It was at the demon hotel too,a large,palatial Victorian style building called the Royale,so the hatred and contempt that greeted him the second he walked in the door was instantly palpable.There were many muscular Stansins standing by though,possibly the same guys from the arena,and since they weren't drinking he presumed they were about to keep order.

The bar was dark wood and brass,seemingly going for a British pub sort of look,and there were no windows at all,a sop to the vampires on this sunny isle,he supposed.

"Why Stansins?"He asked Helga,as they elbowed up to the crowded bar.The demons there growled at him and gave him a wide berth.Whatever.

"We're sort of the Sweden of demons,before the whole hoarding Nazi gold scandal,"she said,resting her forearms on the bar and winking at the nearest Stansin,who simply grinned back at her,flashing a mouth full of perfectly white teeth."We're thought of pretty well by all other demons.Also,we fight really good."

"So there are internecine problems between demons too?"

"Oh yeah.For instance,Ressiks are as widely despised as Berserkers;a lot of demons see vampires as annoying pests;Belials are backstabbing weasels;Slime demons are walking jokes-should I go on?"

"Nah,I think I got it."

Finally the bartender,a big guy with a gargoyle face and curving horns on the side of his head like a bighorn sheep,came over and seemed to do a slight double take looking at him."Human?"He asked,his voice sounding like slowly cracking ice.

Logan simply glared back at him,meeting his ruby red eyes fearlessly."Yeah.Got a problem with that?"

"No.But man,you gotta be the ballsiest or the stupidest guy I've ever met.What're you drinking?"

Logan gave him a deadly frown,telegraphing his need to beat him to a pulp,and the guy actually took a step back,while Helga grabbed his bicep and gave it a little squeeze:another tacit "Stand down"."He'll have a beer,and I'll have a Stoli on the rocks,"she said.The bartender nodded and quickly left,seemingly happy to have an excuse to leave.

"Remember,no fights outside the ring,"she whispered in his ear."That's why the Green Guard is here."

He grunted in acknowledgment,aware of that but not at all happy about it.When Hornhead came back with their drinks, Helga asked,"Got anything to eat around here?"

"Sure.What do you have in mind?"

"A  big slab of non-humanoid protein."

It bothered him that she specified 'non-humanoid',but it also confirmed his suspicions."Kryk'zyk can throw together a pretty decent burger."

She nodded."Sign me up for that.But hold the onions."

"You got it,"the bartender said,and happily drifted away,glad to put distance between himself and Logan.

Since the other demons had given them lot of room (Humanphobes),he decided now would probably be a great time to ask. "How long were you an assassin?"

If the question bothered her,it didn't show.She shrugged,picking up her highball glass full of vodka,swirling the liquid around so the ice cubes made a musical sound as they hit the side of the glass.""Two and a half years,more or less."

"Who'd you work for?"

"A demon mob clan on the upper West Side of New York,a group known as the T'Karii.I got adopted by a couple of them after my parents got killed,so I felt a burden to carry on the 'family legacy',as it were."

He grimaced in sympathy."Sorry about your parents."

"It's okay.It was an accident,and it was a long time ago."

While she sipped her vodka,he took a swig of his beer.It wasn't as good as the one in the mindscape,and had zero effect."But you got out,"he finally said.

She nodded."Got tired of it.I decided to leave but-so much for family loyalty-they told me I couldn't."

Logan frowned."But you did leave,didn't you?"

She nodded again,setting her drink back down."There was this Watcher in Greenwich Village,and I cut a deal with her:she and her group could have T'Karii and I walked.So while the two sides were fighting it out,I hoofed it to L.A.,and so ends that."

He raised an eyebrow at that."You sold them out?"

"Unlike your wife,I wasn't about to show any loyalty to a group of people who wrote me off so easily,family or not.No offense,I mean I know it was a cultural thing with her,but there is no pay off in sticking by people who will get rid of you as soon as a better offer comes along.I guess you know that too."

Logan stared at her,then at the bottom of his beer bottle,angry and disturbed.First of all,he didn't appreciate the mention of his wife-whom,of course,he could still not remember;her face was now burned into his brain,but only because of the photograph on the tombstone.Her face was the visual equivalent of a word on the tip of your tongue that,no matter how hard or how long you tried,you could never spit out:she was familiar,but he couldn't say how or why.And the bittersweet emotions that came with that were always unwelcome.He didn't appreciate the implication,even if unintended,that she was somehow responsible for her own grisly death by not selling out her own corrupt family (even though Logan knew,in his heart,he never would have stood by a group like that if it wasn't for her-he'd have cleaned house.Which is what he did rather violently at the end anyways,so maybe if he had done it sooner,Mariko would still be alive..).

"You know,if you kept your shirt off like I told you,you'd have scared half the bar away by now,"she said,looking around and obviously trying to change the subject."You have magnificent tatas."

He covered his face with his hand,trying desperately not to laugh.Helga was the only person he knew who could leave him both infuriated and in hysterics in the same short period of time.After they had gone back to their hotel to clean up and get dressed before hitting the bar,she kept encouraging him to go shirtless,seemingly to annoy him.

He got a hold of both the urge to laugh and the urge to put her through a table,and asked,"What happened to your family?"

She glanced back at him,mouth turned down in disappointment."Which?The T'Karii?"

"Yeah."

"Watchers got 'em.With my inside information and me not there to help protect them,they were up shit creek."

"Got 'em?As in..?"

She nodded,and ran a finger along the base of her neck,in the universal gesture of throat slitting.She didn't even seem the slightest bit sorry about it either.

Shit.Helga was one cold customer.Especially for a nymphomaniac.

As he looked away,taking a pull from the bottle just to save him from having to comment on it,she said,"You and I have that in common,Logan.Nobody fucks with us and lives to regret it."

For some reason,that didn't make him feel very good at all.

They-especially him-were being watched by almost everyone in the bar,with him being especially singled out for contempt. He also got the sense he was being singled out as prey,which was really funny since he was convinced he could take out everyone in this joint without breaking a sweat.But the sense of eyes on him,making the skin between his shoulder blades itch,was almost unbearable.Then he caught a slightly familiar scent;something like musty old books and graveyard dirt.

"Bob's playground friend,"a strangely soprano woman's voice cooed,her British accent thick and her delivery strangely sing song,like she was reciting a rhyme."Come to play here."

He looked over,and standing just off to the right of Helga was that vamp,Drusilla,whom they had seen in the cage.Her dark hair was still back in the same high ponytail,and she still wore that same inappropriate red velvet dress,but up close she seemed even more milky pale,and her sky blue eyes had a distant,glassy cast,as if she lost her mind along with her life.

She turned her sharp gaze on him and gave him a calculating smile somewhere between amused and ravenous."Human friend plays too.Ooh,he's all wrong."

"Piss off,Dru,"Helga said,clearly irritated.She was probably now regretting the 'no fighting' rule herself.

"What do you mean I'm all wrong?"He asked defensively.Not that he cared about some crazy vampire's opinion of him,but it was just the way she put it."All wrong"-what the hell was that supposed to mean?

She didn't walk over to him more than she glided,holding up the edges of her skirt like she was about to do a pirouette and burst into song.Luckily she didn't."You're the human who's not.The moth who dreams he's a butterfly."She then leaned close and sniffed him.She closed her eyes and made a small noise of pleasure as she smiled in ecstasy."Mmm,your blood tingles,"she said,straightening up and opening those creepily empty eyes of hers.But that smile never left her face."It tickles my nose."

"The thing you need to know about Dru is she's always incoherent,"Helga said,pointing out the patently obvious.

"No kiddin',"he replied sarcastically.

Dru continued to look at him funny,with her head cocked to the side like a parakeet."What?"He wondered.It was really getting on his nerves.

"They tried to turn you to stone,"she said,apropos of absolutely nothing."You're a tin toy."

"Aren't there medications that can help you now?"He carped,not sure thorazine would actually work on a vampire.Who knew?

She laughed.No,it was a cackle,that same noise she made in the cage when that demon lunged for her.He suddenly thought of the Sex Pistols's song "Pretty Vacant",but he had a good idea why."You think you're prepared for everything."She then leaned forward,and whispered conspiratorily,"But you're not."

"Are you gonna get gone,or do I have to steal one of your dolls?"Helga threatened.

Dru turned towards her and scowled."You're as mean as Bob."

"Bob was never mean to you,"she said."He should have been,but he wasn't."

"He was.He told me if he ever saw me again,he'd be the last thing I ever saw."She pouted like a five year old denied a cookie.

"Well,that's still nice-you got a warning shot,"Helga pointed out."You shouldn't have.He should have dusted you."

Dru gave her a truly nasty look.There was something about her face that reminded him of old Daguerrotypes;a sort of Victorian era attractiveness.Could she be that old?Might explain the senility."You're just his tail,snooping around the henhouse."

"Hey,I'm done with Bob.It was fun,but it's over.I mean,come on,he was a Belial for god's sake."

"No he wasn't,"Dru replied.

That piqued Logan's curiosity,but neither of them were looking at him just now.This had the potential for a nasty girl fight, but he would give the edge to Helga,no matter how old Dru was."I'm with Logan now.And I suggest you get out while you still can,Dru-I get in the ring with you,and it's dustbuster time."

Dru didn't notice the threat or didn't give it much credit,because she looked back at him instead,her wide blue eyes scouring his face as she reached out and touched his chin.He quickly removed her hand,scowling at her for making the move,but she just smiled."Fuzzy little hamster,"she purred,smiling.

"I am not a hamster!"He snapped,as Helga laughed.So much for loyalty on her part.

Dru just gave him that edge of sanity grin again,as if she were really enjoying this...whatever 'this' was."But you give nasty scratches.Grrr."She then made a clawing motion in the air,and he suddenly wondered how much she knew about him,and how.

He never got a chance to ask.One of the big Stansins came over and took Dru's arm."Come on,honey,no bugging the human."

"He's not human,"she protested."His blood sings."

"I'm sure it does,"the Stansin agreed amenably,leading her away.

Dru then turned her fascinated gaze on the Stansin,stroking his muscular arm."You're like a statue made of mold,"she said approvingly.

The Stansin,probably aware of Dru's 'specialness',continued to humor her as he led her out of the bar."I get that a lot."

"What the hell was all that about?"Logan asked Helga,as soon as they were out of earshot."And how'd she know about my claws?"

"I told you,she's psychic.But it does her no good as she can't control it,and she's nuts to boot."

"She kept saying I wasn't human,"he noted,scowling into his beer.

"She means mutant,she just doesn't know the right term."She replied dismissively.

"What about Bob?She said he wasn't Belial."

Helga shrugged,finishing off her vodka."Well,come on Logan,we both know he's more than your standard issue Belial."

"So what is he?"He asked,hoping he might finally get a straight answer.Even he couldn't quite believe his own 'demi-god' theory,as much as it sounded good.Believing in 'demons' was one thing;believing in gods was another.

Helga looked at him,and gave him a small,tight smile."Better than the rest of us."

Logan knew then Helga actually didn't know what he was,nor did she really want to know.She was just happy with Bob;she didn't want to spoil it with details."Are you scared of him?"He asked,a little surprised at that particular revelation.

She shook her head vehemently."No,not at all.It's just that...I think if you might not like the answer,you don't ask the question,you know?"

He nodded.He knew it,all right,but it never seemed to stop him from asking the questions anyways.

There were the usual scents of forest flora and fauna:pine,maple,wildflowers,deer,rabbits,owls,foxes.But he cataloged them at the same time he ignored them,searching for the odors he knew had to be out there.The explosion had knocked him out for a bit,but not that long.

He got it:men and machine oil.He was downwind from them,so he guessed they were maybe three fourths of a mile ahead, out of the forest and into the fields perhaps,aware that if he got up again they'd be at a great disadvantage in a forest setting.
He headed out quietly,ignoring the burning pain in his calf as his mangled right leg continued to heal,but the strange sense of being watched made him look around.

It was then he saw,in the forest clearing near the grenade crater where he had just woken up,was a woman.

He knew right away she was all wrong.Logan knew he had been all alone here,and he knew,at that time in France,no one was wearing t-shirts and capri pants.

The petite blonde stared back at him in shock,her pale brown eyes as large as quarters,and he heard her say,as if from far away:"He just saw me."

Logan woke up,and instantly sat up and started looking around for the blonde woman who had invaded his dream.

He was alone in the darkened bedroom,save for Helga sleeping peacefully beside him.He didn't get the sense that he was being watched anymore,so he dry washed his face and tried to figure out what the hell just happened.

He dreamed-was it a memory?-of being in a forest in France time ago.The gun he had...he couldn't remember what kind, but it looked old.A forties model?Early fifties?Something like that.What the hell would he be doing in France with a gun in the '40's or '50's?The words 'Special Forces' floated through his mind,and he wondered if he was in the Army or the Marines.Canadian Special Forces?

Shit-World War Two.Was he involved in that somehow?He was probably old enough.He then thought,ironically,if that were true he was older than Magneto.

But,if it was a memory and not a dream,how did the woman come into it?

She didn't.She was a trespasser- a telepath.

("He just saw me.")

That wasn't supposed to happen.He wasn't supposed to know.Too bad.

He got,quietly so he didn't wake Helga,and parted the veil surrounding the bed,still searching the shadows for strangers.But no,save for their house lizard,they were alone.

He went to the bathroom and cleaned up,splashing cold water on his face,and figuring he was done with sleep for now. Wasn't that always the way?

The bedroom terrace doors were open-surely something around here could probably climb the walls,but neither he nor Helga were very concerned about it-because either the air condition conked out or was set to go off at seventy five or something;either way,it was still too muggy.He pulled on a pair of loose black linen pants and went out onto the terrace for a breath of fresher air.

He wished he had a cigar.He had to ask Pym for some cigars in the morning.

The sky above was gorgeous;black as oil and scattered with bright white stars,the moon a luminescent crescent of silver,the air sweet with the scent of moonflowers,the fist size white blossoms now open and almost glowing in the moonlight just beneath the terrace.

So that's why Volta hadn't wanted telepaths here;he only wanted ones that worked for him,ones he could control.He wondered if that had been just a general mind scan,or if he had suspected something.If he had,he doubted she got anything out of him worth anything;his mind wasn't very telepath friendly,not anymore.

Where would she be hiding?If she was demon,with them;if she was mutant,far from all of them.South side of the island?
Logan knew he should check it out now.Many demons would be active now,yes,by why would they head South?The action-such as there was-was here,in town.

He should wake up Helga,but he wasn't going to;he could handle himself,and besides,she probably needed the rest.He didn't know how well she fought while lacking sleep,and he didn't want to find out if he didn't have to.He'd just check it out,get a lay of the land;she could come with him tomorrow.

There were surveillance cameras in the lobby-he had felt them even if he couldn't see them-and he knew if he left that way he'd not only be spotted but probably followed,especially after that telepath fiasco.Logan looked over the balcony-five stories down to the sand below?

He could climb it,but curiosity got the better of him.He was sure he could jump it;with the adamantium sheathing his bones,they couldn't break.There was no time like the present to check and see for himself.

Logan vaulted one handed over the edge of the terrace,and fell five stories to the ground below.

He managed to land on his feet,a sort of residual 'shock wave' traveling up his legs and throughout his body and making him take a step back as he straightened up,but he was fine.The shock passed fast,and there seemed to be no lingering side effects.Maybe there were some advantages to being laced with adamantium after all.

"Ooh,you're like us,"a voice said in the stand of trees behind him,and he whirled,popping his claws as he did so,pulling back his arm to take care of whoever the hell was spying on him.

Dru let out a startled gasped as she took a step back,nearly losing the moonflower she was holding,but he stayed his arm.No killing outside the ring,right?And as annoying as she was,she was harmless.All apologies to Angel,but he just didn't feel vampires were very threatening,at least not to him.Not only did they kill pretty easy,but clean up was a breeze.

Dru's eyes were wide and shining like flames in the dark,and her shock passed quickly as she gazed at his claws with something like wonder."You're all spiky,"she said,sounding awed,as she came forward and reached out to touch one of his claws.He retracted them back into his hands,and while she started slightly,it wasn't like last time.

"Are you spyin' on us?"He demanded,annoyed.

She continued to gaze at his hands,now hanging loose at his side,in fascination,as if waiting for his claws to come out again. Like it was some sort of neat party trick.Finally,she looked up at him,her skin so pale in the moonlight it seemed to glow like the flower in her hand,and she smiled,crimson lips looking black in the night."I was picking flowers for my tea party. Miss Edith gets very cross if the table is only covered with sawdust and bones."

"Tea party?"He asked incredulously,and then almost asked who the hell 'Miss Edith' was,but then he figured it was probably her imaginary friend.She was,after all,a fucking nutjob.What kind of asshole vamped a crazy person?He shook his head,and said,"Happy drinking."