sure she knows how it is with Stansins."

"Monogamy is a foreign concept?"

She gave him a sarcastic smile for that."I didn't hear you complaining that day back at the mansion,boy-o."

He scowled at her."Like I don't regret that now.And besides,you jumped me,and I'm a guy-you knew damn well what was gonna happen."

"Ooh,Mr. Defensive."She then leaned in close to him,slipping her hand in the back pocket of his jeans,and purred,"Don't tell me you don't want a rematch."

"Do you ever give up?"

"Do you?"She replied,in an innocent manner that didn't really suit her at all.

He sighed and shook his head,looking back at the cage,where two new demons were being led to the arena floor to start their fight.If there was a sinister motive beyond blood sports,Logan didn't see it right now,although it didn't mean there was none;it just meant he couldn't see it yet.But he would.

He just had to figure out exactly what it was he was looking for.

They stuck around for a half hour and saw six matches:most ended pretty quickly.The only mutant he saw in the arena-a big guy whose skin seemed to turn to stone-had his head literally ripped off by an even bigger Ressik (how he snapped his spinal cord so cleanly was a bit of a mystery) named Gorg,who seemed to be the demon to beat.But then he got a look at a demon called Crayax,whom Helga identified as a Copraphagous demon:seven feet tall if he was an inch,and three hundred pounds if he was a single ounce,he had fists the size of ham hocks and arms that could double as tree branches.He also was covered with fine,stiff black hairs that made him look striated black and white like a zebra,and had a small group (maybe six each) of seven inch black spikes protruding from his broad shoulders.They were honestly spikes,as he shoved his opponent's face into one set and took out his eye with them before he bothered to finish the poor guy off.He so outmatched his opponent Crayax could have easily killed him the moment they locked the cage doors,but he liked to toy with the demon he was paired with,and he seemed to relish the prolonged agony of his opponent,getting off on the pain.The crowd seemed to get off on it too,getting louder and more approving the longer and bloodier the fight.Crayax seemed to be the favorite to take it all.

Logan couldn't wait until he got in the cage with him.

They pretty much knew the guys to beat now:Crayax,Gorg,and Drusilla,in that order,unless they got teamed up along the way and someone got knocked out of contention.But they hadn't seen him and Helga in action yet.

Since the rest of the fighters looked uninteresting-it was doubtful any of them would make it past Crayax,Gorg,or Drusilla-they left,and Helga insisted they hit the beach.She had been serious about that?

In spite of his protest that he was not a 'beach person',she dragged him off to a shop to by some things from a merchant (a pleasant if not exactly attractive Slime demon),and then dragged him back to the beach by their hotel-or whatever it was.

It was still quiet and remarkably empty.But most demons were nocturnal,though,and it seemed like the entire population of Dis was in the arena watching the fights,so it made sense.

Helga apparently did not know the meaning of the word 'no',or she just presumed it was negotiable.Either way,she ignored him. "If you don't change into this,I'm going to jump on you again,"she threatened,holding out a pair of shorts.

"Bring it on,"he snapped irritably,not actually meaning it.Her tail was a lethal weapon,among other things.He grabbed the trunks from her,and pointed out,"I don't wear shorts."

"Fine-I'm all for skinny dipping,"she said,grinning.

He changed into the black shorts,cursing the whole time.He wondered if all Stansins were like this:maybe that's why they were hired as guards around here.Of course if any of these guys tried this crap on him,he'd be happy to punch them.

By the time he worked up the courage to step out on the beach (he was expecting the crowd from the arena,waiting to laugh at him),it took him a minute to find Helga.She had spread out a blanket behind a small thatch of coconut palms,concealing her from obvious view-a good idea,actually,as they would not be immediately visible to anyone,therefore any ambush plans would be right out.

As soon as he came around the trees,he found her seated on the thin blue blanket,wearing the crimson bikini she had bought,and he was surprised to find himself disappointed that she was wearing the top part.Of course the color sort of clashed with her deep green skin,but still she carried it off.There was no denying she was a fine looking woman,no matter her species (or tail).Seeing him, she smiled and whistled approvingly."I don't know why you think you look silly,hon,"she told him,ignoring his dirty look. "With a body like yours you could carry anything off.You're like Bob-the great bods of our time."

He didn't know what to say to that,so he didn't say anything.He actually liked the feeling of the warm sand between his toes;he liked feeling like he had a direct connection to the Earth,although he couldn't say why.Just another mystery about himself he could never solve."Speaking of which,how is Bob going to get in touch with us?"He asked,sitting down beside her on the blanket.It was so quiet he caught himself whispering."If there are phones,I wouldn't trust 'em not to be tapped."

"Don't worry:Bob is Bob.He always finds a way."

Well,that was true enough.He felt remarkably weary-portal lag?-so he laid down on the blanket."Don't jump on me- I'm wearing the damn shorts."

She snorted humorously."Don't worry.I won't molest you unless you ask nicely."

"I've heard that before."The sun was almost painfully bright,so he threw an arm over his eyes,and enjoyed the silence.

With his eyes blinded,his other sense seemed to rush in to fill the void.When he was deafened by Legion that happened too:his sense of smell became more acute (sadly-man,did they stink),and his eyesight so sharp he could count specks of dirt on the floor sixty feet away.It was weird and he had no idea why.Right now,his hearing threatened to get way too good,the soft noise of the ocean becoming a roar,while his sense of smell sharpened to the point where he could scent individual seabirds.He worked hard to tamp it down,and managed to do so.

It was awful to think of your own body as a foreign entity,but sometimes he couldn't help but do so.Sometimes he felt like an alien in his own skin,a feeling he couldn't quite shake.And he doubted therapy would help.

He heard/sensed/felt Helga lay down beside him,but the one sense he didn't try and mentally dampen was his sense of touch.The sun bathing his skin felt incredible;even the warm,gentle breeze felt like a caress.There were some perks to having hyper acute senses.

He was more accustomed to the cold,as much as he often hated it,but he had to admit this was nice:the warmth was soothing,the gentle shush of the waves lapping against the shore lulling him to sleep.Of course,some of those screechy shorebirds were pretty damn strident,but they had learned enough about demons to avoid landing anywhere in their vincinity.

Helga didn't even try and speak to him,which he appreciated.Bob would probably be trying to yak his ear off.But then again,he couldn't imagine sunbathing with Bob.He probably wouldn't look as nice in the bikini anyways.

Oh,now there was a frightening mental image.

He was starting to fall asleep,in the twilight zone between consciousness and unconsciousnesses,when alarm bells went off inside his own mind."Hel,"he said quietly.

"What?"She asked,sounding a little groggy herself.

"Do you know Morse code?"

It took a moment,but she seemed to understand-they were being watched.She slid her hand across his chest,settling into the crook of his arm,hair brushing his chest (and with his hyper-acuity this all felt very sensual and unbelievably good),and replied sleepily, "No,they kicked me out of Girl Scouts before we got to that."

"Discrimination?"

"Yep.It ain't easy bein' green."

He found it almost impossible not to laugh.

After a quiet two minutes,where only sea birds sloshed in the surf and flapped their wings,and gentle breezes stirred the palm fronds and blades of grass,he felt the eyes disappear as mysteriously as they appeared.Since no scent had accompanied this feeling of being watched,he assumed it was some sort of mystical snooping from a long distance."Gone."

"Checking up on us,"she said."So you have a sixth sense to go along with the plain old five?"

"Huh?"

"You're too good at it,you know.You even pick up cameras.How?"

That was a question he couldn't even begin to answer."I don't know.It's just a feeling."

"A very handy feeling."She paused,and he thought she was done,but she changed subjects."You know things are probably going to get ugly very soon."

"Any reason why?"

"Yeah.If I become the favorite to win it all-and I wouldn't be surprised,seeing the caliber of talent in the ring-no big deal.But if you do-and again,judging from caliber of talent,I wouldn't be surprised-nobody will like it."

"Because I'm human?"

"Got it in one.The humans in the contest are probably viewed as jokes.But once you get in there and start kicking ass,they're gonna hate you.They will be sitting on the edge of their seats,waiting for you to get mercilessly slaughtered,and if doesn't happen they'll probably try and engineer it outside the ring."

"They can engineer away-it won't help."

"You're cocky,ain't you?"

"No.I kick ass.That's what I do."

"I can't argue with that."

"You ain't that bad yourself."He offered.It sounded lame,but he meant it:Helga could kick some ass herself.He knew why Bob didn't worry about her in a physical fight;she could more than hold her own.Of course,there was that thing about her being an assassin at one time.He always meant to ask her about that.

Before he could,he felt her kiss his chest,her tail stroking the inside of his thigh,and he couldn't help but smile."I thought you weren't gonna molest me until I asked nicely."

"I lied,"she said,moving on top of him and kissing him on the lips.He didn't mind;the weight of her felt good,the scent of her sun warned skin was sweet,and here they were on a tropical paradise.A tropical paradise awash with bloodthirsty demons,sure,but it still counted.

And what was a little more guilt on top of all the rest?

He had the peripheral sense of being asleep,of being in warm,peaceful darkness,but then he suddenly found himself sitting in a lounge chair by a pool,a drink in his hand.What the hell..?

Logan glanced around,only now aware he was wearing sunglasses,and a sniff told him his drink was a rum and coke with a little paper umbrella in it.

"G'day mate,"Bob said cheerfully,having a seat in a lounge chair across the pool from him,holding his own frou-frou drink. "What'cha got for me?"

He just stared at him,wondering what kind of dream this was.Helga was sitting in her own lounge chair at the head of the pool, sipping her own umbrella-ed drink,and wearing the red bikini,although now she no longer wore the top.Well,that figured somehow.

(A quick glance down confirmed he was still wearing the black trunks.Well,thank god for that.Or Bob.Possibly same difference.)

"Yes,it's real,"she told him,putting her drink down on a small side table and picking up a book.All he could see was the title: 'Shatterday'.

It took him a moment to realize she was referring to the dream.Well,the...uh..."What the hell is this?"He asked,not sure if he should be indignant or not.

"Well,I guess I'd call it a mindscape,I suppose,"Bob offered,putting his drink down on the ground,and folding his hands on his stomach.They were poolside at someone's house:beyond Bob,he could see a virtual wall of glass doors that made up the ground floor of what appeared to be a three story home.To Logan's right was a high privet hedge,maybe eight feet tall,blocking the anyone else's view from the outside,and where the hedge opened up,a few feet behind Helga,there was a huge,rambling garden full of exotic wildflowers and tropical trees.It all looked really expensive and somewhat ostentatious,like a celebrity's home.

"This is the real place where you live,isn't it?"Logan replied.He knew that converted industrial warehouse outside of L.A.'s meat packing district could not possibly be Bob's home.No matter the nice garage,and the spacious upper floor (the 'home' part-and apparently,according to Helga,there was a pool on the roof,but he had yet to see it),it still seemed like slumming for a guy who supposedly had Bob's money.

"It's one of the places,"Bob allowed."The Sydney one.Maybe you two can swing by on your way back from Dis.I'll invite some of the family over,we'll have a barbecue.I have a great grand daughter who would just love you.Shar's a bounty hunter,and she thinks that most men are complete wussies,'specially the human variety."

Logan continued staring at Bob.Was this guy for real?Actually,considering what he was wearing-nothing but surfer jams (long shorts) a bright neon yellow with bright green shamrocks and blue lined silver horseshoes all over it-it was easy to believe he was a hallucination brought on by bad clams."What the fuck's a mindscape?And I thought you insisted you weren't a telepath."

Bob sighed dramatically,rolling his neon blue eyes,the color of which made the pool look as pale and washed out as the sky."If I was just a telepath,could I be in your mind from here?"

"Australia?"

"L.A.-I haven't left.Physically.Yet."

Sometimes conversations with Bob felt like an endless highway-you thought you were moving forward,but actually you never got very far at all,and the end was never anywhere in sight."I'm gonna kill you,"Logan promised.

That just made him smile."I have a psychic connection with Hel here.Don't I hon?"

"That you do,"she agreed,never looking up from her book.

"And you're near by,so why not drag you in?Besides,you have the neatest mind-it heals up as soon as I accidentally damage it. That's just cool."

It was Logan's turn to roll his eyes,but with his sunglasses on,they probably missed that."So this is some sort of psychic three way calling?"

"You could say that,yes.Nice analogy!"

"But you're not a telepath?"

"Nope.Not even Xavier with his silver helmet deely-bob could pull this off."