"Logan,"she said,her voice as smooth as a knife blade running along silk.She was a body without a face,only partially substantial,like a ghost who refused to commit itself completely to the physical plane."I take it the little problem was taken care of."

"Why don't you show your face?"He asked,feeling slightly disconcerted talking to a headless woman.He could tell almost nothing from her body.She was petite but seemed to have some muscle beneath the long sleeves of her red shirt,and her worn black leather pants seemed to suggest some awareness of fashion.Not typical of most government operatives.

"We've been through this before.You don't remember my face."

"Bullshit.You don't want me to see it.Maybe so I don't remember exactly what you did to me."He walked to the largest object in the room:the glass and adamantium tank that looked like a lidless coffin,with many strange instruments and pipes dangling over head,looking like the guts of some nightmarish H.R. Giger biomechanoid.This was the tank where it happened,wasn't it?It seemed appropriately stark and cruel.

"And what does that mean?"Her voice turned even chillier,which he thought was impossible.

"It means visual cues are powerful memory triggers.But worst yet is the sense of smell.If I see you,maybe I'll remember what you smelled like-and then I'll remember what role you played in this."He rapped a knuckle against the cold glass insert on the near side of the tank,a hollow noise like hitting the top of an empty coffin.

"That's a specious argument,Logan.And besides,this predated me.I actually thought it was a bad idea."

"How humane of you."He traced the cold top edge of the tank,and the semi-corporeal phantasm that was Enigma neared him on the opposite side.If he was reading her body language correctly,she seemed surprised."But let's cut the shit.I know you're not human.So what were you?"

Shoulders tensed,arms crossed tightly over her chest."Just like you,I'm better than Human."

"Uh huh.And yet not Human at all.What are we talking about here?Since you seem to be the Queen of bullshit I'll guess Belial,but not complete Belial,because they can't take up post-mortem residence in another mind.So,what?Half Belial and half-Ashrikra?Some sort of psychic demon."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"She asked.Her voice was now as sharp as a razor,and he could sense the defensive anger on the verge of boiling over.The legendary Enigma was about to be solved."I never pegged you as the superstitious or religious  type,Logan."

"I'm not.But I'm not an idiot either,and I know that not all extraordinary powers come from mutants.Unlike the Organization.They must have been easy to fool.Sort of like those gullible mutants who believed you had the solution to the normal Human problem,when in fact it was the solution to all of humanity-mutant and normal alike."He looked up,still seeing her as a less than perfect hologram,and smirked."Oh,except you probably figured that even though your wonderfully virulent little engineered organism would kill everything with human DNA,I would survive,because I always do."

"What are you talking about?"She demanded.

"Why you sent me here,to Death Valley.To protect your little project.Or,did you want me to use it?Were you gambling I hated standard issue Humans enough to let it out?"

"They did this to you.How could you not hate them?"

"Ah,but mutants did it too.Mutants,and you."He traced the side of the tank to the top,and sang under his breath,"Waiting for another war,and waiting for my valentine."

She took a step back,unnerved."Since when do you sing?"

He looked at her and smiled,and then Bob let his Logan disguise drop like the blind it was."Darling,you may be the Queen of bullshit,but I am the King."He then banished the lab around them for a blinding desert visit,where the air was so hot and dry it almost had a palpable density,like you could grab a handful and take it home with you.But unlike Death Valley,the sand in this desert was as red as blood,the sky so clear and blue it was almost unreal,the moon visible in the far corner like a cataract blinded eye.Then he 'pushed' Enigma mentally,making her show herself.Her features were delicate and Eurasian, hair short and glossy black,but her eyes were Belial blue.

She reacted in shock,backing away from him,her striking face becoming a mask of fury."Who the fuck are you?And where is Logan?"

"Logan,for a brief moment in his life,is safe.Wish I could say the same thing about you."

He sensed a psychic pressure shoving up against the walls of his mind,but he shrugged it off quite easily.She was probably powerful in most demon terms-but the key word there was 'most'.Against him,she was nothing at all.And the sudden fear in
her exotic eyes seemed to confirm that."You don't frighten me."

"Ah,love,don't try shitting me-you're a good liar,but not that good.What was the deal?Stay alive in Logan until he could inadvertently stumble on some way to resurrect you,or did you think,once your organism waged war against Logan's DNA, he'd be out of it enough for you to come forth and take over?I can believe this was an emergency contingency plan,but a woman as smart as you must have had some grand master plan."

She attempted defiance,crossing her arms over her chest and raising her delicately pointed chin."I don't have to answer a damn thing."

"Well,no,but I could take the information if I want to.If you were Human,there'd be no term for it,but since you're a demon,I am free to tell you I'm a Drai'shajan.Top that."

Although she quickly smothered it,the shock registered in her eyes long enough for him to see it,and she took another step back."They don't exist."

"Yes they do,I'm just extremely rare.And you drew the unlucky straw.So,do you tell,or do I take it from you?"

Her arms tightened their grip around her torso,and she took one more step back,her delicate face hardening like stone."I don't believe you."

"No?Where are you then?"

She gave a cursory look around before fixing him with a sharp glare once more."A desert."

"Yes,but beyond that.Don't you notice something's different?"He eased up enough on the psychic  prison enough so that she could pick up what was beyond the boundaries (and yeah,he was right,half Ashrikra definitely).

She swallowed hard as her distant eyes once more focused on him,her skin growing ashen in alarm,her arms falling to her sides as she tried to deal with the shock."Wh-where's Logan?I don't sense Logan...he can't be dead."

Bob couldn't help but chuckle."Of course he can't be dead-that's exactly why you picked him.See,darlin',I changed the venue before I changed the scenery.This is my mind:welcome to it."

Her eyes widened,her jaw going slack with shock."What?"

"Actually,that's bullshit.This is a tiny corner of my mind,self-contained,which will collapse in on itself in a few days like an unstable wormhole.Don't you just love metaphysics?Anyhoo,that will give you time to either dissipate willingly-which I know you can do-or die hideously.The choice is yours,love,but your time ends now.Logan is your bitch no more.And you ain't strong enough or nice enough to make me yours."

As he expected,the fury crept back back into her expression and posture,her hands clenching into fists at her sides as her lips thinned to a grim line."You couldn't possibly do that,Belial.I would know-"

"No you would not,"he interrupted curtly."You thought I was Logan for a little bit.You never even noticed the shift.And honestly,don't you think you should have?I noticed the change in your posture when I was over by the quaint little vivisection tank.You were expecting a certain reaction-I bet Logan gets pretty emotional around that,huh?-so don't you think the fact that I didn't react how you thought should have been the giveaway?Of course,it was still too late by then,but come on,love:complacency is the death of us all."

She advanced on him threateningly,but he held his ground,only quirking up an eyebrow in curiosity.She couldn't bluff her way out of here,and if she seriously thought she could do him any harm in his own pocket universe,she was either a moron or stupid drunk on her own misguided sense of power."Free me now,or you'll regret it."

"Really?How do you figure?"

"That organism you talked about-only I know how to reverse its effects.Let me die and I take the whole Human race with me."

"Darlin',it's gone.It never got out."

That made her pause."What?"

"I had some demon pals of mine figure out what it was,wiped their memories sparkling clean of it,and then used a good old magic spell to vaporize that sucker,down to the last stray molecule.It's poetic justice,really:one demon creates it,and another destroys it.The great circle of life.And,uh,afterlife in your case,I suppose."

For a moment she just stared at him,her eyes as molten as lava."This isn't the end,Belial."

"Yes it is.For you,at any rate."

"I haven't survived this long in a Human's brain by luck,you know."

"I realize that.I also know,as at least part Ashrikra,you get off on pain.But how do you feel about your own?"He gestured to the vast tract of land surrounding them,the red sand stretching off into all directions as if reaching for infinity."This is the Australian Outback.Sadly,it's kind of a joke now,especially in the States,which it shouldn't be.It's not as instantly lethal as it once was,but it still kills people.There's huge amounts of nothing here,large empty spaces between outposts of civilization.I almost died here once.Before your time,and before what most people would consider 'civilization' had started coming out here,but it almost killed me.Dehydration,sunstroke,and,perhaps most importantly,loss of hope.You'd be surprised how much hope keeps you alive,and how easy it is to die once it's gone."

"Is there a point to this?"She sniped,feigning boredom.

"Yes,my dear.If you don't willing shuffle off this semi-mortal coil,that is the type of death you have to look forward to. Because I'm leaving you in the Botany Bay era Outback-there is no one here,and no help to be had.Once I'm gone,I'm not coming back either.I know surrender is unaccustomed to you,but at the same time,I know torture is not.This will be the worst,longest torture you never thought of,possibly worse than what you did to Logan,but not by much.It's your choice-you can go at any time,which is more than he had."

"You will pay for this."She snarled.

Bob shook his head,actually feeling a glimmer of pity for her."So that will be the hope that keeps you alive,huh?Ironically,I think Logan's is the same.No wonder you kind of pitied him:you know how impossible that truly is.And now it's your turn to pursue the impossible."He turned his back on her and started to walk away,towards what seemed like just more nothing, but he could make an exit appear anywhere:his world;he made the rules.

She tried to attack him,but was repelled by the equivalent of a forcefield surrounding him,throwing her back on her butt.

He glanced back at her,and said,"You had to know that was going to happen."

"You can't do this to me!"She shouted angrily,getting back on her feet."I am Enigma!"

Sad how egotism got to everyone."And I am unimpressed."The exit shimmered before him,like a worn spot in the fabric of space-time,and he walked through,the hole sealing immediately after him.

He thought he heard her scream in rage,but he couldn't care less.

He didn't know why he allowed himself to be talked into this anyways.Angel was adamant that if Bob thought there was 'someone' in his head,there probably was,as Bob had a 'gift' with that kind of thing.It was the second stupidest thing Logan had ever heard,but what if it was some telepath fucking around with him yet again?And while he didn't trust Bob,maybe the devil he knew was better than the one he didn't.

When it came down to it,he sat in Bob's dreary back office,in an uncomfortable wooden chair in front of his desk,and told him,with gritted teeth,"Let's just get this over with."

"Too late,"Bob said,leaning back in his chair and propping his feet up on the far corner."Already done."

Logan wondered if that was his idea of a joke,but he didn't have that smarmy grin on his face,so probably not."What?"

"Didn't take much.She was no match for me,"he replied,folding his hands over his flat stomach.Bob had exchanged his blue bloodstained white t-shirt for another t-shirt that looked exactly the same as the previous one.

"It was her?"

"Enigma?Yeah."

"What-what did she want with me?"There was a point when things got so absurd you no longer had the energy to fight them.

"You were her emergency contingency plan.About to die,she put a fragment of her mind in you,latent but still very much there.She had enough Ashrikra in her to pull that off."

"And Ashrikra is..?"

"A type of demon.Psychically gifted but really unpleasant son of a bitches,the lot of 'em.They get off on pain,so it's not unusual to find them in positions where they can inflict it:third world dictator,prison guard,executioner,torturer,chat show host..."

Logan shook his head."Whatever,I don't care."He still couldn't quite grasp all this demon crap.No that wasn't true-he didn't want to.Of course,they didn't smell human,so he had to believe his nose,he just hated admitting it."I still don't get what she was hoping to achieve."

"Well,it was a last minute thing,but she had two basic hopes:one was that something would compromise your conscious mind long enough for her to take over,but even she knew what a long shot that was considering what a stubborn bastard you are.And you know I mean that as a compliment,mate:if you weren't such a pigheaded son of a bitch you'd probably be a gibbering wreck by now."

Logan raised an eyebrow,wondering if that was a backhanded compliment or Bob just trying to be funny.The expression on his too good looking to be true face was studiously neutral,as if he had been practicing that look in the mirror for hours.

"So she had most of her hope pinned on number two,"Bob continued,either not noticing the look on Logan's face or simply ignoring it."That a means of resurrection would present itself,and she would be able to steer you to it with subliminal and not so subliminal messages filtered through your subconscious.She's been in there a while too:she was tangled in your mind like kudzu.In a strange way,it was a sort of symbiotic relationship."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning if a telepath tried to dig too deep into your mind,she'd kick them out,which is probably how Lucretia got wind of her in the first place."

"But she was protecting me to protect herself."

Bob touched the tip of his nose."Got it in one.See?I knew you were bright."

Logan glared at him,not appreciating the condescension."So you killed her."

"No,I moved her.I'm giving her the option of a dignified suicide,but she's so bloody arrogant I don't know if she'll take it. Well,she'll die anyways,but some people just can't handle the truth."

"You moved her?She's in your mind now?"Logan wasn't sure if this was still absurd or completely surreal.

Bob gave him a small smile with lips that had the faintest blue undertone,like a hypothermia victim just pulled out of the icy water."My mind is not a hospitable place for her.She will wither and die in it,unable to take root.As I'd hoped you learned from the telepaths we encountered,my mind is a bit like a high voltage current:nothing can enter,and if through some bizarre set of circumstances something does,it doesn't leave alive.Ask Angel-the last thing that got in my head ended up oozing out my ear.Not pretty."

Okay:he didn't even want to know.But Logan felt strangely...what?Disappointed?He thought if there was something in his head,once it was gone he'd feel different.But he didn't.He felt exactly the same as before,and worst of all,like the same person as before.Damn it.

"Ah,but things are different,Logan,whether you know it or not.Your mind is your own now.Any instinct you have,any gut feeling,is one hundred percent yours."Bob said,rocking back gently in his chair.

Logan glanced at him,startled."I thought you said you weren't a telepath."

"You know I'm not.I just read people very well.I'm a Belial;it's a trick we learn early on."

"You're not a Belial,"Logan countered,feeling like he was on safe ground."I've met a Belial,I've smelled them,and you don't smell like one."

"Ralph was young,and at that stage of development we're all idiots.I'm sure we smell different too."

Logan shook his head."People buy that shit?"

"They buy all my shit.It's a gift."

"What are you really?"

Bob sat forward,letting his feet fall off the desk before he completely pulled himself forward,a strange smile on his face:it was the type of approving smile a teacher might give a slow student who was starting to finally come along."I don't know,Logan. Who are you?Really."

Logan just stared at him,not enraged more than humiliated by the question.He didn't know,did he?And maybe that was Bob's point."I don't know.Why don't you tell me."

Bob's smile grew broader:the slow student was finally waking up."I would if I could,mate,but they've done some job on you. I'd say they tried to drive you nuts,not just fuck with you at some fundamental level.But be completely honest with me here: if I told you that right now,right this minute,I could make you remember everything about your entire life,would you take me up on it?Would you say yes?"

"Yeah,"Logan replied sharply,and then,before he could catch himself,blurted out,"No."His mind was his own again,right?So what the hell was that?He shook his head,and ruefully admitted,"I don't know."

"I know you don't.Because the more you remember the more you understand why you tried to forget it."

He glared at the smug creature who called himself Bob,and wondered if he had any hope of jumping over the desk and skewering him before the guy could do whatever it was he did.He still hadn't figured that out-he just seemed to tell them to do things,and they did it.He was like a General,but with a lot more charm."I haven't tried to forget anything.They made me..."

"For the most part,yes,"Bob interrupted."But you know Logan,deep in your heart,there were things you never wanted to remember,and still don't.Who doesn't?It's part of being human."

"And what would you know about being human?"

Bob continued to give him that irritating smile-didn't he ever get angry?"Not as much as you,but enough.We actually have a lot in common,Logan."

That actually made him chuckle."Yeah,sure.In some freaked out bizarro world."

"I'm quite serious.Time has wounded us both,and no matter how much you want to forget,it leaves a stain on your soul. That's why what happened to Naomi hit you so hard.It brings back the pain of so much loss even if it doesn't bring back the specific memories."

Logan's stomach seemed to cramp at the very mention of her name,and he decided he was done listening to this guy's shit. "Whatever.Have fun talking to yourself."

He stood up and turned to go,but before he got very far,Bob asked,"Do you know how many loved ones you've lost, Logan?"

"I don't have any loved ones,"he snapped,feeling his shoulders tense.Didn't this guy ever shut up?Well,no-obviously he was in love with the sound of his own voice.

"Yes you did,Logan.I can see that in you."

He turned around,and held up his middle finger."Can you see this?"

But Bob just kept on yammering."The worst part is it feels humiliating.You're so strong,so above mortality,and yet you can ultimately do nothing to protect the people you love from harm."

"Don't you ever shut up?"